Languages

[tinyjo]

dotty and I were discussing language learning in the pub on Tuesday (she's lending me French books) and she came up with some interesting points. Firstly, she said that she thinks of English as one of the best languages for communication - there are always several ways to say the thing you're trying to say so even someone with a limited vocabulary can sometimes say a lot. She also said that English was one of the easiest languages to learn and one of the most pleasant to speak, particularly rhythmic and flowing. This seems to be a very different perspective to the one English people have about our own language. We tend to think that it's difficult to learn because of the many shades of meaning to words and the fact that the spelling rules are more like guidelines. When asked to name a beautiful language, I tend to think of French or Italian, closer to the Latin stem, musical.

On a related note, I've been absolutely terrible at doing any french writing thus far but I am determined (honest) to do more. I've decided that I'm going to try and write something every friday lunchtime based on one (or more) of the word of the day words I've received by email. You never know - it might work!

Comments

[zoo-music-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm weird, I love German. I think it sounds beautiful. All my attempts to learn it have been awful though, and I find Romance languages much easier.

About English language

[dotty.livejournal.com]

Yep. As specified in your entry, I totally maintain my theories about why English is better and why it is easier. Music today is valid only if sung in English. The only "foreign" blabbing you occasionally hear is either about a) Ibiza clubbing trance/dance rythms for summer b) about a "romantic" Spanish/French/Italian sentence for that special St Valentine's feeling. In an English music culture, other languages are not allowed much so this is one of the downside of it. When French has got between 70 or 80 000 words, Occitan roughly 150 000 words, English is much easier, even in its grammar, as opposed to the rest of world languages.