Languages

Kurtni:

Polexia? :

Latin is boring, and there are all these godamn ending (us, um, am, at unt)


I want to learn croatian, bad.

Sorry to inform you, but Croatian has its fair share of endings too

but those are croaty endings, the latin endings are not

I have discovered the magnificent world of phrasebooks and I cant get out of it. I was even tempered to buy a Croatian phrasebook so I could improve my slang.

BayareatasticPolexia:

Kurtni:

Polexia? :

Latin is boring, and there are all these godamn ending (us, um, am, at unt)


I want to learn croatian, bad.

Sorry to inform you, but Croatian has its fair share of endings too

but those are croaty endings, the latin endings are not

uggggh Croatian endings make me want to kick walls conjugation sucks.

Lupinator:

I have discovered the magnificent world of phrasebooks and I cant get out of it. I was even tempered to buy a Croatian phrasebook so I could improve my slang.

I need a croatian phrase book. You guys have the oddest slang, as you have said.

Kurtni:

Lupinator:

I have discovered the magnificent world of phrasebooks and I cant get out of it. I was even tempered to buy a Croatian phrasebook so I could improve my slang.

I need a croatian phrase book. You guys have the oddest slang, as you have said.

Its srednja žalost.

muwaha.

As a literature junkie, the use of language is really important to me, the way we speak and write is an extension of who we are.

However an important tool of language is understanding the context of how you speak, when teaching 5 year olds maths, i do not tell them to substitute and attract, its add and takeaway. 'dumbing' down the explanation does not diminish their understanding of maths but puts it into a context thats understandable.

I some areas of knowledge (waits for Shruti to go apeshit on my TOKed ass) 'dumbing' down explanations does remove them from context. My use of language it totally appropriate on the religion thread!

I half-expected you to come on here saying, 'Who thinks Anji should talk less like a snob!'

Anji:

I some areas of knowledge (waits for Shruti to go apeshit on my TOKed ass) 'dumbing' down explanations does remove them from context. My use of language it totally appropriate on the religion thread!

I half-expected you to come on here saying, 'Who thinks Anji should talk less like a snob!'

I was going to overly illiterate myself, but my spelling has been atrocious lately so i'd have ended up mispelling 50 words.

If you feel that people aren't understanding the point your trying to make or not grasping the argument. You can't merely argue thats its because of them not understanding the concept of the debate but that your impressive grasp of language is complicating matters.

its not really dumbing down more re-structuring to reach a larger audience. if mohammed won't come to the mountain...

You're making me sound smart.

...I'm not. I just read too much and retain things. Honestly I can't help it. If you could hear me speak, you'd laugh, because I speak properly all the time. And I don't mean posh, I mean, like I always have proper grammar and I use words that I have to explain and talk about things that people will not get, but I'll talk about them anyways. This is amongst my friends, amongst teachers, we're like at the same level, it's just because I do too much analysis of text. Yeah, I blame the IB diploma. And I have no clue how to structure things. My first language is Thai, so I say crazy things all the time that I don't realise is weird, like 'close the lights' (apparently it's 'shut the lights') and 'plug out the computer' (which is supposed to be 'unplug...').

Also, I mean it helps to research things you don't understand. I obviously wasn't born with my vocabulary, it's been extensively built up by (yes, I do do this) reading the dictionary. I just happen to use a more broad vocabulary. Which is something I may never understand about teenagers and something I am happy Stephen Fry discusses in one episode of A Bit of Fry and Laurie where people will use the same, repetitive phrases everyday, well I use different repetitive phrases from everyone else so at least I stand out, which has always helped me in the pubilc debating forum.

I thought i was the only one who reads the dictionary i favor the thesaurus though.

i'm a teacher, its my job to make people feel smart but you obviously are. The link of intelligence and natural ability to articulate is very clear. But be honest because i've done it too, its very easy to drown opposition in adjectives.

To unessesarily (see what i mean about spelling) over articulate a point so that it sounds cleverer than who your debatingbut not exactly clearer. I usually do it when i want will to cook.

NeoSteph:

However an important tool of language is understanding the context of how you speak, when teaching 5 year olds maths, i do not tell them to substitute and attract, its add and takeaway. 'dumbing' down the explanation does not diminish their understanding of maths but puts it into a context thats understandable.

Using the teaching thing as an example, 'dumbing' down (I'm sure there's a batter word for that, but, you know, I'm uncertain that people would understand. ) language can diminish understanding. This is definately shown in areas like science in the British education system, between Key Stages 3 and 4 and Key Stages 4 and 5. The words used in the study of atomic physics in Key Stage 3 is symplified to mental images of a 'orb' of a 'sphere' in which sub-atomic particles exist and look like little circles. In Key Stage 4 you start to learn that the atom is infact, mostly space, empty space, and it takes quite a bit to throw out the old picture and accept the new. Then, reach Key Stage 5 and atoms technically don't exist. Not only that, put they aren't particles, they can also be waves. Infact, they are waves when you don't observe them, and particles when you do observe them. And they can exist everywhere at the same time. And you cannot possibly imagine them in your head. (Yeah, I got a level 6 and I still don't quite get it.)

Of course, in education this is just due to the lack of development of the brain that will be needed to grasp such concepts. They do not get a full understanding, but after all education is only used for passing exams really. And the only answers you end up caring about are the ones which the board of education say is right.

NeoSteph:

I thought i was the only one who reads the dictionary i favor the thesaurus though.

i'm a teacher, its my job to make people feel smart but you obviously are. The link of intelligence and natural ability to articulate is very clear. But be honest because i've done it too, its very easy to drown opposition in adjectives.

To unessesarily (see what i mean about spelling) over articulate a point so that it sounds cleverer than who your debatingbut not exactly clearer. I usually do it when i want will to cook.

I actually do prefer thesauruses to dictionaries, I just need a dictionary to look up words in a thesaurus because they kinda do mean different things. I have a really awesome dictionary-thesaurus that I absolutely love.

The thing is, English is my second language, and I still do have difficulty in expressing myself and so I constantly find myself reading notes and looking up words and stuff to keep up with everything, just to keep up my end of the discussion. Infact, to really pick holes in my arguement, you only have to look at my adjectives because they are almost always wrong, we don't use many adjectives in Thai, most things are in noun form. Words like 'seemingly' I always omit. I don't know when I can use 'unique' because I always use it wrong. I mean, it sounds like nit-picking, but I don't use particularly difficult words on purpose, I really don't. I just mis-use them.

And I have worked so hard on clarity over the past few years that it actually really hurts to hear that. I ramble too much.

Well i love rambling. Its like having a verbal release.

In Ireland we don't use out own language as a first language.
We do however, speak out own form of English.
It comes as a direct translation from Irish.
So we have phrases like, "I do be".
As in "I do be in my house cleaning"
We also have quite a poetic take on the English language due to this.
I Irish there is no word for Suicide. Instead we say " lámh a chur I do bhás féin" which is "to die at ones own hand"
So evn though we do not speak Gaeilge as a first language we do speak it in a round about way.

I love how Anji writes, its brilliant.

We have English classes with a British teacher in our school and we constantly have to write something and I love to excel in language and vocabulary, its fun. Besides, I love browsing through dictionaries and learning new expressions, vocabulary is definitely the best part of learning a foreign language.

I am Romanian, and can speak it too. I also took spanish in high school because they are very simmilar.

suicide.:

I am Romanian, and can speak it too. I also took spanish in high school because they are very simmilar.

Really?
Cool.

Spanish is probably my joint best subject at college, along with English Lit. I've been thinking of trying to learn another language similar to Spanish, since I have a pretty good grasp of that now.

What I don't get is when people claim learning languages is easy. I don't think that it is 'easy' in any way. I don't even claim to have mastered the English language yet, nor am I ever likely to do so. To me, learning a language is like a never-ending process, you don't just reach a stage when you're done. It carries on for the rest of your life.

Bloodraine:

suicide.:

I am Romanian, and can speak it too. I also took spanish in high school because they are very simmilar.

Really?
Cool.

Spanish is probably my joint best subject at college, along with English Lit. I've been thinking of trying to learn another language similar to Spanish, since I have a pretty good grasp of that now.

What I don't get is when people claim learning languages is easy. I don't think that it is 'easy' in any way. I don't even claim to have mastered the English language yet, nor am I ever likely to do so. To me, learning a language is like a never-ending process, you don't just reach a stage when you're done. It carries on for the rest of your life.

It is defiantly not easy to learn a new language. I had to brush up on my Romanian because I didn't use it for about a year. It's crazy.

Bloodraine:

What I don't get is when people claim learning languages is easy. I don't think that it is 'easy' in any way. I don't even claim to have mastered the English language yet, nor am I ever likely to do so. To me, learning a language is like a never-ending process, you don't just reach a stage when you're done. It carries on for the rest of your life.

I agree.

English though, has a very wide vocabulary, the amount of adjectives you people have is amazing.

Stphn Fru.:

English though, has a very wide vocabulary, the amount of adjectives you people have is amazing.

True but you also must realize thet the English language is not just ONE language.
There are elements of Latin, Greek, German, French and other languages within the English language.