tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857722065850638200.post2625424763982364232..comments2023-06-04T13:52:35.997+01:00Comments on Joie de Kitty: I don't get it.Princess Cat's Pajamashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09388971009687713246noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857722065850638200.post-34291932689542728362008-08-21T02:39:00.000+01:002008-08-21T02:39:00.000+01:00I don't understand that either... wouldn't that be...I don't understand that either... wouldn't that be the lonliest life EVER?? You could never talk to anyone except for your family, and whatever other immigrants you might run into. You couldn't chat with the cashier at the market, with mothers of your children's classmates, with other wives at your husband's company party... you could never work outside your home... imagine how many friendships you would miss!!!!!!!<BR/><BR/>I am not good at learning languages. I had straight C's in French, have to have each sign repeated more times than you can count when learning ASL,... but really, it's not how easy something comes to you that matters... it's how hard you work at it. I speak Spanish now, enough to form friendships with my wonderful "Mexican family", not because it was easy... but because I am obsessive and never gave up lol <BR/><BR/>And, truthfully, because I made friends with people who spoke the language... which makes the learning process so much more fun. <BR/><BR/>If I can do this, while NOT living in a country where Spanish is the main language... I can't comprehend never learning the language of the country you do live in.Jana Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11720367787031733691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857722065850638200.post-74589833060990905782008-08-16T19:05:00.000+01:002008-08-16T19:05:00.000+01:00You are obviously bright as paint, Kitty, young an...You are obviously bright as paint, Kitty, young and enthusiastic. And yes, I made a big effort to learn about five languages too, though mostly not that well. However, you cannot judge the woman you speak of in the same manner. Maybe she came from a very simple traditional background. Maybe her husband wouldn't let her mix with French people. Maybe she was so nervous on TV she forgot all the French she knew. I think the latter is the most likely explanation!Susie Verekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15231577537523515291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857722065850638200.post-25956045068475890472008-08-14T20:46:00.000+01:002008-08-14T20:46:00.000+01:00I would never venture to criticize the ability of ...I would never venture to criticize the ability of a learning disabled person to acquire any given skill, whether language-related or otherwise. That's a completely different set of circumstances.<BR/><BR/>I know that language is hard, too. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of perseverance. What happens in class isn't anywhere near enough... using what you've learned over and over, every single day, is the only way for it to sink in and take root.<BR/><BR/>My spoken and written Spanish are quite poor, simply because even though I've taken classes non-stop since I was 12, I've never had the opportunity to work much on my Spanish outside of class. I can read and translate fine, thanks to the constant practice that we get, but I just don't have anyone to talk to on a regular basis.<BR/><BR/>When someone immigrates to a country where a different language is spoken, though, there are opportunities to read, write, listen and speak at every corner... should one choose to take advantage of them. It definitely forces you way out of your comfort zone. I don't expect people to arrive in their new country and speak their new language well... but I do expect them to be able to understand and be able to be understood well enough to accomplish basic everyday tasks after a few years. Not being able to do so after 33 years is simply unthinkable to me.<BR/><BR/>Of course, a lot of my opinion comes from the philosophy of the school from which I got my BA. Whether you study at their summer language school in the States or study abroad during the year through their program, you have to sign a pledge to speak no English. The only exception is in the case of a medical or family emergency. You're not allowed to watch TV, surf the internet, read, listen to music, watch movies or talk to anybody unless you do it in your target language, all day and all night, every single day. If you're ever caught doing anything in English, you're expelled from the program. When the only two choices open to you are speak French (or whatever your target language is) or be permanently silent and deprived of all contact with human beings, it's amazing how much practice you get on a daily basis and how quickly you learn.Princess Cat's Pajamashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09388971009687713246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857722065850638200.post-87718688821707705012008-08-13T04:39:00.000+01:002008-08-13T04:39:00.000+01:00Well I guess you could ask my maid who grew up in ...Well I guess you could ask my maid who grew up in Lubbock Texas and barely speaks English. She speaks Spanish. If she needs to call me, her son calls me. He speaks perfect English...I don't get it either!Rhondahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02706830352613908935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857722065850638200.post-5290840311527949592008-08-11T18:27:00.000+01:002008-08-11T18:27:00.000+01:00Hard as I have tried, through 2 years of high scho...Hard as I have tried, through 2 years of high school French and 4 semesters of college Spanish, I can still only talk like a toddler and only in present tense most of the time, so I definitely sympathize with global librarian!<BR/><BR/>Of course, I have a lot of frustration stemming from the fact that my husband acquires language very easily and speaks (are you ready for it?) Spanish, French, some German, some Japanese, Hebrew, Italian, some Yiddish, and some Russian.<BR/><BR/>I think that's it. I hope that's it.Cassiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12517533074624984306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857722065850638200.post-3350468626360564232008-08-08T06:22:00.000+01:002008-08-08T06:22:00.000+01:00It's not necessarily a choice she made.Language is...It's not necessarily a choice she made.<BR/><BR/>Language is hard. And some people have a harder time learning a language than others.<BR/><BR/>I learned German in high school and college. Because it was a requirement in college to learn a second language, and because I was so obviously struggling, my teacher arranged for me to have testing at the academic assistance program. I have a learning disability (dyscalculia, similar to dyslexia) that makes it harder for me. So I got extra lessons and a private tutor and managed to eke by.<BR/><BR/>Then we moved here. And I am once again struggling. I can usually make myself understood, but even with my previous knowledge and my current weekly private tutor sessions, I am nowhere near where I should be. It's just really, really hard.<BR/><BR/>We are going to have a newborn baby in 6 more weeks. I will not have as much time to focus on learning German. I will continue with my lessons, but I am not certain that my German speaking skills will ever go much further than they are right now. Regardless of how long we live here.<BR/><BR/>It's probably a matter of time before my child is translating for me...Global Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14829642620261054318noreply@blogger.com