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| Is it harder for English speakers to learn languages? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 12 2016, 08:00 PM (569 Views) | |
| + Pelador | Jun 12 2016, 08:00 PM Post #1 |
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Crazy Awesome Legend
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I'm not sure exactly why but it seems like people who speak English as their first language tend to struggle learning new languages. First of all is this actually true? If so why is this? Do we get taught languages too late in our lives? There is an actual time window in our brains where we can learn new languages much more easily. I believe it's between the ages of one and five? After which is becomes gradually more difficult. Perhaps its simply that due to the structure of the English language that the rules of others become more difficult to comprehend? Like for instance we don't have masculine and feminine words. So when we were learning French for the first time at aged 11 it was like waa? How can a word have a gender? And I still don't fully understand the concept. |
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| Buuberries | Jun 12 2016, 08:27 PM Post #2 |
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No
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i always assumed at least both. |
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| + Sandy Shore | Jun 12 2016, 08:31 PM Post #3 |
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Primarily motivation, I think. When you're a native speaker of the world's lingua franca, there isn't any need to push yourself to learn another language. |
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| * Mitas | Jun 12 2016, 09:00 PM Post #4 |
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It truly was a Shawshank redemption
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I echo what Lazuli said. Other nations have the added motivation of needing (obviously not everyone, but high numbers of people) to learn English as a second language. Plus, just the necessity of learning one language can in turn create a culture where more importance is placed on learning languages, therefore increasing the numbers of people learning non-English second languages. Contrary to that, there is very much a dismissive attitude to learning second languages for English-speaking countries because it's too easy to just say "everyone else speaks English so we don't need to bother learning their language". Maybe it's not the right attitude, but it's a completely understandable one. |
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"Then you've got the chance to do better next time." "Next time?" "Course. Doing better next time. That's what life is." | |
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| + Ginyu | Jun 13 2016, 10:56 AM Post #5 |
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Leve Feyenoord 1!
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You're already speaking what is pretty much the world language. When I was a kid, I was bombarded with English everywhere. Movies, TV, Video Games, etc. They didn't start teaching me French and German until middle school, and I never really mastered those languages. You need to start as early as possible with languages, and that's only really done with priority languages, so your native language and English. You especially see this in Europe. Look at the Netherlands or Scandinavia where everybody speaks it fluently and compare that to Germany, France or Spain where English is spoken significantly worse. It's because they dub everything over there. You're avoiding to come into contact with the language while you're young and easily picking up on it. |
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| Darker | Jun 21 2016, 11:39 AM Post #6 |
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The Lord of the Dark
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That's because English is one of the regional languages in the Netherlands. And just because it happened there, that doesn't mean it happened anywhere else. It's not like it's a regional language EVERYWHERE. Most of Europe doesn't give a damn about english, and most countries don't have it as a regional language.
That's ridiculous. So (in case you're into tourism), if you go to Germany or France, you won't learn french or german just because you assume english is popular enough so that everyone knows it and can understand you? I could count with all the fingers of my hands and feet the times I've seen some foreigner come to me without knowing spanish to ask directions. It's annoying. English is an obligatory language in schools everywhere (or mostly everywhere), but that doesn't mean everyone's good at it, as simple as the language is. I assume english speakers are just too lazy for that precise reason. "English is the world's most important language, therefore I shouldn't learn the rest, and everyone in the world should speak english." That's not something I have just said, that's something many english speakers have said in the internet, and probably in real life too, which is just sad. That's not an understandable attitude, Mitas. Not in the slightest, that's reaching the boundries of egotistical. It's basically saying that every other language is second-rate compared to english. Even languages that are extremely close to english, like german, even then english speakers don't bother to learn it. I would at least bother with learning portuguese or italian, and the differences between those and spanish is much bigger than the german/english ones. |
Piccolo: Just how many people have you sacrificed?! Cell: Sacrifice? Hmph, rubbish! On the contrary, it is an honor to become a fraction of my power. | |
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| Event Horizon | Jun 21 2016, 12:13 PM Post #7 |
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エンペラー
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lmao why is it annoying when a non-native Spanish speaker asks for directions in English? Do you expect people who go abroad for a few weeks to learn a new language? |
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| Tinny | Jun 21 2016, 12:30 PM Post #8 |
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I wouldn't particularly say so, I'm leaning Spanish fairly quickly more that I'm in a dominantly Spanish speaking country, it comes down to use and exposure I'd imagine mire than anything. I imagine I'd probably be able to hold an acceptable conversation in Spanish if I watched Spanish Soap Operas as well (provided its same dialect and all). Any difficulties are likely created by society, not your kind. Heck I've learned a teensy but of Japanese just from anime so I'd say there isn't anything specifically difficult for English speakers when learning other languages. Also it's might be just me but I try not to look like a complete tourist when out and about, and I try to speak Spanish where I can, or at least ask for a translation. Edited by Tinny, Jun 21 2016, 12:32 PM.
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| + Ginyu | Jun 21 2016, 12:58 PM Post #9 |
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Leve Feyenoord 1!
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First of all. We don't learn English because it's regional. We learn it because it's THE world language. We get French and German as well at schools. Those are regional languages, and I don't master them nearly as well as English. Also take a look at Sweden or something. English is just as regional there as it is in Spain, and yet they all speak it fluently as well. Why? Because it's THE world language. And you think it's annoying that people ask you directions in English? Really!? What do you suggest I do!? I've been to Spain, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Luxembourg. Do you want me to learn all those languages so that you aren't bothered? Or perhaps it's simpler if everybody agrees to learn English as a second language, because it's pretty much seen as the #1 language in the world already. English people aren't lazy. They're unmotivated. And rightfully so. Perhaps it's harder to understand for Spanish people, but Dutch people realize this better than anyone else. We are a nation that lives off of trade. We have to learn 4 languages in school and nobody bothers to learn ours. Why? Because we're small and insignificant to them. We could be arrogant like Spain and France and expect people to learn Dutch, but that would get us nowhere. So we suck it up and learn English. So should you. English is the #1 language in the world, and it's not going to change because you don't like it. |
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| + Sandy Shore | Jun 21 2016, 04:21 PM Post #10 |
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Darker, if someone from an English speaking country goes to a tourist location in any developed area of the world, they're probably going to find themselves getting by comfortably enough. If someone from any other country goes to another with only their native tongue in their mouths, they're going to have quite a hard time of it. If they learn the language of the country they're going to, it's going to go very smoothly, sure, but pretty much in that country alone. If they learn English, then it makes it easier in a lot of countries - it's the most valuable language, and it's not up for debate. In that sense, all other languages are second-rate. You can call it egotistical all you like, but you're the one gets all uppity about people speaking to you in a different language from your country's, and you even have a grasp on the language they're speaking. That's pretty arrogant, and it's misplaced, too. In an English speaking country, I've had people who barely speak two words of the language come up and attempt to ask me something, and never once did I feel peeved that they couldn't speak the language of this land, or the most important language of the world, but instead did my best to understand what they were trying to say, and genuinely apologised when I was incapable of helping them. As for it being lazy, do you think people who don't learn magic tricks are lazy? Or do they just lack the motivation required to do so? They can both be very useful life skills to some people, but for the most part they're far from necessary. Like magic tricks, other languages can be interesting, but, like magic tricks to most people the world over, learning them is far from a matter of importance for English speakers. Also, is there a name for the condition of people who have fingers where their toes should be? Edited by Sandy Shore, Jun 21 2016, 04:23 PM.
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| Buuberries | Jun 21 2016, 04:25 PM Post #11 |
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No
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if spanish happened to be master race, would you have issues, darker? |
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| * Mitas | Jun 21 2016, 04:35 PM Post #12 |
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It truly was a Shawshank redemption
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It's not egotistical, it's a fact. It is a fact that English is the world's universal language, there's no debating that. I'll say it again: it is completely understandable for someone who knows that they can go pretty much anywhere in the world and be moderately understood to not be motivated to learn another language. Humans are that way by nature: the quickest, easiest route is the one taken most often. Again, not necessarily the ideal attitude, and you could say it's unfair to people who don't speak English as a native tongue, but fair or not, that's the world we live in. |
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"Then you've got the chance to do better next time." "Next time?" "Course. Doing better next time. That's what life is." | |
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Jun 21 2016, 05:42 PM Post #13 |
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How is it sad that some English speakers don't want to learn another language? Especially if they're from somewhere like America where the only reason they would travel to another country is for a vacation. Why would you learn multiple different languages just so you can speak them in their respective countries for a week or two? The only language that's somewhat useful to learn in America is Spanish, and even that isn't usually useful because most Spanish speakers also speak English. You know, because it's the world language and all that jazz. The only countries I've traveled to outside of America have been France and Italy. In France, the majority of people spoke English. In Italy, it was more difficult, but we could still get by, and I was able to read signs and directions because I spoke Spanish. Either way, why the hell would I learn Italian just so I could use it on my one week vacation? If you're moving to another country, yes, you should definitely try to learn the regional language, but I don't see any other reason to bother with it considering most people are born and die in the same country. |
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| * Ketchup Revenge | Jun 23 2016, 09:17 PM Post #14 |
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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!"
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I learn them because I am interested. There's no other purpose. However, I think it might be a bit more difficult for English speakers to learn... some other common languages. Modern day English actually has more in common with German and Scandinavian than it does with Spanish and Italian, both of which German and Scandinavian aren't commonly spoken languages when you look at them on a global scale. Even the way our sentences are constructed are quite a bit different than Spanish and Italian, as well as French. There's plenty of French origins in English, because England did speak French for a little while in the past. |
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