I genuinely hate how English is becoming a sort of de facto global language. Just more cultural imperialism. But it’s very nice to be able to communicate with comrades from around the world, it might be my favorite aspect of this site. So I do appreciate you all taking effort to think something in your native language, translate it in your head, then type it up in English. Hopefully in FALGSC we’ll get our universal translators, too.
For real, learning languages is hard. I had 2 years of Spanish in high school and didn’t do too well, something in my brain just didn’t click. But maybe you need to use another language a lot to really learn it? I lived in Germany for just two months and by the end I found myself kinda picking up things.
:soviet-heart:
So I do appreciate you all taking effort to think something in your native language, translate it in your head, then type it up in English.
This isn’t really how speaking multiple languages works. The human brain is remarkably bad at parallel processing complex tasks. If you want to be proficient in another language you really have to learn to think in that language. It’s definitely a skill that can be learned and there’s an added bonus of becoming a better listener.
I think native english speakers have no idea how many god damn idioms and similes you people use in everything.
This is completely true. Native English speakers only think of the particularly long and folksy sounding idioms as idioms, the fact that something like “24/7” or “draw the line” is also an idiom is completely missed.
Also English is full of weird constructs where some special collection of words acts as a noun, in a way that doesn’t work any other time. And I can’t even think of any examples because I am a native English speaker lol.
it helps if you start at a young age. your brain handles languages differently if you learn them young vs as an adult. though even as an adult, these limitations can be tempered with immersion and hard work.
The data is still a bit unclear on that. The best study was done at MIT and actually showed that there was little difference in language mastery ability from childhood until the age of around 20. Also, the top quartile of learners over 20 did just as well as the younger cohort, which could suggest an epiphenomenal explanation for the disparity. It may turn out to be a myth and the brain’s ability to assimilate a new language may be pretty consistent throughout the lifespan.
Sorry, I meant structurally, rather than in terms of performance. That’s why I added a clarification that the advantages of being young can still be overcome in adulthood.
But MRI studies do show differences in how language is processed/encoded for younger vs older language learners. There are also differences related to exposure to language as an infant, but that’s a whole other topic.
It may turn out to be a myth and the brain’s ability to assimilate a new language may be pretty consistent throughout the lifespan.
I hope that is true. Got anything I could read about this?
the best is when you learn multiple languages and your brain invents a new creole. I speak English as my first language, and have been learning Japanese for 5 years now, and Spanish since I was like 14. so my internal monolouge is all 3 mixed, and it is not consistent at all
think something in your native language, translate it in your head, then type it up in English
Ha you would be surprised how often a thought comes out in whatever language and I can’t remember how to translate it back to my native language to speak it out. I end up like :biden-troll: ‘you know, the thing’.
I suck at translating.
Or the code switching where I’ll talk to my parents or other Chinese Canadians and just substitute random english words for Chinese and vice versa to make this incomprehensible sentence that only a very specific subset of people can even parse.
EDIT: Is this how Singaporeans live every day?
lingua francas are good imo. they often come about due to hegemonic powers, IE Arabic due to the caliphate, Chinese back in the day, French in the medieval era, Latin in pax Romana for like 1000 years, and English now since the height of British and later American imperialism, which is bad. but, it’s cool it forms this backbone of international communication and I’d imagine that one is probably always gonna be a thing, at least in a global region if not worldwide
It makes so much knowledge available to you. I remember having a much easier time in college and grad school writing reports and doing research because i could just default to english with minimal pain, my non-bilingual peers would try to do all their research in our native language first and then branch out when they were having trouble.
And in India it gives us a language that people from different regions can speak to each other. Much of India speaks Hindi, but there are many other languages as well. Some states have gotten really pissed when the govt has tried to make Hindi a compulsory subject nationwide
it’s very nice to be able to communicate with comrades from around the world, it might be my favorite aspect of this site.
with all due respect, and as much as i love this site most of you guys seem to be anglos, or failing that, euros. like there are exceptions but most is the operative word here. i don’t mean that in a derogatory sense, just that the demographic here is very much people from the imperial core.
yeah immersive language learning is infinitely better. language is picked up through context. I did an 8 week immersive hebrew seminar basically and i became so much more proficient at it then my 11 years of attempting spanish class, and my dad is fluent in spanish :shrug-outta-hecks:
