Re: "Usefull languages"

Christophe wrote:
>
>En réponse à David Starner <starner@...>:
>
> >
> > But that's beside the point. I'm talking about adult learning of
> > languages, not learning languages as a child, which is much easier and
> > IIRC somewhat different mentally.
> >
>
>On the contrary, it's exactly at the point. I had explained that I had
>begun
>English learning at that age too, and Dutch learning only now, 15 years
>later.
>Though I began learning English at the age of 10, it took me more than 10
>years
>of the conventional reading-writing education system to get a small level
>of
>understanding of it (and to this day I'm still unable to read an article of
>the
>Times for example).
If so, how come you can follow this list? The English used here is certainly
more idiosyncratic and variable, not to mention more technical. (In fact, it
contributing heavily to my already oversized vocabulary!)

>On the other hand, I took one month of Dutch now that I am
>25, and I'm already good enough to speak it on an everyday basis! So the
>problem is really not the age when you begin learning, but the way you
>learn.
>Dutch and French people begin learning English at about the same age. Yet
>nearly all Dutch people reach bilingualism,
Wow! Sweden is often hailed as a model of anglophone internationalism, and
yet very few people are what I'd call bilingual ('xcept for immigrants
who're not bilingual in English). I'd certainly not consider myself
bilingual.

                                  Andreas

>while French people are usually
>never able to utter two words of English (yes, I'm a big exception). The
>only
>difference is that the French system is based on reading and writing, while
>the
>Dutch system is based on speaking. Unless you pretend that the French are
>somehow less gifted in languages than the Dutch, you're obliged to
>recognize
>that there *is* a big difference between both kinds of learning. And
>there's no
>reason why it would change with adults (in fact, it's proven by facts that
>it's
>not. And facts are more important than theory, aren't they?).
>
>Christophe.
>
>http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr
>
>Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.

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