Re: Q & X
| From: | Tero Vilkesalo <teronpostilaatikko@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Friday, January 12, 2001, 14:00 |
|---|
>From: Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>
>
>En réponse à Tero Vilkesalo <teronpostilaatikko@...>:
>
[snip]
>
>Finnish is indeed quite an interesting and fascinating language, but what
>I've
>always wondered is how native speakers of non-Indo-European languages felt
>when
>learning Indo-European languages like English or French? What do you find
>difficult? What surprises you and what do you find original when you're
>first
>put in contact with a foreing language?
>
Ok. My first foreign language was German, which I began to study in the
school when I was nine years old. English came two years later. I also speak
Swedish and Spanish, but I haven't studied them that much. Basically I've
learned foreign languages only in the school. Fortunately the education was
first-class.
I wonder what effect one's first language teacher can have. At least my
first German teacher was very inspiring. My mother has told me (she
remembers better) that I was really fascinated by German lessons. I think
that it's not very difficult to learn your first foreign language if you
begin early enough. Even if it's distant grammatically. Of course that may
depend on a person. However, after two years of German lessons English
seemed very easy... Spanish was really not difficult either although I
hadn't studied Romance languages before. Its phonology is also very easy to
learn for us Finns.
The next Indo-European languages I'd like to study are Dutch, Danish and
Catalan. I like the way they are spoken.
I can tell about difficulties in English... I mean, I can tell YOU about the
difficulties in English. :) The use of different prepositions is difficult.
Dependent on, independent of. Gosh! Leave Paris for London. Irregularities
are always difficult. The basic grammar is easy but once you become more
involved in it, it sometimes becomes mind-maze. German is more logical in
that sense. Learning the rules may take more time but once you can handle
with them you don't have to think about them that much.
Because the world is full of English terms, I am more fluent in English than
in German. I should be learning German vocabulary...
Tero
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