Bad Language Skills

[kawanabe]

It must be wonderful to be able to converse fluently in another language.

To those ABers that can - How did you achieve it?
I have tried,maybe not hard enough,but lack the confidence and the"Mindset"to carry it further than"Basic understanding".

Should the UK Government now be thinking of putting more money into training/education in Language Skills,now that the UK has to make its own way in the World re Trade Deals.

[Baldric]

Surely every Brit Knows All you have to do is raise your voice and put an 'I' on the end of every other word.

[bookbinder]

I attended night school courses in Dutch and German, some years ago, and I could - eventually - conduct an easy conversation in either language. I'm a bit rusty now, but I can read both languages quite well. Maybe it's helped that I'm interested in my own language: words; grammar; spelling; and so on. I would recommend a course that has a teacher, rather than learning alone, with a tape or a disc.

[Peter Pedant]

You go to language school at night
and then visit the country

choose an easy language - Italian and not something like Korean or Vietnamese - or Hungarian

The UK govt I can state with certainty has never invested in languages in schools - you are usually lucky if you can do two at school ( French Spanish and German and virtually nothing else )
Holland they routinely do four ( English French Nederlands and German )

[Baldric]

How come you have problems with English?

[Mamyalynne]

No, I'm not fluent in any other language - maybe some simple French conversation but am sure lots of it would be incorrect.

My Grandchildren having spent part of their lives in other countries has taught me a smattering of words from Czech and German.

[Old_Geezer]

Uk merchants had no issue prior to us being put into the Common Market, I see no reason they will when we've escaped.

Thank Gawd they didn't force more language lessons onto pupils in my day. It's a subject that needs good memory skills since it plays only lip service to logic and an ability to work things out. Had I been forced to take and fail a load of language exams/courses it would have surely messed up my start on the career path.

[Old_Geezer]

PAYS

[shaneystar2]

Marry a German like I did then you have to learn or spend 44 years speaking in sign language :)

[kawanabe]

No Polyglots out there,then?

I thought,perhaps,Buenchico.He/She is always very knowledgeable and helpful!

[Jackdaw33]

When I was at school I had a gift for languages, to the detriment of other subjects. I speak god French and Russian, though my Russian is a bit rusty now as I have not really used it in 40 years.

Incidentally, until the 1960s, irrespective of your subject, you would not be allowed entrance to Oxford or Cambridge without an O Level in Latin.

[Jackdaw33]

^ good

[Prudie]

I actually think there is something inherent in the British genes that makes learning another language very hard. After all nearly all of us did French at school (didn't we) and very few can speak it and our pronunciation is generally awful. I did A level in French and German and can just get by but think you have to live there to really pick it up fluently.

[Baldric]

I'm fluent in two Languages English and German and have a working knowledge of Bangla (Bengali) thanks to our live-in Friend.

[Old_Geezer]

In fairness I have an awful lot of skill at bad language.

[THECORBYLOON]

PP, you said "[in]
Holland they routinely do four [foreign languages]( English French Nederlands and German )" is Dutch taught as a foreign language in much of Holland?

[Baldric]

I believe!

[Jackdaw33]

I agree with Prudie. One tends to be taught 'correct' grammar. Nothing wrong with that as long as you realise that people don't speak that way. For example, although in French you will often see the subjunctive in writing you will rarely hear it in speech.

[Baldric]

That was @ OG ^^