Yeah, but for some strange reasons I still found English easier to learn than Chinese (although English is Tough Stuff)
That's because German is your native language and we all know that English is the most widely-spoken Germanic language. They both belong to the same linguistic family. But still English is very hard to learn since its got its quirks and nuances. Its grammatical rules are out of this world. :lol:
I learned Latin as my first foreign language... so to me, English grammar is the epitome of simplicity It's like Chinese, only without the characters and the tones. Of course, English has its quirks and nuances, but you can reach a solid level without bothering with them. In Latin, quirks and nuances are the rule (semideponents, anyone? :lol
I'd love to be able to speak Latin, but then again, I'd love to speak all languages! I just hate learning them....isn't there a brainwashing machine available for usage or something? True, but not to the extent of Mandarin and the other Chinese dialects (or are they seperate languages??) I mean, you've got four tones, and you have to combine them with other characters of different tones to achieve your desired word - it's like a confusing puzzle! And the characters? You even have to know which stroke comes first, but that's pretty easy to know once you've learned the general guidelines. left to right, top to bottom, and what you do when boxes are concerned I love chinese calligraphy!! :lol: Can you tell? Anyone who hasn't experienced Chicken Rice, has not experienced life :lol: Mmmm.....chicken rice.... :drool:
To quote a German comedian: "I spent 8 years in a Bavarian convent grammar school. 8 years with the Christian Marines. 8 years of Latin. 8 years of Bavarian hardcore-killer-Latin. Anyone here had Latin in school? 8 years of Latin. Today, I wouldn't even be able to order pizza in Latin." It's so true... :lol: Unless you're going to be a Classics teacher or working in church, the direct uses of Latin are limited. So what is it good for? For one, when you learn a Roman language afterwards, you can skip most of the grammar and probably know half the words already (French was sooooo boring in school). Besides you get a free introduction into philosophy and history of the ancient world. But the most important thing you learn with Latin is frustration tolerance and endurance - that's learning for life But now let's get back to your culinary conversation before I completely hijack this thread
^^I studied Latin for 3 years at secondary school but it's different to learn a dead language than a foreign language. A foreign language is like: "let's learn the colours or how to introduce yourself" but with a dead language like Latin it was "let's translate this text by Caesar or Cicero".
I am so glad that english is my mothertongue! seahawk, I read that 'English is tough stuff' thing and I was surprised how little mistakes I made- I thought i would find it harder but I surprised myself :lol: Erm Liffy, I don't think i've ever had chicken rice?
Therefore you have not experienced life. :lol: Dammit you're making me drool again!! Mmm....chicken rice. :drool: I learned English when I was....really small. Technically Malay is my mothertongue but I grew up bilingual (thank goodness). My friends always tell me how difficult English is and I can't get why. But it's a very big difference when you grow up with it, and when you're learning it as a foreign language; English has weird rules (like the pronounciation of the when faced with a vowel or a consonant) and we just accept it without asking why (most of the time) -- and there are all sorts of weird things that you have to slot into sentences to make it "flow". Yes, I am glad I learned english as a youngster. And I think if you ever want your children to be bilingual, spam them with foreign languages when they're young! (And by spam I mean "expose")
Haha, Latin still has its uses. It's helpful if you ever decide to go to law school (which I did). Latin maxims are very common. seahawk, I've just realized that you've got a background in Latin as well. So combined with your native German and knowledge of Latin, English for you is very easy to learn since many of our words have Latin and Greek roots. Yeah, Hainanese chicken rice is a heavenly experience. :drool:
English is my my main language well i live in the UK and even i can't speak it properly. Well according to my dad my grammar is awful.. and i talk common. I have a habit of saying Water and missing the t out and same with butter. Its funny because supposedly the county i live in is posh.
Well I got to thinking, again, :guffaw:and please don't tell anyone I do think because they may expect it of me all the time :guffaw:Anyways I thought it might be interesting to here what people have to say about the country they were born in, live in, or where they call home. Tell us why it would be nice to plan to vacation there. It doesn't have to anything long and drawn out but maybe 5 reason to visit 5 reasons to Visit Canada 1) Rocky_Mountains 2) Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, Vancouver, Ottawa, The Maritime Provinces, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory, basically anywhere you could think of going. Ok so I only highlighted Toronto but I live here or more specifically in the Toronto area 3) Being able to drive from one of the country to the other on one highway that is called The Trans Canada Highway. OK it may take you a week or so to do it if you just drove and didn't stop to see the places and smell the roses. If you actually started in Newfoundland and Labrador it might take a little longer because of needing to take the ferry to Nova Scotia 4) And speaking of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island and in particular The Cabot Trail. If you can do it in the beginning of October the leave colours are gorgeous. 5) The people are friendly 6) For those that love winter sports come in the winter and you can get all the skiing in you would want. If you only like to watch there is plenty to watch with 6 NHL teams in action weekly. And for those that don't know what NHL is it's Ice Hockey. 7) You'll be pretty well able to get any type of cuisine going in any of the major cities 8) The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Niagara Falls, The CN Tower, until recently the largest free standing structure in the world, Pierre Berton's homestead in Dawson City, Yukon 9) Plenty of snow for those that want it. Even if you come in the summer you may see so glaciers in the Rockies if they haven't all melted because of global warming 10) We have easy access to the US if you have the proper documents and the US government likes you Ok so I came up with more than 5 reason to Visit Canada
OOh! OOh! I wanna play! Shhh... I won't tell if you wont! :lol: But hmm, 5 reasons to visit Malaysia: 1) The food - we have such a diverse array of food available (from all over the world) it's like...the world in one place! 2) To see the diversity in our (mostly) tri-racial population. 3) The Petronas Twin Towers - the tallest twin towers in the world. 4) The amazing islands you can go to off the east coast (Perhentian, Redang, Tioman...etc) 5) Did I mention the food? There's much, much more -- but I can't think straight right now...and all I can think of is the food. :lol: Well as our Motto goes, Malaysia Truly Asia!
I'm going with town i go to University in its way more exciting than where i live. Brighton! Located in the south east of England. 1. Brighton Pier... Its one of those places you regress to a small child again with arcade machines and rollercoasters and all on some wood on into the sea.. and when its dark its all lit up and just perfect. 2. The Lanes... Shopping heaven small lanes around brighton which are full of small boutiques. The 2 main lanes are the north and the south either side of the main high street and are full of nick nac shops and quirky little places. 3. The BEACH... Can't forget that its a pebble beach so no sand to get in your toes and its just perfect when its sunny. 4. Brighton Pavillion... It may look a tad out of place but it makes brigton what it is, always reminded me of the taj mahal but in england. 5. Brighton Rock... The best sweets you could get. 6. The Culture... Known as the gay capital its known for gay pride events it holds and its also a hive of student activity with University of Brighton and the University of Sussex both there... its full of a mix of different cultures and experiences 7. The burnt down pier... Still standing the ruin can be seen on th beach out to sea and its almost quite eerie. Some pics. http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a333/Dawn_18/brighton-pavilion.jpg ^ the pavillion http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a333/Dawn_18/brighton06.jpg ^ brighton pier http://www.visitbrighton.com/
If everything works out as planned, I'll spend September and October in Canada. Your list just put that pre-travel-dreamy-smile back into my face. Ok, 5 reasons to visit Germany: 1. Berlin: I've been there twice, in 2004 and 2007, and I love it. Berlin breathes history, everyplace you go has tons of stories to tell. Plenty to see, no matter if you prefer museums, architecture, cultural events, sports, outdoor activities or metropolitan lifestyle. 2. Southern Germany. (guess where I'm from ) Amazing regionally (although not suited for strict diets) diverse food. Beer in the south-east (Bavaria :beer, wine in the south-west (that's where I am right now ). Mountains and snow for hikers and skiers, lots of bike and hiking trails. 3. I've been told by non-Europeans that naturism is something regarded as specific German or at least European...Never done it myself though 4. Depending on where exactly you are, you can hop over the borders to neighbouring countries. There's no regular border control (no compulsory waiting at the barrier except for traffic jam reasons), thanks to the Schengen treaty. 5. Short distances between interesting locations within Germany. If cities are 500 km apart, that's a lot. You can reach most destinations within 5-6 hours. 6. Germany is a good central point for discovering Europe. You can reach lots and lots of interesting cities in the surrounding countries by train or plane. I'm starting to sound like a travel agent...I swear I'm not getting paid for writing this