We've been attempting to learn Hindi for 2 years now. To put it bluntly, it's not going well. Language is one of those things that the more you learn, the more you realize just how much you still need to learn.
Attempting a new language in my 60s, and watching much younger school children learn second and third and fourth languages has given me a much better appreciation of a number of things. Specifically:
• The younger you start a second (third, fourth) language, the better you will learn it. I started French class in 6th grade. While I never developed anything close to fluency, and I haven't studied French for over 40 years, I can do a passable job of reading a French newspaper, but speaking and writing would be a disaster. I took a year (3 semesters) of Russian in my last year of college, but that hasn't stuck nearly as well. Partly because it was only one year, but also because I was older.
• I have much more tolerance for poor English on the part of "English language learners" (or "ELLs" in ed-speak). Most of the misspellings I see here are attempts to write phonetically. What's so awful about that? Of course, if you want to succeed in business, you need to learn proper English speaking and writing -- although what "proper English"is a question -- British, Australian, American? But if you're a shop owner, what's so bad about misspellings if you get your point across, and you can communicate the essentials in English? Most people here do a much better job of English than I do with Hindi -- and a large number of them are self-taught.
Educated Indians need to know at least three languages: the local language (in Vapi it's Gujarati), English, and Hindi. Many know at least one other Indian language -- there's about 20 official ones. Most Muslims learn Arabic and/or Urdu (which is pretty much the same as Hindi, but written with the Arabic script). The former Portuguese colonies (such as nearby Daman) still teach Portuguese. Very few learn German or French; Italian is a rarity; Spanish is pretty much unknown.
On thing is for certain: Americans are way behind the curve when it comes to language study!
Attempting a new language in my 60s, and watching much younger school children learn second and third and fourth languages has given me a much better appreciation of a number of things. Specifically:
• The younger you start a second (third, fourth) language, the better you will learn it. I started French class in 6th grade. While I never developed anything close to fluency, and I haven't studied French for over 40 years, I can do a passable job of reading a French newspaper, but speaking and writing would be a disaster. I took a year (3 semesters) of Russian in my last year of college, but that hasn't stuck nearly as well. Partly because it was only one year, but also because I was older.
• I have much more tolerance for poor English on the part of "English language learners" (or "ELLs" in ed-speak). Most of the misspellings I see here are attempts to write phonetically. What's so awful about that? Of course, if you want to succeed in business, you need to learn proper English speaking and writing -- although what "proper English"is a question -- British, Australian, American? But if you're a shop owner, what's so bad about misspellings if you get your point across, and you can communicate the essentials in English? Most people here do a much better job of English than I do with Hindi -- and a large number of them are self-taught.
Educated Indians need to know at least three languages: the local language (in Vapi it's Gujarati), English, and Hindi. Many know at least one other Indian language -- there's about 20 official ones. Most Muslims learn Arabic and/or Urdu (which is pretty much the same as Hindi, but written with the Arabic script). The former Portuguese colonies (such as nearby Daman) still teach Portuguese. Very few learn German or French; Italian is a rarity; Spanish is pretty much unknown.
On thing is for certain: Americans are way behind the curve when it comes to language study!
Hi Susan! My fiancée is trying to learn French. She took three years of French in high school She wasn't master in it either. I'm always amazed that children learn a new language like nothing. Learning can be fun and challenging. They say learning a language helps your brain function better.
ReplyDeleteSean @ Excel Translations