justusforus

I just find "Lol" juvenile...never liked it or the expanded version (roflm....)  I really think if something is funny you can say "ha" or use a smiley or tell someone it is hilarious...are we really that "busy" to not write what we mean....I wonder if these people who use it are really laughing "out loud" and are they really "rolling on the floor..."?

I usually try to prepare well for any sort of exam.  The stress I think comes from a fear of failure and often a feeling of not being prepared.  If you do the best you can in preparing, get rest and tell yourself you have done all you can do, then you should walk in without stress.

I recently was "stressed" before an exam, which is unusual for me.  Think about it, stress will add nothing to your performance....and if you let your fear of failing immobilize you...you will  most like accomplish that fear.

I learned a few phrases in Russian and practiced them before I used them.  Bottom line I got laughed at for my effort (which I thought was a bit harsh) but one of the people that was there said I actually made a good attempt.  I say better to try than to not try at all.

I can't imagine the benefit of learning two languages at the same time is.  Granted your native tongue is something you never stop "learning" so to speak as you continue to read and experience books, movies, etc. and learning a second language would not be as hard.  Seems though, in essence learning two languages in addition to your native tongue, would have you thinking and learning on 3 levels.  Seems it would be quite confusing.

I am an English speaker and I watch British movies (in English) with subtitles often times since I cannot understand the words as pronounced or they are words I am not familiar with.  I also watch TV and news with the captioning, since I have learned not to let it bother my enjoyment.  Captioning is often mispelled or wrong words and I mention that for non native English speakers.

I moved to a small town and you raise an interesting issue.  Embarassed to say I have not visited the local library, but that sounds like a rather nostalgic outing and I will check and see if there is a foreign language section.  Wonder how many still visit libraries these days?  Guess I will find out.  Thanks for the post and idea.

I believe Spanish, Italian and French are the most romantic-sounding languages, probably because all of them share the same Latin root, and people who talk these languages are usually best known to be passionate compared with other people around the world.

I studied Latin for many years and I found Latin fascinating, but not necessarily romantic sounding.  You are correct though and it is odd that the "romance languages" evolved from it.  Maybe Latin sounds harsh because of the church pronunciations being rather monotonous.  You may be right though about the cultures that use these, as you are referring to some of my heritage, and yes passionate is putting it lightly!

I am not sure I understand the question either.  But Apple as I see it so frequently used now is so associated with electronics that it lost the distinctiveness when I first heard of the company.

As to repetition, I think what really devalues a word is when it is so overused, such as in a slang context.  I am really "sick" of hearing the word used to describe what we in the olden days called "cool".

My mother was fluent in several languages.  Born in the US but raised in Italy, she spoke English, Italian, Slavik and some German.  She was able to communicate fairly well with Spanish and French speakers as well.  I think people who speak several languages are typically very bright individuals and I wish I could master a few more.

I am learning Spanish and being in California I am told from friends that there are so many dialects in Mexico that I will not be easily understood either in Mexico or here in the states from those who are bilingual and of Mexican descent.  I guess it is similar to as you mentioned British English and American English.  Sure it is the same language, but when you are on different continents it seems there is divergence in the formal language.

Sarcasm is really something you have to decipher from context. You can't know if a statement is true or not without context, and we decide if something is sarcastic or not by seeing if it makes literall sense. When told he is going to be fired, Bob says "Oh great" sarcastically. But when told he is being given a promotion he says "Oh great" genuinely. Tone and context are your friends here.

I so agree that inflection and tone are so important.  Even as a native English speaker, when I first heard some of the trendier ones, I did not understand why they were using a word or phrase.  "Seriously?"...has become so overused that I hear parents using it with children, over and over and over to refer to a behavior and it is not an inquiry at all.

Well heres one about speaking another language so it's quite apt for this forum I feel:

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart."

Nelson Mandela

As I read this thread, I enjoyed many of the quotes, but this one truly went to my heart.  Thank you for picking the right place to share this.

I would venture to guess that the friend was not taught slang much if at all.  It is a fact of life there is a lot of slang and with multimedia, tv, the internet, videos, etc. that much of the "street language" is often presented in works done in the English language.  I also agree that before anyone simply "adopts" slang in a second language, to make sure they understand whether it can be offensive in use or a particular context.

I need to add to the chorus.  I agree that I am not sure why your teacher recommended it.  The assumption I would make (from having taught before) is that there is a reason behind it, and you should follow it in terms of it being an assignment.  Perhaps this was not an overall recommendation, but for purposes of seeing whether you could differentiate and be consistent in tense.

No I have not heard of it and that is what I like so much about these forums.  It is always good to hear from someone who has had experience with something.  I am certainly going to look into it.  Thanks.

Yes if done with the right motive it can be funny.  Even within the United States, we often make fun of our own regional accents.  Many will put on an exagerrated drawl to sound Southern or Texan, I heard a New Yorker on TV (who has a strong New York accent) mimic a Massaschusettes accent by saying "pock the ca'" (for "park the car").  Some even do either a slow confused "surfer

accent" for Californians or of course the famous "Valley Girl" accent for people from Los Angeles.  As to making fun of foreirn accents of other countries, I see how it can be taken the wrong way.

That is interesting to learn about the Chinese languages.  It may seem there are so many rules in English since native speakers learned them at a young age and they seemed overwhelming.  Suppose it is all relative but that was a fascinating question and as always the answers make you think about it.

I think part of the reason so many mistakes are being made is that many read social media more and more which is what may account for seeing the mistake (and people picking it up).  With blogs, web sites and twitter anyone can "publish" their writing with no editor or proof reader.

Sort of like when calculators came out, people could not add a column of numbers anymore.  These days if you say where did you get that, the answer may be I read it somewhere.  We are in an information explosion where anyone can basically publish an opinion worldwide from a keyboard.

Welcome Ricardo to the forum.  There is so much to learn here so have fun interacting with the group. Moving is one reason to learn a language and there is so much more as you will hear.  Enjoy.

I think that there may be generalities, such that certain languages may sound harsher to the ear than others.  There is so much nuance though based on the individual speaker.  If you look at the English language, there are great differences between British English and American English.  There are differences in pitch and inflection that even amongst those speaking the same language say it is difficult to understand all the words.  Looking at the United States as a whole, there is clearly a difference between someone from Massachusettes for example and someone from Texas in speaking the exact same language.

This is a fascinating topic and I would like to clarify.  Are you saying there are some words or phrases that just do not have a corollary in certain languages.  So for a cupcake are you saying they use a different world like "muffin" that is close but is not literally accurate?

I think sometimes figures of speech or even idioms are hard to translate...not the literal meaning but trying to get the figurative meaning across to someone.  I used the example of "stabbing someone in the back" but using the translation of betrayal.  The stretch between the two often leads to a measured and clearly tentative statement that yes..they understand but I am often not sure if I have conveyed the concept totally.

I grew up in the Midwest, but have spent the last 30 years in California.  Many say I have a very neutral tone, not California and not back east.  I had always heard that newcasters and tv hosts were often chosen who came from the Midwest (like Johnny Carson being from Nebraska) because the "accent" is more universally accepted.

With that said, I have been "accused" of sounding like a New Yorker or a Texan, but real Midwesterners usually peg me down to the state I am from.  This true even after 30 years.

I always think of the Canadians as so proper and more formal than the US.  I don't know what made me react, but I was surprised to hear derrogatory slang.  Well I learn something new each day on this forum.  For real! ha

As a native English speaker, I have some difficulty understanding the lyrics of English songs and often have to look up the lyrics.  Funny thing though, in languages I am learning, I seem to be able to make out the words better.  Maybe we slur or slang too much in English, or maybe I am more attentive to the language I am learning.  Wonder if anyone else finds this to be the case.