sayitwell

No, I do not. I only put the comma before the word "but". I've seen many people do it but it is unnecessary for the same reasons that it is unnecessary before the word "and".

I misspell more words nowadays than I did when I was in school, that is for sure. It is probably because I don't read as much as I used to. When you don't surround yourself with words, you forget their spellings. I have been misspelling "Onomatopoeia", "calendar" (I put it as -er at the end for some reason) and "tomorrow" as I want to double up on the m for some reason.

It happens to me all the time. I think it happens more once you are out of your 20s and your brain becomes cluttered with all sorts of various information and you are bogged down by adult responsibilities like a job and a family.

I actually started a thread on the world adopting one language. I think it is inevitable and will be more efficient. It is a shame that the Mother tongues are going to go extinct but if you think about it, it really makes no sense to have all these languages. I do know my Mother tongue and I know two other languages as well and I would not be saddened to learn that two of the three are to go extinct.

I do have an accent. I have that nasal upstate New York accent because it is where I grew up. I sound a little bit like the actors in Fargo. That was set in North Dakota, not upstate New York. I hate my accent!

I think the word, "scoundrel" is a funny one to me. I also like the sound of "irreverence" and "svelte". Those make me grin when I say them or when I hear them.

I never cared for the sound of Chinese and Japanese. It seems too stunted and abbreviated. Maybe the natives just speak it too quickly for my taste. I also don't like the English accent of those who live in England. It is sort of cute for a little bit but after listening to them speak for more than five minutes or so it begins to wear on my ears.

Chinese, English and Spanish. Spanish because there are a lot of Spanish speaking Americans and latinos are the fastest growing race in America. There are more and more jobs advertised that require one to speak Spanish and English. China for obvious business reasons. They are the top emerging market. English because it is the most widely spoken language.

It is not necessary. Most people never leave their home country. Most people never encounter anyone who does not speak their native tongue unless they go onto the Internet often. I'd argue that you are spending your time most prudently by studying things other than foreign language. The stud of foreign language is merely a luxury, not a necessity.

I fear that it would cripple my mind. I would implode. I can't compartmentalize all of that knowledge. I know that we only use ten percent of our brain's capacity but it seems nearly impossible to master six languages. I'd like to meet the person who has accomplished this. I respect the talent and devotion. They probably do it by starting foreign language learning classes at a very young age.

That's an excellent way of looking at literature. I read books for the same reason. It lets you inside the author's mind while a television program merely shows people acting. There's little introspection, detail or depth to the characters compared to what you find in works of fiction.

I am going to give "Coming Up For Air" and "A Clergyman's Daughter" a shot. Those looks like good ones. He doesn't actually have that much more fiction than what I posted already in this thread. I wish he was more prolific. Maybe his soul was reincarnated in the form of Edward Snowden.

That is a good one. I'll see the word "gay" used in literature from time to time. Usually older English authors like D.H. Lawrence used it but I don't hear anyone using it nowadays unless they are referring to someone who is a homosexual.

This is exactly how I feel. I know plenty of smart and talented people that never had the urge to learn a foreign language. Their time was better spent learning how to play guitar or shoot top shelf wrist shots in ice hockey. I would never force my kids to learn a foreign language. It should not be a mandatory educational requirement.

Why are you tying a world view to a language? Language is a means of communication. It's not an ideology. There might be certain inherent prejudicial tones in language but it does not constitute a world view. I'm not saying that all languages have to go extinct. I'm saying that it would be ideal if everyone knew how to speak one language. Learn as many as you want but make sure that you know the "common language", whatever we eventually decide it to be.