Hardison

Discombobulate is only of my favorite works. I love the way it sounds. The longest word that I casually use in conversation is nonetheless. I would find a way to use it everyday. My nephews tease people about not talking like a normal person. The funny part is that I hear them using it.

Wow, I didn't know it meant "I don't know what" in French. I wonder why the divergence in meaning occurred in the United States. I have no idea why, but I really like au contraire. I just like the way it sounds. I say the word ciao almost every day. I have been saying it for years. I also love the way it sounds. Plus it sounds so much classier than goodbye. I know it means hello too, but I don't use it that way.

:laugh: My sister says it about 10 times a day. It drives me crazy. She uses it as slang for swagger. I will be so glad when it falls out of fashion.

Bad grammar irks me especially the your/you're thing. I don't expect people to be perfect. I'm not, but it's surprising how many people have bad English grammar especially Americans. Bad grammar from non-Americans doesn't bother me. Anyway, I don't correct grammar online even though it does make me crazy. I do think it's bad because it's so prevalent that it may be seen as the norm.

It's a fairly new word to me. It seems more like slang to me. I don't even like the word sounds. So, now I wouldn't choose it as the 2013 Word of the Year. I don't know what I would choose in it's place though. It is a sign of how much social media influences modern culture and language.

It drives me crazy when I hear people say I incorrectly. :amazed: There was a education program that run on Saturdays between the cartoons. They taught grammar, math and US civics in a fun manner. It was called School House Rock. One of my favorites was called Conjunction Function. http://youtu.be/RPoBE-E8VOc

This is what I was taught! Was is used when the subject is singular. Were is used when the subject is plural. Also, you is taken to be plural even when you are talking to one person. I have forgotten about subjunctive verbs. I need to do a brush up.

This is how I learned German as a young child. My parents moved to Germany when I was a kid. I learned the language just by being immersed in it. Unfortunately, I only remember a few words of German because when my family moved backed to the US, I was no longer exposed to the language.

Chinese especially Mandarin is not appealing to me. It sounds very harsh and angry. I can see how it would be beneficial to learn considering China's rising influence. I also don't like the sound of French. It sounds very guttural. It's supposed to be a romantic language, but it sounds rough to my ears.

I really don't have a problem with accents. There are some regional American accents that make me smile especially the Boston accent. I really like the way the Canadians pronounce some words like about. I love it when a Canadian actor who is playing an American character slips. I find it amusing.

This is a great thread. I didn't know that there were this many German words in the English language. I really didn't know that angst was German. I'll add a few to the list: Volkswagen Spritzer Frankfurter

Many of the things mentioned in this thread really get under my skin. Lately, I have noticed that some people say li-berry for library. I have been making a nuance of myself by correcting people. I know that I'm being annoying, but I can't stand to hear library mispronounced. Whenever I hear an actor mispronounce it on TV, I wince.

I prefer the "color" and "favorite" spelling because it's what I was taught in school. I actually thought the extra "u" was old English until I ventured online. I only saw the words with the extra vowels while reading old British authors in school. It took me awhile to get used to the extra vowel. Now, I recognize it as British English without a second thought.

Speaking is the hardest part for me especially pronunciation. Reading is the easiest for me. I am very strong at book learning. Even though I no longer speak Spanish well, I can still read Spanish. I can also understand others who are speaking Spanish.

Wow, I have never heard of this site. I use my personal grammar books. I checked it out. It's definitely a great resource. Bookmarked.

I have never heard anyone use Internet "slang" in real life. Thank goodness. I don't think I would be able to keep myself from laughing out loud. I have seen characters on TV shows use it and it just seems so silly.

There are a number of episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" where they speak Klingon. In one episode, the guys were playing a Klingon game. I just love that show!

Even though I'm a big Star Trek fan, I never tried to learn Klingon. I know a few words, but that's because I heard them used several times on TV show. I had an ex-boyfriend who spoke Klingon fluently. He and his friend drove me nuts when they spoke Klingon in my presence. Qapla

Excellent tip. I didn't know that there are podcasts that teach Spanish. Thanks so much for the tip! I really appreciate it. I hope that they can help me with my pronunciation too. :grin:

That does seem overly simple, but it may work. I hate the way that I sound when speaking Spanish. I sound like an American speaking Spanish poorly which is what I am. I especially have trouble with "rr" (the rolling tongue). I just can't get it. Oh well, I will keep practicing.

I am re-learning Spanish. I taped myself speaking Spanish. I knew my diction and pronunciation was off, but good grief. Does anyone have any tips to improve my pronunciation?

I completely agree with you. Being bilingual (or multilingual) is valued in the United States. As a California resident, Spanish is a near necessity. Mandarin is a close second. I learned Spanish in high school and college. I want to improve my Spanish speaking skills this year.

I also think Portuguese is sexy. It's just a tad bit sexier than Italian. It doesn't matter if it's being spoken by a man or a woman. I recently visited my best friend. I love listening to her speak Portuguese on the phone.

I think slang has it's place. It gives language a bit of whimsy. It can be difficult to keep up with the current slang. My nephews and niece tell me almost every week. Google is very helpful in those cases.

I want to add my thanks for this resource. It's a great share. My Spanish will improve with all the great resources shared on this forum. I will download shortly.