JessiFox

I'm actually a little jealous, haha. I'd love to be so good at other languages that I just slip back and forth effortlessly, even unconsciously. I used to be like that with Spanish when I studied it all the time and made a more regular effort to speak and listen to it frequently. I would find that sometimes it would be the same way in dreams, as well, which was a little strange waking up and trying to remember it when it was all jumbled together.

Wow, sounds awesome, I'm a huge fan of flashcards for studying and learning, this will be so helpful! Thanks for passing it along .

I wish I had started earlier, but I was about 13 when I first started with Spanish...definitely think there's something to the thought that it's much easier the younger you are. Your brain just retains it differently.

Seems like there's a general agreement then, I think having at least the basics down is a necessary...both for your own safety and enjoyment and just to avoid being rude to locals. Plus, when I travel I really want to immerse myself in the whole experience...a bit challenging if you can't even communicate on a basic level with most people around you.

I haven't tried it, but I'd love to check it out, it sounds great. Thanks for sharing .

I'm in the US and it seems that a lot of schools are still teaching it but not to the extent that they used to. Still, I'm kind of surprised that it's still being taught at all at the rate things are going- but my fifth grader is learning it as we speak.

New words always amaze me, while there are some that are irritating, there are some really good ones. 'Selfie' seems to be the most used word now, every corner I turn I can hear someone say it. I am not so sure about being called a 'tweep', it rhymes with creep, but i guess it is better than being called a twit. LOL.

Haha. I'm not even sure what 'tweep' is but I think we can all agree tweep and creep are better than twit or twat.

I feel a bit old saying this but I really dislike adding in slang like that. Still mourning the death of the English language, I suppose, and they just keep twisting the knife a little more.

What's your opinion on learning the language of places you plan to visit? Do you feel that it's necessary? Or at the very least polite? Does it depend on how long you're going to be there?

Thanks for the link! I use this as well and find it quite helpful for adding to my vocabulary .

To some extent but it is definitely more challenging than I was anticipating. It requires not just a grasp on the language but also cultural differences to some extent. Something that might be humorous in one language might be inappropriate or nonsensical in another; so I do think it's a learning process for sure.

Unfortunately I've found this to be the case a lot of the time, as well. I'd say just go about it the same way you went about learning it initially, plus deliberately make time to converse and write in the language regularly. You might find that more of it "comes back" to you than you would expect.

Interesting, I'll have to check that out. Thanks for sharing . Definitely true, it's like a muscle, you have to keep exercising it and using it regularly to stay at your best.

I write most fluently in my native language, English...as I still have the best grasp of humor/wit/grammar/etc. in it, but I have tried writing in Latin and Spanish and as I continue to learn I'm sure it will get easier.

Very nice list you've established...it's always nice as a writer to have a fair amount of antonyms and synonyms in your arsenal .

Oh, I can think of a few:

Go under the knife - to undergo surgery

Running a temperature - when someone has a fever

Bundle of nerves - someone who worries a lot

To a native English speaker, these may seem quite obvious, but believe me, to someone who is translating the language in their heads, it sounds pretty weird and strange.

Hm..I had never really given any of those a second thought, but I could see how they could be a little strange to someone learning. It is a weird language even without all the idioms =).

Hm...I've heard of studying in certain times in relation to when you'll be sleeping and how that can help retain information, and I've heard of people recording themselves and then *reviewing* their studies in their sleep, but I'm hesitant in thinking it would work for new information. It would be pretty cool though .

There is an interesting variation, isn't there? I'm fascinated by accents and the subtle (or not so subtle) differences they can create in speaking and expressing things...I don't really care for Southern US accents. I love British and Australian ones, though .

I've had this particular problem for years now...I love having (and preferably using) a large vocabulary. I tend to think in more complex terms and I enjoy being able to express myself in a similar way. Unfortunately a lot of the people that I interact with on a regular basis do not have the same appreciation for language...and I'm forced to keep it simpler. One of the many reasons I love studying medicine and interacting with others who do, vocabulary is usually not much of a problem.

Wow, consider me in the camp that had no clue it was decades old. Of course, I'd prefer to go back to never having heard of it all, but things can't be done, I suppose.

I notice these sorts of errors all the time! My mind is attempting to be editor (or just a critic?) all of the time. I notice on TV, in advertisements, and especially in writing. I can rarely get through a book or magazine without finding a few glaring mistakes.

"I hate the idea that when it comes to books and learning, hard is often seen as the opposite of fun. It's strange to me that we would be so quick to give up on a book or a math problem when we are so willing to grapple, for centuries if necessary, with a single level of angry birds." - John Green

Unfortunately, yes. I've experienced a true loss for words several times...and more often just that feeling of having something on the tip of my tongue but very much unreachable in the moment. It bothers me because I'm fairly intelligent but I don't always think in a way that's very conducive to communicating in words.

I love topics like this...something I'm randomly interested in.

To see through someone else's eyes

See the forest through the trees

I try not to use it at all. Usually, if something is funny, I'll say "Haha" or "Omg lmao" or "Lmfao" or just the "XD" face. I do this because to me, it's really annoying when someone overuses "LOL". Like, "Lol, I just got home, lol, sorry." Or "Lol, that's funny, lol hahaha".

Right? That's my thought, too. It's overused and redundant and frankly just kind of irritating. There are so many other ways to express amusement.