Baburra

Very interesting, I've never thought of this before. I'm not sure if this could be counted into this category, but I think the current lingo people are using contains some of these words too, such as "epic" and "omg". I think you'd rarely say those words/phrases alone without the use of an exclamation.

I wouldn't say I have a ledger of words or anything like that, but I do keep myself aware of how I'm progressing vocabulary-wise, and I've been especially able to do so since I've been discussing and participating on forums such as these wherein English is the main language used. I think it's much easier to spot and measure when you see the words you often use written out.

I know of this mind trick, and yes, it is pretty amazing, I agree. I think it has to do with our minds getting so used to seeing in groups as quickly as possible that it sometimes fails to see the details within. It's pretty neat, but a little frustrating when you realize that you've just tricked yourself.

I don't think there's many languages not worth learning, if any. Even if you don't get to use Latin in day to day conversations, you will still be able to unlock a lot of mysteries and history through learning it. Our words contain a long line of history and every syllable and letter was placed where it is for important reasons.

It's not too difficult for me to find time, as I constantly think about it throughout the day. I often repeat phrases I've learned in my mind while I do my chores or walk to destinations. As for the initial part of learning, there's way too many tools and gadgets now that helps a lot. I browse language lessons while I'm in the bathroom, for example. I think just dedication and willpower will help you get through it. Just one hour a day is all it takes.

I have a few Japanese friends who constantly help me out with understanding Japanese. They usually teach me new phrases I can use, especially ones we can use as code among the locals. I wouldn't call them mentors, however, as they are not treating it as seriously as if it were a job, but it's enough for me to call them teachers.

Yes, definitely. A lot of the mannerisms and intonations have to be changed to sound as naturally as possible, not to mention complete opposite sentence structures. I wouldn't say I feel like a different person, though, but I can certainly feel the big shift in my mind when I start talking in a second language.

I don't have any kids yet, but I'll surely teach mine when it's my turn to be a parent. I think it's very enriching to know a few other languages, and it's especially easier to learn as a kid when you are more open to learning and have much more time to do so.

I've always thought that "outfit" was more appropriate for females when speaking about their clothes. I have a hard time picturing it otherwise, and would often feel it to be awkward when a male uses the word to describe his own clothes. Although, I'm pretty sure that technically, it is applicable for both genders. I wonder why this is so, how about you? I'd also be glad to hear any other examples you guys come up with.

I just thought of one. I hear a lot of people mispronouncing the word "shepherd" often. I usually hear people say "she-ferd" instead of the correct pronunciation which is "she-Perd" wherein the "H" is disregarded altogether.

The word "privilege" is a commonly misspelled word, I think. I admit that even I would have trouble with it each time without spellcheck because I always get confused if there should be a letter "D" in there. I know some people might even mistake the spelling for "privelege" or "privilage" sometimes.

I wouldn't call it disrespect but my teacher lovingly called me an idiot in Chinese a lot of times while I was at school. Ironically, I think I was one of her favorite students, looking back at it now. I think it was because she knew that I liked learning the language rather than just doing it for a passing grade like my classmates.

Flash cards are the way to go, in my opinion. Also, word association helps the process along further, but it isn't always applicable to every foreign word. I use it whenever the chance presents itself, though, because learning a new language is a pretty big task so I'll take all the help I can get.

Yes, I do, but not much more than any other skill. A highly skilled mechanic is equally as intelligent, in my opinion. It's just that knowing more languages may afford a person more opportunities to show his or her skill and profit off of it, but at the end of the day, I think a lot of things are hard to learn and some people are just more dedicated more often than not rather than just being intelligent.

I think this is a very good tip! I might try it out, thanks! Obviously, my answer is that I don't. I can see how it could work, though. It surely won't take the place of actual conversation, but it seems like a good place to start from.

I heard once that using a cover to slide down the book as you read line by line helps. I think it has to do with training you to focus on each line, and I bet if you practice it long enough you will increase speed each day without even knowing it. Good luck!

I didn't know ad hoc was latin, I never thought about that before, and I was especially surprised by et cetera! Also, putting up a few that I thought up the other day: fiancee & et tu :clown: I'm learning so much thanks guys!

I've always been confused about the idiom "you can't have your cake and eat it too" as a child, and I always told myself I'd look it up one day. I always thought to myself "How can you eat a cake that you don't have?". Now, many many years later, I've searched a lot of things online but I've always forgotten to look this up, and I actually owe it to this forum for reminding me to do so. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and I'm very glad that I actually get it now. Are there any English sayings that confused you as a kid?

I think a lot of words end up becoming totally different from what it was originally used for, but I agree that it is certainly interesting to see how these words evolve and get integrated into daily use sometimes. "Alien", for example, was probably once used solely for describing something or someone foreign to you, but with the boom of the space travel phenomenon, it's now almost exclusively regarded as a term for outer space beings.

Agreed, it's certainly no replacement for human intuition and knowledge, at least not yet. Google Translate and other translation software are still at their early stages though, and I don't think it's fair to judge it harshly yet. After all, even Google searches were once not as efficient as it is now, and look at how dependent we've become on it now.

It's not too much of a factor for me. I admire intelligence as well, and being multilingual does help prove that, but it's far from being one of my standards. I just care that the person and I are compatible, and preferably shares similar tastes as me.

I feel this way too. I can't believe that it's still being used now, to be honest, and even more so that we're the irrational ones for hating it. Believe me, a lot of people still use it non-ironically. I even hear it used in popular shows and it always ruins my day whenever I do. :nerd:

You're right. I've almost forgotten that it wasn't originally a verb because so many people just seemed to naturally use it. I know I did.

I have sometimes hypothesized about this too. I am terribly afraid of losing my mental capacities, and I hope it never happens for me. If it did, however, I am betting that I will still find a way to communicate as long as I can. Human beings are very resourceful.

I don't think it's very fair to generalize, but if I had to pick an answer, I'd say it's possible. We can't deny the men and women are still very different in some areas of development, so women's strengths just might just make it a little easier for them. It's highly possible that we just don't have the scientific measures and abilities right now to track these things fully as of now, though, and maybe in the future we might have a clearer answer.