sidney

English is so widely spoken here that most people's skill's are at par with the native speaker's skills, and I dare say even better at times. So I guess when it comes to my English speaking skills, it is the same in fluency with the native speaker's skills.

I just wonder how many variations of gestures are those people required to memorize just to be able to say that they can fluently speak it 100%? I bet it can range from hundred thousands to millions. I guess the same goes for the Braille then, like it's not universal.

I think I would if the cost of learning a language in school is affordable. But if it's not, then I won't. I would just try to self-study, unless I really, really wanted to become fluent in a language. If that's the case then I would save up for the tuition.

Yes, I would have to agree that it's simply the sound of their own alphabet. Even English has their confusing words, like "knead" and "gnaw", so I guess the Spanish language is also the same.

I come from a tribe that has a problem pronouncing R and L. I guess that it must be the shape of our tongues. If a letter has L and R then I hesitate before pronouncing it because I feel funny saying the word. It is not that I hate pronouncing it, things are just that way.

I agree that your tongue doesn't have anything to do with your difficulty in pronouncing the letter R. I also have difficulty pronouncing it when I was a kid, and the letter R is quite prominent in our local language. I guess it just takes some practice and immersion for you to be able to pronounce the letter R fluently.

I have known 2 languages ever since I was a kid, and I think at times I do code-switch, because English and Tagalog feels so natural to me that I tend to use a combination of both in a single sentence.

I think 3 or more would be ideal, like 5 at the most, since I'm already bilingual. I would like to learn the languages that would enable me to get better paying jobs in the BPO industry, so I guess that would take a couple of years to be fluent in one before proceeding to learn another language.

I tried to research the answer to your question, and I found out that there is such a thing as "Rhotacism", which means the inability to pronounce (or difficulty in pronouncing) R, or the conversion of another consonant into R.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhotacism

I didn't know that there has already a coined term for it.

Yes, for a chance to get a better paying job, I would. I know the BPO industry offers better salaries when you know how to speak and understand a foreign language, so I definitely would like to learn a "profitable" language in my spare time.

Well I guess a little self-promotion is not bad in a language learning forum, but I would like to suggest that you go to Fiverr or other similar sites, I'm sure you would have better luck finding customers there. 

I never had that mistake when using those 2 words in a sentence. They both mean different things, and I'm quite fluent in English too, so I'm quite confident that I won't make that mistake ever, lol unless it's a typo.

What it do has always been very amusing for me for some reason. I don't know what it is about the phrase exactly but maybe it's just because it isn't grammatically correct and yet it sounds right and very fluid. Also I find it to be one of the most laid back ways you could greet someone.

Black people have always been grammatically incorrect, I think it's already part of their culture and I think they call it "Ebonics". I also like how they speak, it seems "cooler" and more hip, even the tone of  the voices of black women in general. Something about their voice seems so "fierce".

I live in a country that has English as the primary language, and it's widely used along with our native language, and over here, it can affect your chances of landing a job or at least looking articulate when you don't know how to speak English. So over here it's quite important to have a good command of the English language.

Interesting. I think Facebook can help you reach out to your fellow Hopi Indians, Sillylucy. Maybe there is a Facebook group for your tribe mates? Or perhaps you could organize one?

A very common homonym error that is being used in sentences that I read online are the words LOSE and LOOSE. I really don't know how it became that popular. I'm thinking in my head. "Are people nowadays not smart enough to distinguish that LOSE means to be defeated and LOOSE means not tight?

Apart from that rant, some words that I can contribute are:

weary - wary

horse - hoarse

base - bass

write - right

Thank you for sharing these tips, it will certainly help us when we are studying a foreign language. Also having a language practice buddy can help us learn faster, so we have to find one as soon as possible, lol.

Thank you for posting this. I have always thought that "should" has an imposing tone to it, like "You should do it now!" as compared to "could" that just suggests that you can do something. I always judge words by how they sound and fit in a sentence. Now at least I know the reasons behind it.

This is an interesting link.

I do not have any specific  English word in mind that has weird spelling for me. Maybe those scientific words that sounds really different or hard to spell.

Ah yes, I think those scientific words top the list of the weirdest words or spellings ever. I wonder who came up with such names. They made it hard for us to memorize them when we were still studying!

Just look at them. They're a drag to read:

Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-eyed tree frog

Ailuropoda melanoleuca - Giant panda

Alces americanus - American moose

Amblyrhynchus cristatus - Marine iguana

Amphibia - Amphibians

Animalia - Animals

Anser indicus - Bar-headed goose

Anseriformes - Waterfowl

Antilocapra americana - Pronghorn

Anura - Frogs and toads

Aplysia californica - California sea hare

Archilochus colubris - Ruby-throated hummingbird

Arthropoda - Arthropoods

Artiodactyla - Even-toed ungulates

Aves - Birds

Here is the Tagalog version of the animal onomatopoeia:

dog: arf arf!

cock: tik-tilaoook!

frog: kokak, kokak!

goat: meeeh!

cat: myaw, myaw!

cow: mooooh!

I agree with your boss, "every day" seems to be the correct choice in your particular case. I've always wondered if there is a difference between the 2 words, and now I know what exactly, since the other members have explained it, and thanks also to this link: http://grammarist.com/usage/everyday-every-day/

Well, the grammar authorities say that "me and you" is the correct way of saying it, read more here: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/between-you-and-me

So my guess was right all along. I thought that "between you and I" sounded off for some reason.

I also think that having a chatbox may also divert the member's attention and they will just post in the chatbox rather than in the forums. So I guess it would benefit the forum more by not having a chatbox.

I don't seem to hear that expression anymore, so I guess the fad is slowly fading away.

Good to know, lol. I'm not really irritated when I hear it, but I noticed that it's the masses that are mostly the ones that use the term. The upper class people don't really use it. Well, when you've got cable then you won't really view local channels for entertainment, lol.

You can also choose from a bunch of grammar checking software listed on this website: http://en.softonic.com/s/grammar-checker-software I hope you can find one that works perfectly.

Of course everyone has an accent depending on where they live. I don't live in the US, but the most distinguishable accent for me are the southern accents. All the rest seem to sound the same.