sulayman

One term we seldom

discuss is bilingual.  The first time I came across it was in Spain at the age of 11 when they

asked me if I spoke any other languages. "I speak some English", I said. And they answered "Oh, so you are

bilingual". I just stared in surprise, because to me the term bilingual entails that you are native, or native like

in the languages concerned.

…you check out the ”Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” section of a language guide book’s page and

realize that you own almost every single book in those 10+ pages.

We all have some advantages and some disadvantages when it comes to language learning. My main

disadvantages are that:

1. Unless I am in an immersion environment I am a very slow learner.

2. Reading grammar and learning vocabulary at home does not really work for me.

3. I have very little free time to dedicate to my studies.

My main advantages are

1. An overdeveloped sense of focus - my only male quality

2. Stamina - I am able to go on and on even when I have little to show for it

3. I am not afraid of making a fool of myself - which makes it really easy to speak once I have the chance.

So what are your advantages and disadvantages?

I should say that while I've read many e-books of various types on my computers, I have resisted buying any form of e-reader so far, and in particular have resisted buying a Kindle, although I've bought many books and other products from amazon in the past and will do in the future. This is not (simply) an "anti-amazon" prejudice of mine, although like many people I worry about the effect they have had on traditional booksellers, and also their exploitation of tax loopholes.

I've been taking Spanish for about 2 years at school and during the summer I went to Italy for about two months (to visit family) and learnt more Italian in those two months than the two years of Spanish classes.

Maybe it's my class, but it's just so... robotic. I feel more like I'm memorizing Spanish than actually learning it and this is bad because I have a final to do and I don't feel ready at all; I don't understand anything. Learning a language is about making mistakes when you speak, pronouncing things the wrong way. In those two months in Italy I made plenty of mistakes but I was understood nonetheless and improved on my mistakes. Yet in classes, when you do make mistakes, you are punished which I think is extremely wrong.

I think that the guy had a bit too much influence on the language. I loved his plays and the stories he created, but i think that we embraced way too much of him and i could not relate to his writing style. I remember half of my english classes in school revolved around this dude and that has tainted me forever

If used in the right context then hoax is an official word just like any other word could be, but if you take it out of context then you will ruin its credibility. I think that it is a grand word in essence

I like the word seduce. I think that it is one word that is spelt and sound exactly like what it means. I think that even a non english speaker would understand the meaning almost immediately. It has this flare and rolls of your tongue naturally

when you read cancelled with one or two l's, you still get the same word and so for me when it comes to spelling it i just remember that the word looks really odd with one l instead of two so i make it a point to put two always

I have issues with the word exercise. To me it really is not spelt well. I feel like it could do with some changes. If it was excersize maybe it would make a lot more sense, sorta similar to excessive.

I think that lyrics to me have a bigger impact on me. I can listen to song lyrics over and over and still find the life in their meaning. I think that poetry to me is only good performed for you and gets you amped up in that moment, especially if the poet is a great orator.

It is something that i cannot help these days. I think that it has become a part of me. To me lol means i am smiling or laughing or anything along those lines. I am one of those people that smiles all the time in real life and so it reflects in my typing.

I have always suffered the adverse effects of being judged by how my english sounds. People always seem to think that because of my accent i am extremely wealthy. Does this happen to others out there

I hate to use proper english when i am being free around my friends and family. I think that it is important to be free and people to be able to relate to you and your life and personality. So i take it easy and i am really informal

I have learnt a lot of things through music and i think that cultures and lifestyles can be transmitted through music. Music is the best way for you to learn something as a tune can stick in your head easily and this has happened to me so many times. I have learnt maths and history through music.

For me writing has always been a challenge in the sense that i feel that i really have to apply myself in order for me to create a writing product that is actually really good. I think that over time and practice and wanting to do something really interesting and really good i developed a desire to do better.

I have been on the receptive end of such scenarios quite a few times and so for me the thing that i love is seeing the reaction and expression on the persons face when they realize that i am not what they expect of you.

That is so true. I am actually a product of television. I remember i was young and the only movie that we had on VHS was coming to america. I watched that movie so long that i picked up all the lines and could quote it to you back to back. I think that for me is where i picked up on a good american accent.

I have done that a couple of times during high school. Back then you had to pick a second language and for me i felt as though it was a complete waste of time and they eventually changed the rules and so i dropped any second language as soon as i could.

I think that you just got to want something really badly. If you dont want it enough then you have no business being there or involved in it and you will most likely fail at it.

I am generally a fast reader when it comes to reading books that have garnered my interest. If it is not so  exciting then i think that it will be hard for me to give that book my full attention. It could take me months to get through it. But i like to think that i have a decent speed.

I love doing this especially when i am having an argument. It is rather satisfying to be able to cut someone off with a huge but in between one of their sentences. It is a powerful word at times.

I think that turning words into songs is the easiest way for anyone to remember things. There are songs that i learnt over 20 years ago in high school that to this day still stick with me.

Birds of a feather flock together is one that comes to mind. I have heard it so many times that it is sometimes hard to figure if it is an idiom or not.

One of my favorite quotes is this

'I am' is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that 'I do' is the longest sentence?