tintiano

I am not a native speaker of English. My mother tongue is Tamil. However, I speak in English most of the time, and this has been the case for many years now. I also think in English, and do not remember a time when I actually thought in my mother tongue. I don't speak in my mother tongue much although I live in a region where it is the single largest language.

Online resources and tutorials can be really helpful in learning a new language, but the truth of the matter is that they are only replacements for the real thing, which is learning the language in the region in which it is spoken, and from a native speaker of the language. Only in such a situation will there be enough opportunities to actually practice using the language that is being learned.

I find Persian to be the most romantic language I've heard. The words just seem so rich, like a cup of Cappuccino made with rich cream from a Swiss dairy farm! I hope I'm making sense here! French comes second, although not a close second!

I love the British accent! It just seems so full of authority, and so very crisp! I like the way Britons pronounce words. Americans roll their tongue when saying certain words, but the Britons almost never do so, and their words hit you like a bullet! I am an Indian, and no matter how hard I try, I am never able to replicate the British accent that I so love!

I've been trying to learn Hindi for ages, but for some funny reason, I'm not able to make sense of it! Hindi's the language I want to learn next! It's the single largest language in India and knowing it helps one move about the country without too much difficulty, even in the few places where English is not understood.

Learning a second language was compulsory in the elementary school in which I studied. I think I started learning a second language in third grade. My second language in school was Tamil, and the medium of instruction for most subjects in school was English. To be honest, I've been pretty average in my speaking, reading and writing of my second language, although I've been dealing with it on a regular basis for almost 16 years now!

My country does not have one educational system. It has a multitude of educational systems. I studied under two boards of education: the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Matriculation. English was the mode of instruction in both the boards, although, I must state that the quality in the first was way better than that of the second.

The first word of any baby born in my part of the world is always 'amma' (mother). It's extremely simple to pronounce. I guess I would have started out the same way. For those who want to know what language it is in, let it is Tamil, the language spoken in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Anyone else who speaks Tamil around here?

I certainly have an accent, although it doesn't always act up! I am a South Indian and my mother tongue is Tamil. Tamil words are pronounced very differently from English words. As a result, a few laughs can be generated I think most Indians have an accent, although some never seem to accept it!

German sounds extremely aggressive when listening to old speeches of Adolf Hitler Generally, that is not the case. I've studied German back in college and never thought it to be aggressive. I found it quite polished and classy! German is a very smooth sounding language. At least that's my opinion!

This is a very interesting question. I certainly care about what others think about the way I talk. I believe that when one is speaking, communicating the message is of prime importance. Anything that distracts the listener should be avoided. By this, I mean things like wild gesticulation or swaying too much.

The purpose of language is to aid people in communication. Communicating the message is of primary importance. Grammar Nazis totally get on my nerves too! They seem to be slaves of perfection. They seem to hold the opinion that being grammatically perfect is enough to make one a distinguished person!

Grammar is important but we must not become slaves to it. It must be kept in mind that the purpose of grammar is to help in understanding the message of the writer. So, in other words, the purpose of grammar is only in written language, and only to improve communication.

I've been interested in learning new languages ever since I was in my teens. Where does this interest come from? Well, from a deep desire to meet new people and interact with them. Nothing wins another person as much as when a person from a faraway region speaks his or her mother tongue!

Actually, in my case, my second language comes more naturally to me than my mother tongue. My mother tongue is Tamil and my second language is English, but I've used way more English in my life than Tamil. Even as a kid in middle school, I used to speak more in English than in Tamil!