angie51

The hardest thing about speaking French, is actually trying to talk in French.  I know this is because I do not have very much confidence in my ability to hold a proper conversation, as a result I find myself struggling to find the proper words. I do not have any problem with writing or understanding and following a conversation in French. I know I will just have to obtain more confidence, and my problem shall no longer exist.

I just recalled another "tongue twister"    ( English )

"If two witches where watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?"

I personally find it difficult to practice speaking when just starting to learn a new language, as I feel quite self conscious "chatting" to myself. Therefore to counteract this problem, I translate and sing my favourite songs. I find this is an excellent method to help become more fluent.

Do you have any helpful "tips" to enhance your language learning ?.

" Och Aye" Although I am a UK citizen, I stay in Scotland, therefore I have a broad Scottish accent. Which is a variation of the "Queens proper English"  due to the fact that in Scotland  the language consist of many "slang" words and also Gaelic pronunciation.

I have a couple of tongue twisters which I still cannot pronounce properly when spoken quickly. See how you manage.

I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop

where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where's the peck of pickled peppers, Peter Piper picked?

How did you manage?.

I rarely use a dictionary for the definition of words. If I cannot guess at the meaning of the word by the context it has been used within the sentence, I go online to check the meaning of the word. However I still use a "thesaurus" on a regular basis.

Continual exposure to any foreign language, may result in assisting to speak the language seem easier. However to master any language spoken or written requires lots of practice and hard work. In my opinion English has far to many exceptions to the standard rules to make grammatical English an easy language to learn.

I always invent new words especially for young children, this can keep them amused for hours. Ordinary everyday objects become exciting to a child if given a new name. My son continues to call a potato peeler by the made up name "coat stripper".

The word "cheque" is still in used in the UK mainly by the older generation. I have an elderly aunt who still uses her "cheque book" on a regular basis. In fact my family members look forward to receiving a greetings card from our aunt as there is a personal cheque enclosed as a gift.

Technology in my opinion, is certainly a major factor in the poor standard of spelling nowadays. Children have access to many electronic apparatus from a very young age,and have become accustomed to programs such as a spell checker,that there is no reason to learn how to spell words  correctly.

Not quite "different english" but certainly different accents. I live in Scotland and my accent is different from the other countries within the UK. The various regions within Scotland have individual accents,and also dialogue, depending on the district you reside.

I always feel awkward and embarrassed when speaking in another language. Although I should not be concerned about these feelings,they tend to make my attempts at conversing in a foreign language, less successful as an outcome.

:amazed:  Who would want to kidnap me,I am just a boring old housewife. I am not certain I could survive for a week. Although I certainly enjoy the time away from my family.

In my high school German is offered, as is Spanish however French is compulsory, during the first two years. When starting third year of high school,you have the option to choose to learn German or Spanish.

The German language can sound harsh, but I certainly do not think of it as an aggressive language. I have a Scottish accent, which has also been described as being "hard" sounding. 

I absolutely hate to text, I find it a cold way to communicate, therefore I text as little as possible, and I use very abbreviation I know. Personally I will telephone my friends and family andcan chat for hours to them.

I just cannot fathom out the (olde language) used by William Shakespeare, therefore all of his written work is hard to read and comprehend.

I have attempted on several occasions to listen to audio books, without much success. I personally could not enjoy them. I  love to actually hold a book as I read, to feel the paper, smell the musky pages. I feel these sensations all help to increase my reading experience.

I do not get annoyed when my friends text me with shortened versions of words, as I feel a text is a quick way to contact each other,  however if I receive a letter or email which has abbreviated words within them, I do find that I get annoyed. as I b.elieve these are more formal means of communication.

I certainly enjoy songs sung various languages. It is not only the lyrics of a song which make it good. it is a combination of tempo, rhythm, lyrics and vocals, which produce a successful song.

I always watched French films, whilst I was attempting to learning the language. Presently I am taken an interest in Spanish. The television program I watch with my 3 year old daughter is the cartoon "Dora The Explorer", as it aimed at a pre school audience, the basics of the language have been so easy to learn.

I love the way people from Newcastle speak. A "Gordie" accent in my opinion sounds so musical, as they seem to sing their words. Also I enjoy listening to the lilt of an Irish accent.

I can never spell "rythm" as  I have just proved, it should be "rhythm" as I have just used spell check. I have no explanation why I can not spell this particular word. However not having the ability to spell, is not a major problem,as most of my writing is done on my lap top, which has the wonderful  creation spell check.

What a fantastic idea the new subforum is. A language Buddy shall be very useful to everyone who has an interest in foreign languages, regardless of how knowledgeable of that particular language one  may be. I personally hope to refresh my french, as this year I am going to France for my annual summer holiday.

As I was educated in Scotland, French is taught to all children from the age of nine or ten. I continued to learn French throughout my high school. At the age of thirteen I began to have German lessons, (also at high school).

I found the German language far easier to comprehend, Perhaps this was due to the fact that the Scottish accent and pronunciation of words is similar to the German language.