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That's fantastic, Anna; I like it! I always wonder why some people from different backgrounds struggle to make their relationships work it. I mean, I know some people cite there being too many cultural differences. But I view it as you do, it makes for very interesting discussions and I believe that the human race, regardless of where we all originate, will always have more in common than not.

Hehe I know, Anna! Sometimes I think it's because there's no true equivavelent in another language, and to translate what you want to convey, you lose some nuances, making what you're saying not quite as effective.

I totally agree, Chris_A! I could never put someone else under that sort of pressure because I know it can also give them a complex, or at worst, put them right off learning!

Same here, and actually, my husband feels the same way. That's why he started learning my language before we made the move. He's very eager to learn and likes to show off what he knows. He's not at all shy to try. What I don't get is people expecting for him to be fluent within 2 years. Setswana is a very difficult that even native speakers struggle with themselves, with some younger people not even being able to speak it. So I find it a little much that some people put him under so much pressure. I mean, I could understand if he didn't care at all, and there are people out there who don't bother at all., and that's such a shame.

Sorry, what I meant was that that specific version of sign language, as in ASL, is unique to America. I guess this supports the fact that sign language is indeed different from country to country. Ever since I found out that it's different in each country, I'vewondered how similar it was, surely there must be some similarities? People in my country also have sign language. So yes, they use a combination of sign language, lip reading and writing.

I'm not very familiar with sign language, even though I do find it very fascinating. Please pardon my ignorance, but could it be called American Sign Language because it's unique to America? I was recently a little surprised to find that sign language isn't universal, after all. I always thought that it was LOL

I too must apologise in advance because I've never had any dealings with Esperanto. I do hope that some of the members here have done and are therefore best placed to address your question and hopefully come to your aid. Just out of interest, have you scoured the net to see what's there? It might be a good idea to do so. I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your quest to find answers and learning aids

I totally agree with you, anna! I think this is just human nature, whenever people feel like they're backed into a corner and forced to do something, even if they did initially have some interest, it takes the shine off and instead encourages them to go the opposite way. I don't think people realise how damaging it can be when they pile pressure on others in this fashion.

Hehe I know exactly what you mean! Having lived in the UK for many years, I can definitely relate to what you're saying. I guess because I went over already speaking the language, I never felt the pressure as those words were never directed at me. I really like what you said in your last but one sentence, because it really is true! Sometimes I feel like some native speakers don't actually realise that they do speak some of the most broken English out there, maybe because it's colloquial and that's all they know. I often have a private giggle, observing that some of them would fail a formal English test outright LOL

It just goes to show you that sometimes we're inhibited by our own fear! Based on what you're saying, if I were brave enough, I'd have the confidence to take on languages such as German, Afrikaans and Dutch. Perception can be seriously damaging, because in my head, I've always told myself that that set of languages are among the hardest to learn, so I've never even considered learning them. This is definitely food for thought

Have you ever felt under serious pressure to learn a new language? My husband and I moved to my country Botswana (from the UK) 2 years ago, and there are people out there who feel he ought to have learnt to speak it by now. I think it's a little too much to ask because even before we moved, I'd taught him some phrases. My language is very difficult and far removed from Western languages. In fact, I know a lot of people who've lived here for decades and have yet to speak it fluently. By contrast, my husband can speak some, can understand and often shows off by churning out a few expressions/phrases LOL. But this still doesn't seem enough for some people. Have you ever been in this situation, where people around you are putting you under pressure to learn a foreign language faster than you feel you can? Can you share your experiences of how you felt and what you did to tackle this? TIA

That actually surprises me, because with America being a melting pot of all these cultures, I always thought schools taught foreign languages from a young age. I know UK schools start teaching what they call Modern Foreign Languages from a very young age, I know they're offered in primary school through to secondary school, and they're growing in popularity. My country Botswana is a developing country, so funds are a little tight. Subsequently, if you go to a state primary school, chances are you won't learn a single foreign language. All private/international schools offer them from reception through to A'levels. I'm glad to hear that even state schools are now offering them in secondary school I wish iI'd had that opportunity during my time!

That's a very interesting analysis, @ Lingua Franca! For some reason, I always thought with Dutch being related to Afrikaans and German, it would be extra difficult for me as an English speaker to learn. I have a few Dutch friends against whom I may try this when I get chance. I think my main concern would be around pronunciation, because when I've listened to people speaking Dutch, It's come across as being very difficult. I could be mistaken, I hope I am LOL

Hehe anna3101, I'm so glad I'm not the only one. The way you just described your situation, that's me right there LOL .....complete with feeling nauseous, shaky voice and sweaty palms; it's like I can't breathe! It's just so weird and not at all something I ever want to do. But sadly, it's part of our life and even more so if you work in a professional setting or go to school....YIKES!

It's definitely not easy. But still, not making an effort can lead to a lot of confusion and many a comical situation hehe I guess your own native language can and will influence how well you grasp the pronunciation. Also, wherever you learnt the language can have a huge influence on how you pronounce words in your language. It can be a right nightmare, for sure!

Aww I'm glad you're finding this handy, @ Cave Bear. So it's a real pleasure to have helped I suppose sometimes every little helps, especially for some of us who haven't reached the dizzy heights of fluency in our chosen foreign languages LOL

Your approach sounds every similar to mine! I'm thinking any lessons I'll pay for will be totally offline, in a traditional classroom setup where I can interact with like -minded people. I'm actually planning on enrolling with Alliance Francais here as soon as I can afford it, and couple that with some of the free online learning aids I've found

...or you could just do it the other way round; go over there to teach English and learn the language while you're over there I know they're always looking for native English speakers to teach English in those countries, and there's never any expectation to have any level of the local language. An English friend of mine is travelling that neck of the woods teaching English and he absolutely loves it.

I agree with you, Trellum! In my opinion, it's not that simplistic and these time frames may well be possible, but they won't cut across the board, and will depend on a lot of factors, like Richard. H has stated. For instance, I spent 4 years studying French in the classroom and although my progress was good, it wasn't until I went to France and lived with a non-English speaking family for a few months and lived and breathed French for all that time that I saw a marked difference. So I'm guessing the time frames indicated would be feasible if they were based solely on situations where all you did was focus on language learning.

I have to agree with you on that one, anna3101! I'd much rather use fillers over arm, hmm, and all those pregnant pauses. BUT it usually happens to me anyway, if I'm extremely nervous. I just seem to clam up, my brain shuts down and I struggle to article anything intelligent. That's why I HATE having to stand in front of an audience and giving a speech or presentation.

Hehe you made me laugh with that last bit, anna3101; '....like some slimy insects. Urgggh. Those really ARE parasites!" Yea, I too am guilty as charged. Sometimes I just cringe listening to myself, yet I can't seem to put the breaks on LOL Some of my favourites are gosh, Oh my God, oh, really? lovely! etc I remember in my last job, I was even made fun of for my over use of Oh My God! The interesting thing is, I never even realised how over zealous I was with it until my colleagues pointed it out. After that, I'd catch myself and try to stop just in time. I know it's annoying to some people, but it just can't be helped LOL I've sort of resigned myself to it being a part of life (and even part of my character), as many other people do it.

I totally agree, @Slang Poet; It's a very good feeling being able to go to foreign countries and being able to communicate with the locals. It's easy to see that they're very receptive of foreigners speaking their language and seem friendlier and more helpful if you're seen to be trying to communicate in their language. You don't even have to be fluent in it. I also feel that it's good manners to show willing, which is why I always cringe when I see people who've lived in countries other than their own for years, yet don't speak the local language.

I have a feeling that you're right, anna3101! I don't think there's that much of a requirement for it anymore. People now tend to record speeches and stuff like that, and then transcribe it at their leisure. Of course, we could both be wrong. Where I absolutely have to take notes, I have my own version of shorthand that only i can probably understand. I guess you could say I improvise LOL I have never learnt to do it the proper way, so I just do what I do.

I have a feeling most languages will have a version of this, in one form or another. In my language Setswana, when someone says Ke a leboga/ *tankie (derived from the Afrikaans word, dankie) to say thank you, we often say 'go lebogile nna'; which literally means I'm the one who's thankful or the pleasure is all mine. it's very interesting to see how this translates in all other parts of the world

That sounds awful, @ anna3101! Maybe I'm not best placed to answer this question, because I've never been in that situation. So my answer is really based on supposition, I may very well react differently if I were in a true life situation of that nature. I personally doubt I'd change my mind about how much i rate the the quality of the book. I'd probably still recognise the author's gift. Depending of the gravity of the things I'd heard, I don't know if i'd continue to support them by buying any more of their books. I guess unless you've walked that path, it's not easy to give an objective answer.