lushlala

Botswana is another country whose official language is English. All formal and official events are conducted in English. I guess this is mainly due to Botswana being a former British protectorate in the colonial times. Most people speak English, but what I find worrying is the fact that a lot of privately educated children speak far better English than Setswana. Most young people prefer to communicate in English than Setswana because that's what they feel comfortable doing. It worries me because I wonder if this spells the beginning of the end of the Setswana language

Oh I remember that from a friend teaching it to me years ago, @rtorir! I do love sound of Swahili, it sounds very melodic. I think 'nakupenda' sounds so romantic, too It's a shame I never learnt much more than that from my Kenyan friends.

My listening skills used to be terrible. I think this was partly because I have very low concentration levels, and my mind can start to wander LOL But ever since I acquired a wealth of experience working in customer service (both face to face and telephone based), where listening skills are imperative, my listening skills have improved tremendously! I'm just hoping and praying that this will carry over to my language learning too I guess I'll find out when I start.

Hehe a bit like my people then LOL! -and also, I've always found the Dutch can be more liberal than most. Maybe they just do it for a bit of peace and quiet, they don't want the aggravation that comes with complaining and possibly making the newcomers feel unwelcome. It sounds to me like the Dutch may be a bit more compassionate than most too. Which is a good thing, right?

Wow, really @Blaveloper?! I've never heard of or observed something like that anywhere. Holland must be very accommodating, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, does that not create a sense of animosity in the locals? I ask this because in the UK and Botswana, the locals feel strongly that if you've come to live in their country, the onus really is upon you as the 'outsider' to learn the culture and language of your host country, to integrate into your new community. I don't see anything wrong with that either. In fact, I personally wouldn't set off from Botswana, travel to say China and expect the locals to make accommodations for me, my language and culture at the expense of their own. Because whether you like it or not, there are many people who are very precious about their language and culture, and that would rub them the wrong way. -and rightly so! Your comment on English is slightly different in my opinion, since it's usually the common language to most people. I think it's universally seen as neutral and so doesn't make the locals feel as threatened.

@Blaveloper......you've raised a very good point, one I never considered either. On that basis....I agree some of the best responses to this question would depend very much on different languages, and I do believe you're one of the best placed people in that regard, as you have a catalogue of languages under your belt! Thank you very much for your input. I can see what you mean about languages with a lot of characters like Chinese and Japanese. This actually makes me feel inadequate, because I shy away from speaking my French and Italian and they're nowhere as difficult as some languages out there like Chinese.

But now with your new confidence in speaking, which do you find easier, speaking or writing? Has it made any difference or would you say it's stayed more or less the same? I'm talkative, yet I become tongue tied when i try to speak in a foreign language I'm learning LOL That's nerves for you, I guess. I really envy people who prefer to speak over writing, and actually have the courage to go right ahead and practice their language skills, whether or not it's good. I've seen some people have so much courage that they'll even laugh at themselves and just have fun with it. I wish that were me!

Hehe @Blaveloper, you're funny LOL....You truly have a way with words, not PC at all I guess with all of that happening, it could change the landscape, but i maintain it's a long shot. But just out of curiosity, do you not think even with all these Arab speakers 'being imported' into Europe, there'd still be the expectation for them to learn the languages spoken in their host countries? I mean, this has always been the trend around Europe. In the UK there's even a big drive to teach asylum seekers English and they are given very easy access to all these free classes, in a bid to teach them English to 'help them adjust to and fit' into the British way of life. I'm not sure the host countries would suddenly or gradually turn things around to accommodate languages from outside, at the exclusion of their own. I think the Arab speakers, those who don't speak the languages spoken in their new countries, will have to learn the new languages in order to secure jobs.

I would agree that it would be more useful to go with Arabic if you were looking to live in the Middle East, because that's where the language is widely used. But further than that, I'm not really sure where else it's in demand. French is more widely used and required on a global scale. I think you could go very far if you were fluent in French. I believe the world would be your oyster!Ii too don't have any figures to substantiate my thoughts on this, but when I've looked online and through newspapers in the past, I've come across many jobs seeking French speakers, but never anything for Arabic. I'm happy for anyone to correct me on this.

You're clearly a high achiever @AExAVF, and that's what will stand you in good stead in your language learning. I'm also of the opinion and agree with you that we should never rest on our laurels and keep the learning process going. However, I'd say don't be too hard on yourself either, because you seem to be doing very well as it stands. I guess it's just human nature though, we're our own worst critics and always to strive to do better. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just trying to find a happy medium that can be hard.

I know, right!? First off, I actually like the name Kurpadia, even though I don't know what it means. It has a nice sound to it, that's if I'm even saying it right in my head LOL Yes, there used to be this tendency in my country to give children what I think were not so nice names (in my opinion) such as the ones below: Dikeledi- Tears Khutsafalo- a deep sense of sadness Seboko- Worm Kehutsafetse- I'm sad Setlogelwa- That which is left behind I mean, I just don't get why anyone would want to name their child that! Luckily, this trend is on the wane and people are a lot more creative with the names they give their children...phew!

OMG ten different meanings, dependent on how you pronounce a tiny little word....that's crazy LOL I think that would make me feel extra paranoid. For foreign speakers, it must be a nightmare to try to distinguish between all those. -and I thought Setswana was crazy for having some words spelt the same, differentiated mainly via intonation to distinguish between the different meanings LOL This is something a lot of foreigners have pointed out as being hard to get a grasp of when they're trying to learn Setswana, too. The difficulty comes when they feel the difference in intonation is barely there, very subtle and I can see where they're coming from!

@AExAVF....what a fantastic teacher! This is exactly what I mean; a passionate teacher 'radiates' that sort of eagerness onto their students and the whole learning process becomes smoother, in my opinion. Isn't it lovely that she also taught you about the Japanese culture? I bet your Japanese is fantastic, too. I have always said that if the learning process is made fun as well as interesting, the success rate is likely to shoot through the roof. It works like that for me, anyway.

Same here, @watangboy! Now that I think about though, it makes perfect sense. I've never come across one anywhere. That one on the link you posted must make life a lot easier for many people. I imagine the same would be the case for languages like Cantonese and Mandarin. Sometimes when I'm trying to type in French, it can be a rightnightmare, so language specific keyboards would be great, for sure

We have a few local 'rap artists' but somehow the rap just comes over a little contrived to me. I don't think my language lends itself to rap at all. In fact, there are languages that I feel make rap music very unappealing. I personally prefer it in English, in particular American English. Even some British rappers fail miserably to pull it off LOL

Aww these are really cute nicknames, @kurpadia! I think Nene is popular among the African Americans, too. We have our own version, Nini. I have to say Totoy, Pogi and Dodong sound especially cute! We have something similar to Boy, but ours is usually BoyBoy or Boycie. Very interesting, thanks for sharing

The first thing that drew me to this community was our common interest, our love of languages and cultures different to our own. It's always nice to hang out with like minded people, and I'm glad to say this is a very pleasant community with a warm atmosphere and feel to it. I've enjoyed the dialogue and debates, which have for the most part been very mature, engaging and very interesting. It's great to know that the culture here is that we can agree to disagree and still be 'friends' at the end of it all I've also learnt quite a fair bit about all the free online resources that I wasn't always aware of. This has really given me a kick to think more about taking up my language learning again next year and beyond, if I can find the time. There are people here who are doing it this way and doing well at it too, so they spur me on to give it a really good go! I like it here, long may Linguaholic continue, through 2016 and beyond

Hehe anna3101....your analogy cracked me up LOL I had this disturbing mental image of some clueless lunatic claiming to be a surgeon, and taking a knife to an unsuspecting victim....yikes! On a serious note though, my French lecturer at uni is a shining example of good teaching qualities. That man knew how to liven up a class and make it more interesting,, he kept us motivated and made sure we didn't waver. He really pushed us without ridiculing or making us feel small. -and I have him to thank for my exchange trip to France during my second year. Each year the top 2 performers in each class were sent to France to study French at a French university, and I went! I was in Strasbourg for 3 months and to this day count that experience as one of my life experiences. I loved it

@Alex_F....I wholly agree with you on this! I guess we'll just have to be in the minority LOL I too am a Linguistics graduate and learnt exactly the same theory as you did. I think most people aren't aware just how resilient young children are, and the extent of the capacity of their brains to tackle some things that we as adults would fail at. I learnt through Linguistics that the younger the child, the easier it is for them to learn foreign languages. What I found especially fascinating is the fact that young children's brains fare far better at learning and retaining multiple foreign languages simultaneously. I think sometimes we don't give children enough credit.

i don't even remember the last time I received a hand written letter in the post! I used to really enjoy those, and sometimes wish people still valued and enjoyed writing and receiving letters. If you've ever received an actual hand written letter, receiving an email is just not the same. I'm glad that my husband can be sweet like that and sometimes writes me sweet little letters I honestly believe that writing by hand is on its way out, and may very well become a very specialised thing that only a few select people will be able to do in the future.

Isn't it ironic that a long time ago flying was a luxury only the rich could afford, and then over the years as airfares became more and more affordable, everyone could afford to fly. Fast forward to 2015, and we seem to have gone back several decades! Things seem to have taken a nasty turn ever since the financial crisis, and they're just not showing any good signs of recovery. We're all feeling the pinch!

That's exactly the situation i'd like to be 'thrown' in and forced to learn the language fast, being thrown in at the deep end so to speak. I'd love to find a job in say Italy, and be based somewhere remote-ish where the locals don't speak much English, which would force me into making more of an effort! There'd obviously be no room for shyness and all that. You definitely learn faster that way, whether or not you like it. Just out of interest, how long did it take you to feel confident speaking Bulgarian?

@XLS ....that could be it, actually! Your friend may not feel that she's well equipped to impart any of what she knows onto you, in part because she herself isn't confident in her language skills? But rather than come out and spell it out, and risk losing face, she's choosing to act all funny. Then again, how good of a friend is she, how close are the two of you? I ask this because if you're close, then she should be able to open up about what the problem is. of course, you too, should be able to press her for a more elaborate answer. Communication really is key! I hope though, that whatever happens, you too are able to work it out and remain friends

I know, it's pretty scary! I just couldn't believe it when I saw the result, but I could also see how that would be the case. I mean, let's face it, the youth of today were born into an era where advances in modern technology are so advanced, nobody really has to write if they don't want to any more. Everything is computer based, and tire's not much need for writing. I don't even remember the last time I wrote a letter. One of my nieces goes to this really posh private school in South Africa and they don't seem to do much writing either. It's just crazy!

That's so true, Chris_A. Botswana is just an obscure little country that many people may have heard of but don't really know much about. Part of our economy is generated via our tourism sector, which is quite big. Sadly, not everyone is able to go on safari in Botswana, as it's deliberately designed to be high end, very pricey tourism to manage traffic into the wilderness. This is in part to preserve the fauna, flora and the wilderness in general as much as possible. The majority of our guests are wealthy and very old Westerners.