foolsgold

I love his books and his insight on the human condition are always so refreshing. He's the type of author who really researches on what he writes and explores and experiments with different genres. First book I read was 1Q84 and found it to drag on and on pointlessly, but it was a good book overall. I didn't think it needed that length to push the story though. My favorite is the same as yours and is one of the books I always recommend to people. I also recommend reading some Kazuo Ishiguro as he's a wonderful author as well.

It sounds strange when used in daily use to be honest, but in the right context it can be more meaningful and touching. We had a phase in high school where anyone who can use the deepest Tagalog words were the coolest people. I was awful at it and could only guess what they meant The really cool ones are the Tagalog words for the subjects in class: sipnayan is math, tatsihan is trig, liknayan is physics, kapnayan is chem, etc.

I was in Japan for a couple of months a while back and it's really hard (but entertaining) to communicate given the language barrier. I find that while the Japanese do not speak perfect English, most of those I met were happy to teach me Japanese in exchange with English lessons. Although I've heard from people who have been there longer that there is indeed pressure on learning the language especially if you want to be taken seriously at work. Knowing the Japanese work ethic, it's very important that you know their language.

It definitely is a source of confusion especially for people who learn the language by ear including native speakers. Since native speakers learn the language as a child by listening to their environment and not really reading it, it's so easy to misspell them when you write them down (same reasoning for would of/would have). Obviously, there is negligence in learning the language itself. Somehow unrelated but sometimes I get confused by closely sounding names but are not necessarily homonyms. For example, instead of typing later I type letter

I'm a little bit reserved when I speak English when speaking to native speakers. I can speak English fine but I don't know some of the nuances or slang that would make me sound legit. When I speak my own language, I think I am more expressive and more confident. When I speak German.. I am easily flustered!! I'm sure that will improve when I progress with my learning. But I can see how your personality is affected when using a different language.

I am a frustrated polygot and would like to learn the below languages. It's a little bit unrealistic as I don't think I have time at all to learn them all within my lifetime 1. German 2. French 3. Hebrew 4. Russian 5. Sanskrit Nowhere near fluency in any of them but someday...

I'm not actively learning Korean but pronunciation is quite easy to learn in Korean. I've learned a lot via songs. I listen to ones that I really like and try to sing them so I really make an effort to learn pronunciation. Youtube has been VERY helpful. And of course, you can always put the songs on repeat. It's much harder to remember and expand my vocabulary though.

I really enjoyed these shows and think you will, too: Big (pretty much anything by the Hong sisters) To the Beautiful You My Love From Another Star The Heirs Secret Garden Playful Kiss Reply 1997 The previous commentor also gave really good suggestions. My ultimate favorite is still To The Beautiful You and it has an amazing soundtrack. I learned some Korean from the songs, too.

I have difficulty focusing on studying just one language so I personally cannot study two simultaneously. It is up to you though, if you are motivated and focused enough to extend the efforts to learn two languages then go for it! It might be hard though because there's always the possibility of mixing up things but if you have excellent memory and skill to learn then I don't see why it could be an issue.

I have. She's huge in Asia and have done some book tours. I'm not too fond of her writing but there are a few pieces which are brilliant and wonderfully-written. I'm trying to remember the guy's name she promotes as well... anyone knows his name? His writing is quite similar to Lang's

I like it subbed. I find it really helpful hearing the lines in the native tongue as it helps me copy/adopt their way of speaking. It helps me sound more natural rather than contrived or trying too hard.

It sure is! But I don't think it's limited in the US. In my elementary school, spelling is part of our English class. Our spelling words were the usually misspelled words, some borrowed words from French and German, etc. It was really good practice and we were taught etymology of it, too. We would have spelling "homework" too which involved using the word in a sentence, etc. I think it's a good exercise for students to practice spelling this way.

I wouldn't consider Filipino to be a melodic language. I think it's more related to the culture than our language. Filipinos are very social and always include singing in celebrations so there is more opportunities to practice the skill. We are also more outgoing than others so it looks like more Filipinos are good singers when the truth is, there are a lot of good singers in other countries but they just don't flaunt it a much. And maybe it is in the Filipino blood to be more talented in singing?

In English, salvage means "to be saved" or "rescued." In the Philippines however, when you hear a newscaster say a family was "salvaged," you shouldn't be relieved as for us, it means "murdered/massacred".

I don't read about the author's life all that much and it's not something I look out for when choosing a book. However, knowing some insight into the author's background does help me understand why an author would write something in a certain way. It kind of helps me understand their thinking. But I don't think I've avoided anyone because of their lifestory.

They're an old pop band but I like Wir Sind Helden (Nur Ein Wort, Von Hier an Blind, Denkmal, etc) They're on Spotify so you can try there. Spotify will also recommend similar artists so if you enjoy them then you can go from there.

I still like the good ole' books but enjoy reading from e-books as well. The physical books are quite expensive than ebooks though so it's been a while since I last purchased a book upon the release (usually buy them marked down). I haven't gotten into audio books yet. All the books I want to listen to are read by British people so it's harder to understand with the accent.

I think it should be mentioned at least off-hand since it is part of the vernacular anyway.

That's funny, I've never heard of fillers as "parasites." I have this issue speaking in Filipino (native language) and English. In Filipino we usually say "parang" which is our word for like. What I can suggest is to stop to think of what you're gonna say first or just pause instead of saying the fillers

My mom wanted to qualify as a secretary back in the day and had to learn shorthand for the role so she writes shorthand well. I think this was huge in the 80s and earlier though but when technology came along, it became an obsolete skill.

I like seeing Arabic and could only wish I can read it. What I like about it as well is the vast number of words there is for things. Arabic looks really elegant too.

Because sign language is like any other language. It's unique and usually adapts to the speaker's environment. Languages usually reflect the person's culture as well. Since people who use sign languages are from across the world then it is only necessary they use the sign fitting to the world they understand and the culture they are from.

I'm not at that level yet of speaking German to involve myself doing business/employment with it. In the future, I totally see myself being open to moving and getting a job there, or possibly a promotion to our company's German office. I can see how this must open doors for a lot of people. Heck, if I knew Korean, Chinese or Japanese I'd totally move there and teach English

I've never tried it but maybe later on in my learning when I am more comfortable to talk. I don't know of a lot of German speaking people here where I'm from so it would be difficult to get practice so I might pay for that.

We usually say thank you and you're welcome in the Philippines but there are tagalog versions. Thank you is salamat (or maraming salamat = many thanks/thank you so much) and you're welcome is walang anuman. Though most people would say, sure or "ikaw pa". I don't know the exact translation but it is usually said when you don't mind doing something for a person because you are fond of them. I personally say no prob though