Well, in fact I don't learn everything if I can't. A foreign language gives a new culture. Furthermore, communication in businesses is crucial for not using a someone to translate literally or lying to me.
English is the hardest language to learn
As for Navajo, I've heard that the verbs have something like 990 conjugated forms, and that nouns in the sentence have to be sorted somehow so they appear some kind of "priority" order. I've also heard claims that only native speakers can learn Navajo, although this sounds like an exaggeration to me.
Surely, there must be *some* aspect of Navajo that's simple?
Surely, there must be *some* aspect of Navajo that's simple?
Guest, I don't think there's anything simple at all about Navajo, for a native-English student!
Non-natives CAN learn it, but it's extremely difficult.
Non-natives CAN learn it, but it's extremely difficult.
I have read about Navajo having more than 990 conjugations for verbs. I wonder how this is possible. I mean how much can there be for one verb to agree with grammatically?
Well, I am fluent in English as well as Swedish and German. It is funny how the people here think that English is not hard to learn. Many people here claim that they speak English for around a year (like Pluto) but they're grammar is not very good. English is not my native language, I've only spoken it for 2 years. I speak very well, and my grammar is very good, I think.
Well, I am *fluent* in English as well as Swedish and German..... English is not my native language, I've only spoken it for 2 years. I speak very well, and my grammar is very good, I think.
I doubt it, and if your speaking is anything like your writing then you probably don't speak it very well either.
I doubt it, and if your speaking is anything like your writing then you probably don't speak it very well either.
>>Many people here claim that they speak English for around a year (like Pluto) but they're grammar is not very good<<
If you read the whole thread (I know it would take a long time), you will see that Pluto says it was a joke and he is really a native English speaker.
>>they're grammar<<
This is a typical native mistake. I don't understand how someone who is learning English as a foreign language can make it. Native speakers sometimes make it because they just learn English by listening, and then learn to read and write afterwards. But how does a learner, who must surely have actually learnt in a class that 'they're' is short for 'they are' and 'their' is the possessive second person plural come to make it? I am not having a go, I am just curious. Maybe you have been learning English by reading posts on the web by native speakers and picked it up.
If you read the whole thread (I know it would take a long time), you will see that Pluto says it was a joke and he is really a native English speaker.
>>they're grammar<<
This is a typical native mistake. I don't understand how someone who is learning English as a foreign language can make it. Native speakers sometimes make it because they just learn English by listening, and then learn to read and write afterwards. But how does a learner, who must surely have actually learnt in a class that 'they're' is short for 'they are' and 'their' is the possessive second person plural come to make it? I am not having a go, I am just curious. Maybe you have been learning English by reading posts on the web by native speakers and picked it up.
Actually I think many foreigners learn English by listening too (like from movies and music), not only in a class so they're prone to make mistakes as they probably don't read as much as they listen.
Isn't it worse for a native speaker to make that kind of mistake when it should have been emended in elementary school?
Isn't it worse for a native speaker to make that kind of mistake when it should have been emended in elementary school?
Yes, we foreigners tot'ly agree that it is worst for you natives to make such a mistake. :-)
>>Isn't it worse for a native speaker to make that kind of mistake when it should have been emended in elementary school? <<
It's bad if someone genuinely doesn't understand the difference. But I find that when I am typing away at speed sometimes I mix up 'there, their and they're' and 'your and you're', and only notice it when I reread what I have written. I suppose that can happen to non-natives too.
It's bad if someone genuinely doesn't understand the difference. But I find that when I am typing away at speed sometimes I mix up 'there, their and they're' and 'your and you're', and only notice it when I reread what I have written. I suppose that can happen to non-natives too.
"I have read about Navajo having more than 990 conjugations for verbs. I wonder how this is possible. I mean how much can there be for one verb to agree with grammatically?"
Well, let me state outright that I have little knowledge of Navajo.
However, I rather suspect that you mean Navajo has 990 conjugational forms. Theoretically, that's certainly possible as there are practically limitless grammatical features that can be incorporated into a verb:
(these are not all recognized grammatical terms)
person
tense
gender/classification
subject
object/indirect object
number
mood
voice
instrument
quality
action
emphasis
These 12 alone could easily provide a hypothetical language of four verb conjugations and a batch of irregular verbs with over 600 forms.
Well, let me state outright that I have little knowledge of Navajo.
However, I rather suspect that you mean Navajo has 990 conjugational forms. Theoretically, that's certainly possible as there are practically limitless grammatical features that can be incorporated into a verb:
(these are not all recognized grammatical terms)
person
tense
gender/classification
subject
object/indirect object
number
mood
voice
instrument
quality
action
emphasis
These 12 alone could easily provide a hypothetical language of four verb conjugations and a batch of irregular verbs with over 600 forms.
Greetings friends,
My wife is a linguist and all through out her training it she learned about the different categories of languages based on complexity and difficulty for non-native speakers to learn. There are only 4 categories, 1 being easy, 4 being hard. The Cat 4 languages would be in the realm w/ Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian etc. Currently English is a Cat 4 language due to the complexity of the languages mechanics. A person who is not a native speaker and who isn't from a European lineage that has somewhat similar rules has a great deal of trouble learning to speak like a native, rules aside, there are many words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and words that are spelled differently but are pronounced the same as a couple of examples of why the language can be confusing. The also taught her (her teachers were Korean) that if there were a Category 5 language, English would be the only one.....
Just food for thought.
(also our expressions are a bit confusing, especially because of the dialect differences. For example, I'm from the southern U.S. and my speaking dialect differs greatly from someone from the North Eastern U.S.)
My wife is a linguist and all through out her training it she learned about the different categories of languages based on complexity and difficulty for non-native speakers to learn. There are only 4 categories, 1 being easy, 4 being hard. The Cat 4 languages would be in the realm w/ Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian etc. Currently English is a Cat 4 language due to the complexity of the languages mechanics. A person who is not a native speaker and who isn't from a European lineage that has somewhat similar rules has a great deal of trouble learning to speak like a native, rules aside, there are many words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and words that are spelled differently but are pronounced the same as a couple of examples of why the language can be confusing. The also taught her (her teachers were Korean) that if there were a Category 5 language, English would be the only one.....
Just food for thought.
(also our expressions are a bit confusing, especially because of the dialect differences. For example, I'm from the southern U.S. and my speaking dialect differs greatly from someone from the North Eastern U.S.)
I don't buy this crap about English being such a hard language. It's one of the easiest languages there is. Why is it that foreigners can learn English so easily while native speakers of English often don't reach very high levels in other languages?
<<The also taught her (her teachers were Korean) that if there were a Category 5 language, English would be the only one.....>>
Does this mean that learning Navajo is easier for Koreans than learning English? Is that because Korean and Navajo have similar grammar?
Does this mean that learning Navajo is easier for Koreans than learning English? Is that because Korean and Navajo have similar grammar?
Man, by reading your sentences, none of you speak English very well. I'd hate to hear how badly your pronunciation is... I'm a native English speaker and will tell you right now that you all sound funny. I've learned Spanish fluently and know what it's like to learn a second language. I also have German friends living here in the United States. They have learned to speak it fairly well, but are never able to hide their accents. You have to dedicate A LOT of time and effort to learning a language really well, even if you are living amongst native speakers.
Good luck!
Good luck!