Chinese ideogram system is very DIFFERENT from other systems and also much older. It has advantages and disadvantages. You should respect it, ignorance is not good for anybody.
Why do you study English?
I respect the Chinese ideogram system. It's definitely the most beautiful writing system still in continual use, and it has allowed speakers of many dialects to converse with one another in writing even if they can't understand a single word the other person says. I study it every day, and enjoy it.
That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to think the whole thing is INSANE. 50,000 characters in total!? Some traditional characters with over twenty strokes!? Even if most of those are obscure and no one actually uses them, that's crazy. Absolutely nuts.
Yeah, I know English has some problems, too. A huge vocabulary, really arbitrary pronunciation of words. But I would still say that the majority of the non-Chinese/Japanese/possibly Korean world population would take to learning English much faster than they would to learning Hanzi/Kanji/Hanja. Like it or not, it's mostly an alphabetical world.
That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to think the whole thing is INSANE. 50,000 characters in total!? Some traditional characters with over twenty strokes!? Even if most of those are obscure and no one actually uses them, that's crazy. Absolutely nuts.
Yeah, I know English has some problems, too. A huge vocabulary, really arbitrary pronunciation of words. But I would still say that the majority of the non-Chinese/Japanese/possibly Korean world population would take to learning English much faster than they would to learning Hanzi/Kanji/Hanja. Like it or not, it's mostly an alphabetical world.
I don't respect the Chinese ideogram system. It's definitely not the most beautiful writing system still in continual use, and it hasn't allowed speakers of many dialects to converse with one another in writing even if they can understand a single word the other person says. I don't study it every day, and don't enjoy it.
That means I'm not allowed to think the whole thing is INSANE. 50,000 characters in total!? Some traditional characters with over twenty strokes!? Even if most of those are obscure and no one actually uses them, that's not crazy. Absolutely nuts.
Yeah, I know English doesn't have any problems, too. A small vocabulary, really unarbitrary pronunciation of words. But I wouldn't still say that the majority of the non-Chinese/Japanese/possibly Korean world population would take to learning English much faster than they would to learning Hanzi/Kanji/Hanja. Like it or not, it's mostly an nonalphabetical world.
That means I'm not allowed to think the whole thing is INSANE. 50,000 characters in total!? Some traditional characters with over twenty strokes!? Even if most of those are obscure and no one actually uses them, that's not crazy. Absolutely nuts.
Yeah, I know English doesn't have any problems, too. A small vocabulary, really unarbitrary pronunciation of words. But I wouldn't still say that the majority of the non-Chinese/Japanese/possibly Korean world population would take to learning English much faster than they would to learning Hanzi/Kanji/Hanja. Like it or not, it's mostly an nonalphabetical world.
I learnt English because I was imprisoned for 3 years in an English speaking country. It was necessary to know English for aqcuiring smokes and porno magazines through the inmates.
<<I learnt English because I was imprisoned for 3 years in an English speaking country. It was necessary to know English for aqcuiring smokes and porno magazines through the inmates.>>
Interesting. That's a good way of learning a language, though. :-)
I'm just wondering what kind of variety you have acquired in a prison. You can't be that well-spoken...
Is it Franco himself, who is basically a troll, or another troll impersonating the real troll?
Interesting. That's a good way of learning a language, though. :-)
I'm just wondering what kind of variety you have acquired in a prison. You can't be that well-spoken...
Is it Franco himself, who is basically a troll, or another troll impersonating the real troll?
Moreover, you (all of you) aren't STUDYING English. You are LEARNING it. That makes a difference.
Those who are majoring in English language and / or literature at university (like my humble self) are STUDYING it.
Those who are learning English as a foreign language, second language etc. are simply LEARNING it, right?
You may think I'm splitting hairs, but these two terms aren't interchangeable.
Those who are majoring in English language and / or literature at university (like my humble self) are STUDYING it.
Those who are learning English as a foreign language, second language etc. are simply LEARNING it, right?
You may think I'm splitting hairs, but these two terms aren't interchangeable.
"I know English has some problems, too... really arbitrary pronunciation of words."
English pronunciation is no more "arbitrary" than that of any other language.
English pronunciation is no more "arbitrary" than that of any other language.
English is THE MOST arbitrary of any other language, that's an incontrovertible fact
<<English is THE MOST arbitrary of any other language, that's an incontrovertible fact.>>
There is NO such thing as *the* most arbitrary language.
There is NO such thing as *the* most arbitrary language.
WOW! Explain me the difference between LEARNING and STUDYING because is so damn fun! Is there studying without learning? And learning without studying ??????
Those who learn a language (or whatever else) usually learn it WITHOUT sdudying?????
Those who learn a language (or whatever else) usually learn it WITHOUT sdudying?????
Liz is British (I think) so that may be why she is saying that. The British are often oddly specific in how they use words. For example, they don't call universities schools, and they only graduate from college, not high school, junior high, or elementary school. Maybe "study" is another university-specific term in Britain.
<<WOW! Explain me the difference between LEARNING and STUDYING because is so damn fun! Is there studying without learning? And learning without studying ??????
Those who learn a language (or whatever else) usually learn it WITHOUT sdudying?????>>
Is it so funny? Sorry then. Maybe it's just my personal idiosyncracy again.
I don't know why, but I still think there is a subtle difference between the two words. I have always thought of "studying" as sort of an academic term (not the term itself being academic rather its connotations). I mean, if you study a language, you are concerned with it at an academic level. As opposed to "learning", which is quite practical and "down-to-earth", referring to the process of "acquiring" (for want of a better word) something, in this case a language. For example, you can begin "studying" English even if it is your mother tongue or if you just speak it reasonably well, but you are not likely to begin "learning" it in the same situation.
I don't know if other speakers of British English see it that way or it's just me being "oddly specific" (which I often am). Further opinions?
Those who learn a language (or whatever else) usually learn it WITHOUT sdudying?????>>
Is it so funny? Sorry then. Maybe it's just my personal idiosyncracy again.
I don't know why, but I still think there is a subtle difference between the two words. I have always thought of "studying" as sort of an academic term (not the term itself being academic rather its connotations). I mean, if you study a language, you are concerned with it at an academic level. As opposed to "learning", which is quite practical and "down-to-earth", referring to the process of "acquiring" (for want of a better word) something, in this case a language. For example, you can begin "studying" English even if it is your mother tongue or if you just speak it reasonably well, but you are not likely to begin "learning" it in the same situation.
I don't know if other speakers of British English see it that way or it's just me being "oddly specific" (which I often am). Further opinions?
Lemme describe a difference.
If one is learning finers points of a language, delving much more deeper into the language, then he or she is studying the language and they have a better grasp of the mechanics of the language. Most suitable candidates are Teachers, lexicographers and so forth.
Average speakers and non-native speakers are actually learning the language because they pick up the language from their surroundings and they cant tell how things work on the mechanics level. They can not tell why this adverb is used in this sentence, why vowels take certain sounds in certain words, phonetic differences and so many other things.
If one is learning finers points of a language, delving much more deeper into the language, then he or she is studying the language and they have a better grasp of the mechanics of the language. Most suitable candidates are Teachers, lexicographers and so forth.
Average speakers and non-native speakers are actually learning the language because they pick up the language from their surroundings and they cant tell how things work on the mechanics level. They can not tell why this adverb is used in this sentence, why vowels take certain sounds in certain words, phonetic differences and so many other things.
"English pronunciation is no more "arbitrary" than that of any other language."
If you were to study Chinese, you'd know different. If you see a word in Pinyin with the tone mark, you know exactly 100% how to pronounce it. Can you say that about a language with words like 'yacht' or 'knight'?
If you were to study Chinese, you'd know different. If you see a word in Pinyin with the tone mark, you know exactly 100% how to pronounce it. Can you say that about a language with words like 'yacht' or 'knight'?
"English is THE MOST arbitrary of any other language, that's an incontrovertible fact"
On what evidence do you base this "fact"?
On what evidence do you base this "fact"?