is it difficult to speak English?

Dopey Damian   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:25 pm GMT
Guest = DD soz
Sander   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:27 pm GMT
=>Wrong again, sonny old boy.

English is the most difficult European language to elarn to read. Why do you think there are more dyslexics in English-speaking nations than those in other nations?
<=

LOL, Adams 'linguestic information' always is a laugh.Being dyslexic has little to do with the language and more with the brain.

I know the truth, you don't .Pitty
Sander   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:28 pm GMT
linguisitc
Adam   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:30 pm GMT
"LOL, Adams 'linguestic information' always is a laugh.Being dyslexic has little to do with the language and more with the brain."

Try telling that to the scientists at Dundee University, who found that English is the most difficult European langauge to learn to read and THAT is why there are so many dyslexics in English-speaking nations.
Sander   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:34 pm GMT
Alright then! Give me their phone number, so that I can explain to them, in perfect British English, that they're wrong.
Candy   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:39 pm GMT
<<Give me their phone number, so that I can explain to them, in perfect British English, that they're wrong. >>

Have you finally learnt perfect British English then, Sander?? ;)
Adam's mum in Dundee   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:40 pm GMT
Ignore my son, the scientists still haven't finished their experiments on him yet!
Sander   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:40 pm GMT
Are you saying it's perfect American English? ;)
Candy   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:53 pm GMT
Hmmm.....
Sander...perfect...English, in the same sentence.....
What could possibly be wrong with this picture?? :-)

(BTW, spent last weekend in the Netherlands...great time!)
Sander   Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:57 pm GMT
Yes, maybe perfect isn't the right word , whatabout 'magnificent ' :-)

Anyway, you wouldn't call it bad would you?

=>(BTW, spent last weekend in the Netherlands...great time!) <=

Where did you go?! :-)
Candy   Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:00 pm GMT
Magnificent...might let you use that one! (No, of course it's not bad! I'm just pulling your leg!)

I spent Saturday at Archeon - do you know it? The living history park in Alphen aan den Rijn. Watched medieval jousting and gladiators fighting, talked to one of the 'medieval' riders. He was so fantastic at English my partner was convinced he was an Englishman, till he heard him speak fluent Dutch. Sunday, we went to Leiden for a few hours, then Utrecht (because our train tickets were Düsseldorf-Utrecht) and looked round a bit.
Sander   Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:03 pm GMT
Ah yes, the Archeon, beautifull , btw, did you eat there? Great Spare Ribs!
Candy   Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:04 pm GMT
Yep, I had the spare ribs! :-)
Cro Magnon   Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:05 pm GMT
<=3) English syntax is very inflexible compared to other languages. English goes by a very strict subject-verb-object structure. Other languages are much more flexible. For instance, in Hebrew or Russian, the object can precede the verb for the purpose of emphasis (in Russian, the object is identified as such by means of the cases indicating direct or indirect object). Also, pronouns must be used with the verbs; this is not the case in other languages. For instance, in Spanish, Italian, or even Polish, you do not need to use the pronouns with the verb because the verb endings indicate the person. Then, of course, the syntax of German and Dutch is in a category of its own, with verbs coming at the end of sentences under certain circumstances.=>

I have the reverse problem. Understanding an SVO structure is easier than figuring out where the hell the subject or object is. The verb conjugations in Spanish are a PITA compared to English, and using the pronoun makes it clear what you mean.

<=5) Another difficulty for non-native English speakers is the fact that English is not a phonetic language. It is probably one of the most unphonetic languages in the world (French probably comes close to English in its lack of phoneticity). =>

I agree with this point. Spanish verbs might be a pain, but its spelling and pronounciation are very easy compared to English.
Sander   Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:11 pm GMT
=>Yep, I had the spare ribs! :-) <=

When I went the last time, I eat so much of them my hands were so fat that I couldn't turn the handle of the watercrane! :-O