VCF Europa Update

From: Geoff Roberts <geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au>
Date: Wed Mar 8 18:42:50 2000

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hans Franke" <Hans.Franke_at_mch20.sbs.de>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2000 9:48 PM
Subject: Re: VCF Europa Update


> No, serious, German isn't that hard to learn, millions
> of kids over here are proof that it's easy enough to
> be done even at toddlers age :))

Sadly, it's easier for a toddler to learn (any language) than it is for
an adult.
My brother also studied German at University here, and probably speaks
it
as well as any non native. (Hard to tell, hardly anyone here speaks
anything but
english. I have picked up a few words here and there just through
reading and
foreign language films, but that's it) AFAIK, there is only 1 native
German in
the whole town. I have no idea how the grammar works.
My brother mentioned something about gender and case, which don't exist
in
English in any form that is comparable. (Only gender I can think of
apart from
living males/females is that a ship or an aircraft is "she") Case???
The point is that no adult ever learns a foreign language as easily or
as well as a
young child. The inability of adult native Japanese speakers to
pronounce certain
English phonemes is due to the fact that they do not have the
ability to pronounce them. It has to be learnt (IIRC) before age 5 or
6.
The RR as in 'sorry' for instance. (It tends to come out more like a
LL.)
They aren't brain damaged, they just can't form the sound, they didn't
learn how.

> Well, Now really serious: All you are missing is some practice.
> so come over for VCFe and help Sallam with his speech.

I hope it all goes well. I wish I could join you, but my car doesn't
swim very well.
(I envy people who can visit another country just by driving there.)

Cheers

Geoff Roberts
Computer Systems Manager
Saint Mark's College
Port Pirie,
South Australia
geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au
netcafe_at_pirie.mtx.net.au
ICQ: 1970476
Received on Wed Mar 08 2000 - 18:42:50 GMT