• UK at risk of being 'cut off from world' for not learning more languages
    245 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32669785]You have to be born in England to understand when to use a and an? Yeah sure, I guess that means my entire family and everyone I know here was born in England. The English aren't masters of their own language anyway, if anything they shouldn't be in charge of it, let's not forget things like "centre" and "reload" they both use "re" but the sounding of those two letters changes for literally no reason, why? Who the fuck knows, that shit literally does not fly in any other words in the language, except if they end with the letters r and e.[/QUOTE] Yes, you Americans have done the Language much good, right?
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32669996]But that makes no sense, you can't just change the sounding of two letters because it appears on the end or beginning of a word, that doesn't work with any other words in the language. If that works why can't I do other things that make no sense, like spell cake, kayk? Or spell box, bawks?[/QUOTE] It doesn't need to make sense, its how the language works. It is confusing as fuck, but it is how it works.
We don't have time to learn other languages!
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32669996]But that makes no sense, you can't just change the sounding of two letters because it appears on the end or beginning of a word, that doesn't work with any other words in the language. If that works why can't I do other things that make no sense, like spell cake, kayk? Or spell box, bawks?[/QUOTE] languages have no rhyme or reason [editline]7th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Atlascore;32670127]But it's not how the language works, you aren't allowed to change the sounding of words or letters just because you feel like it.[/QUOTE] uh what sure I can, that's why we have about a trillion different dialects worlwide
To be honest, though, the rest of the world IS learning english, so why should they bother to learn another language when everyone is striving to learn something you've known since birth.
[QUOTE=Noz;32670168]To be honest, though, the rest of the world IS learning english, so why should they bother to learn another language when everyone is striving to learn something you've known since birth.[/QUOTE] courtesy [editline]7th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Atlascore;32670191]ur rite y shud grmmr eist? ery shud jst spel howevr dey wynt lang rules r four losurs1[/QUOTE] Well yeah if that's how English eventually evolves then so be it. we're not OCD about our language like the French, there's no standardising body with it, we just invent new words and ways to use old words and fuck all grammar rules. that's why it's such a successful and adaptable language.
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32670127] But it's not how the language works, you aren't allowed to change the sounding of words or letters just because you feel like it.[/QUOTE] It works for many other words as well. Fibre Theatre Acre etc Its you Americans that started to change it, to be different. [url]http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=-re&allowed_in_frame=0[/url] [editline]7th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Atlascore;32670191]ur rite y shud grmmr eist? ery shud jst spel howevr dey wynt lang rules r four losurs1 ^Example of why languages need rhyme and reason.[/QUOTE] The English language is constantly evolving and changing, its one of the great things about it.
[QUOTE=Jsm;32670234]The English language is constantly evolving and changing, its one of the great things about it.[/QUOTE] It's basically this millennium's Latin. It'll eventually balkanise and fracture into many other languages, like how Latin split into French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian etc. In a thousand years time, English will be considered the language of intellectuals and scientists.
Do non-English speakers find Americanisms easier to learn?
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32670308]And those words make just as little sense as centre. If you sounded out Fibre while ignoring whatever idiotic explanation was given for re, you wouldn't get "Fibre" you would get something like "Fi-bre" with bre as in breeze.[/QUOTE] It makes perfect sense, when a word ends with "re" it makes an "uhr" sound.
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32670398]What, that makes no sense, letters don't change their sounds because they're at the end of certain words.[/QUOTE] well they self-evidently do [editline]7th October 2011[/editline] you're trying to make reality fit your ideas rather than vice versa
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32670398]What, that makes no sense, letters don't change their sounds because they're at the end of certain words. If re can make an "uhr" sound why aren't we saying "uhrload" or "uhrbuild" or anything else with re at the start, oh right because that makes no sense because letters don't magically change sounds.[/QUOTE] Yes they do, that is how it works. When "re" is at the beginning of a word it makes the sound "ree". Loads of letters do it.
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32670455]They aren't my ideas, I'm going by other words in the language.[/QUOTE] and there are exceptions, like in any other language god damn
[QUOTE=Scar;32669965]Well, I was forced to learn English, Latin, French and Spanish. You lazy Tommies[/QUOTE] Latin? What a waste.
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32670191]ur rite y shud grmmr eist? ery shud jst spel howevr dey wynt lang rules r four losurs1 ^Example of why languages need rhyme and reason.[/QUOTE] Er... that would only be a good example if I couldn't actually tell what it said. This is english, we make shit up left right and center. You want a language with rules and 'reason' (lol reason and language you have got to be kidding me) go learn French. [editline]8th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Baldr 2.0;32670518]The Tortoise and the Hare[/QUOTE] How is that relevant?
I just learned BSL, as it's easier and pretty much universal. ASL is only slightly different, if what I'm told is true.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;32670464]and there are exceptions, like in any other language god damn[/QUOTE] Atlascore did you seriously rate this "disagree" or are my eyes deceiving me. Lets take the commonly used phrase "i before e except after c" and look at the hundreds of exceptions to this rule [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_before_E_except_after_C#Exceptions[/url]
I know 3 languages fluently as for now, and going to learn two more.
[QUOTE=Baldr 2.0;32670646]Wouldn't go sleeping under a tree because everyone speaks or tries to learn English anyway, and then notice to late that English really isn't that important any more giving a huge disadvantage in everything.[/QUOTE] Plus it's just nice to know another language. You can read books and watch film and TV in their original forms rather than rely on (oftentimes terrible) translations.
[QUOTE=Baldr 2.0;32670646]Wouldn't go sleeping under a tree because everyone speaks or tries to learn English anyway, and then notice to late that English really isn't that important any more giving a huge disadvantage in everything.[/QUOTE] There's one thing you are forgetting. By the time English isn't that important anymore [B]I'll be dead[/B]. [editline]8th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;32670692]Plus it's just nice to know another language. You can read books and watch film and TV in their original forms rather than rely on (oftentimes terrible) translations.[/QUOTE] This is true. Precisely why I wish to learn other languages. It's certainly not as dire as the language teachers are making it out to be.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;32670304]It's basically this millennium's Latin. It'll eventually balkanise and fracture into many other languages, like how Latin split into French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian etc. In a thousand years time, English will be considered the language of intellectuals and scientists.[/QUOTE] I very much doubt it. At the current rate we are going the world is getting smaller and smaller. Communications are getting easier between people and everybody can now suddenly talk to anybody. Since English is lingua franca now, it will eventually become the main language of the earth as the smaller languages fail to adapt and eventually die off as the idea of belonging to a nation dies and instead belonging to the earth. If the Romans had the internet, and their internet was maintained for 2000 years everybody from Britain to Persia would speak Latin today. (Granted languages change over time, but since everybody uses that language it would never fragment.)
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;32672195]I very much doubt it. At the current rate we are going the world is getting smaller and smaller. Communications are getting easier between people and everybody can now suddenly talk to anybody. Since English is lingua franca now, it will eventually become the main language of the earth as the smaller languages fail to adapt and eventually die off as the idea of belonging to a nation dies and instead belonging to the earth. If the Romans had the internet, and their internet was maintained for 2000 years everybody from Britain to Persia would speak Latin today. (Granted languages change over time, but since everybody uses that language it would never fragment.)[/QUOTE]Technically you could say most of Europe and Central America still speaks Latin since the Romance languages grew from it.
[QUOTE=CakeMaster7;32672243]Technically you could say most of Europe and Central America still speaks Latin since the Romance languages grew from it.[/QUOTE] Technically. Just as Rome broke down into separate nations and infrastructure collapsed new languages developed out of them. It took ages mind you though. If you lived in Iberia/Gaul/Italy/Balkans/etc in 1AD and spoke latin, then went to 600AD and went to those places most people could understand you. I have a interesting book about the middle ages and how painfully slow it was for Rome to die. Some cities and towns continued to have senates, dress in togas, speak latin, etc until the 700s and I read an proclamation about the Frankish king at the time, which was very similar to Latin. Even today Latin lingers on in many regards (Church and Science for one). Now imagine a world instead of a Europe that speaks one language. If that language was to die out it would take thousands of years.
English is the most widely spoken language in the world, and Chinese Mandarin is spoken by the most people (purely because of the number of people in China) Learn those two and you should be fine
Whenever I go to abroad, I speak the language so badly they ask in english for me to speak english. English isnt going to disappear anytime soon, so, sorry to be ignorant, but I dont see the point in learning another language.
[QUOTE=Contag;32670486]Latin? What a waste.[/QUOTE] lolno makes learning Spanish and French easy as shit
[QUOTE=Arsonist;32680311]English is the most widely spoken language in the world[/QUOTE] nope, spanish is
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;32680473]nope, spanish is[/QUOTE] If you live in South or Mesoamerica or Iberia it is. He means worldwide as in, every continent and most countries. You can go to Hong Kong, New York, Paris, Berlin, etc and chances are you will very easily find people who will speak English.
[QUOTE=Scar;32680357]lolno makes learning Spanish and French easy as shit[/QUOTE] I learn a language so that learning two other languages easier? Why not cut out the middle man? Besides English has stolen enough from French Spanish and Latin anyhow.
[QUOTE=Contag;32680748]I learn a language so that learning two other languages easier? Why not cut out the middle man? Besides English has stolen enough from French Spanish and Latin anyhow.[/QUOTE] Well, if you want to study anything scientific here in Germany, you have to had Latin for at least 3 years. It's also really helpful for scientific names and shit
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