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Author: Ed Harris (London) | [ Next Thread |
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] Date Posted: 00:25:50 01/24/05 Mon In reply to: Kevin (U.S.) 's message, "languages" on 23:58:58 01/23/05 Sun I'm impressed. Most of us in the English-speaking world are just about able to order a glass of wine in Spanish, but that let's us out. To know French, Gaelic and Bulgarian is pretty good. Learning languages broadens the mind. I wish I spoke one. I've even read somewhere that children who are brought up speaking more than one language have denser neurone-structure in some unpronounceable part of their brains. Beats me how anyone knows without opening up their brains, but I guess they've managed it somehow. Mind you, I have been obliged in my short life to learn a truly indecent number of languages, and I still have the IQ of the offspring of a village idiot and a TV weather girl. Indeed, I have forgotten at least half of the languages I have been forced to learn. I suppose it must be because I had to learn them when I was too old... Mind you, it can go too far the other way: I read that some women have started reading French poetry to embryos in their wombs in an attempt to start the process early. I would be interested to read the results, but frankly I have my doubts. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
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Author: Ian (Australia) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 00:37:24 01/24/05 Mon Only English and Portuguese to any serious level. I can read some German, the Portuguese gives me a certain degree of access to other neo-latin languages, and I studied a little Gaelic and Murrinh Patha at university, but that doesn't mean I can speak either of them. I started learning Portuguese at 35, so I don't think you have any real basis for the "too old" argument just yet, Ed. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
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Author: Ed Harris (London) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 00:45:42 01/24/05 Mon Twenty-three in years, 108 in malevolent decrepitude, laddie. And I mainly meant that people are more receptive to language-learning when they are infants: it's an altogether slower process thereafter, whether you are 20, 40, or 108. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |