1. Language
- Posted by "Wallace B. Riley" <wryly at MINDSPRING.COM>
Apr 27, 1998
-
Last edited Apr 28, 1998
Hello all -
I hope Irv Mullins gets many replies to his question about people who post
messages in English as their second or third language.
English is my first and only language. When I was in high school, over 50
years ago, I took *two* years of Spanish and learned very little of real
usefulness, because both courses were only a dreary compilation of rules of
grammar. In college I took *one* year of German, concentrating on reading,
and by the end of that year I could think in German. That skill has long
since atrophied from lack of use.
Later, as an amateur choral singer, I was obliged to re-learn a little
German, and something of Latin, French, Italian, Russian, Esperanto, and
Hebrew. I had more French than any of the others, partly because the wife
of one director taught French in a local high school. On the basis of that
experience, I am obliged to report that I believe French is an unspeakable
language. (Please don't be offended, native French speakers; that is my
opinion and I'm stuck with it.)
With that background, I can't say I am unfamiliar with other languages, yet
I am unable to carry on a conversation in any language except English.
That being the case, I am continually amazed at the number of postings from
various countries that are in clear English, syntactically and grammatically
correct (although occasionally somewhat labored). I must also applaud the
efforts of one person, apparently from the Far East, who struggles manfully
to write in English but falls considerably short of, shall we say, Winston
Churchill or Ernest Hemingway. To that person, I say, "Keep trying!" (Did
I say "struggles manfully"? Maybe the person is female; I can't tell from
the name. The idea is the same, however.)
That raises another question: Apparently most of the correspondents to the
Euphoria Listserv are male. Don't any women use Euphoria? If so, let's
hear from you!
Wally Riley
wryly at mindspring.com
2. Re: Language
- Posted by Irv Mullins <irv at ELLIJAY.COM>
Apr 27, 1998
-
Last edited Apr 28, 1998
At 08:23 PM 4/27/98 -0400,Wallace B. Riley wrote:
>English is my first and only language.
> When I was in high school, over 50
>years ago, I took *two* years of Spanish
>and learned very little
In the 1840's it wasn't unusual for 8th grade students
- even in small towns in the midwest - to be required to
read and write book reports in Latin. If they weren't
very good students, they could do this in French, instead.
How does that compare with the current state of education?
(hint: don't bother looking for that state on a map.:)
Irv
3. Re: Language
> In the 1840's it wasn't unusual for 8th grade students
> - even in small towns in the midwest - to be required to
> read and write book reports in Latin. If they weren't
> very good students, they could do this in French, instead.
>
> How does that compare with the current state of education?
> (hint: don't bother looking for that state on a map.:)
I've taken a little bit of Latin. Not a lot of conversational stuff,
but still I know bit about it.
Current state of education? Current state of illiteracy is more like
it. 
Michael Bolin
