Can you speak more than one language?

[ZenHalfTimeCrock]

She only learnt the very basics as part of her English uni course. I wanted her to take it further as, yep...I'd love to go to Japan. Everything about the place seems so fascinating. So clean too. Was it An Idiot Abroad where Karl visits the "rough" "gangster" part of town? Even that was so clean!

I know of an idiot abroad but can’t answer your question, unfortunately.

It’s possible that he might have been wandering around Kamagasaki in Osaka, which is a bit dodgy.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2008/aug/22/japan.socialexclusion

There is a tv series in the pipeline called Tokyo Vice which is based on Jake Edelstein’s time spent as a journalist haunting some of the seedier parts of Tokyo and writing articles (in Japanese!) for the Daily Yomiuri national newspaper.

Japan is actually a pretty safe place (even allowing for the Lucie Blackman case) and a great country in which to spend a year or so teaching English after graduation if your daughter is inclined to do something like that.

 

[MCFCTrick]

She only learnt the very basics as part of her English uni course. I wanted her to take it further as, yep...I'd love to go to Japan. Everything about the place seems so fascinating. So clean too. Was it An Idiot Abroad where Karl visits the "rough" "gangster" part of town? Even that was so clean!

Best country I have ever been lucky enough to visit. From Hokkaido in the north to the sub tropical south, it's completely fascinating in every aspect. And the Japanese are superb hosts. Go!

 

[I'm With Stupid]

It is much easier to learn how to speak Japanese than to write it, although the ‘tsu’ sound presents problems when it comes to pronunciation.

The difficulty resides with learning how to read and write kanji, the 2,000 Chinese characters that are deployed alongside the hiragana and katakana syllabaries in the writing system.

Katakana can be self-taught in three or four hours if you put your mind to it, though. And it is good to see your daughter putting her knowledge of it to good use.

It’s an awesome place to visit too and there is a superabundance of great literature, art, poetry, cinema, music culture and sport to take in, as well as exceptional food and sightseeing to be had.

The other problem is that reading is such a huge vocabulary and grammar booster, because it gives you massive input and you can do it by yourself. So not being able to read doesn't just affect your reading, it also makes learning the overall language slower too.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

She only learnt the very basics as part of her English uni course. I wanted her to take it further as, yep...I'd love to go to Japan. Everything about the place seems so fascinating. So clean too. Was it An Idiot Abroad where Karl visits the "rough" "gangster" part of town? Even that was so clean!

This is a good video on Kanji...



It's also the best channel on Youtube, especially if you're into Japan.

 

[Double R]

Welsh first. English second.
Read a few of the older posts that suggested that we only speak welsh to slag people off. Complete and utter bollocks.
I would say 80% of the people I know are welsh first language, about 15% english first but understand welsh, and about 5% no welsh at all, so to suggest that we speak english then randomly switch to welsh is absurd.

 

[ZenHalfTimeCrock]

The other problem is that reading is such a huge vocabulary and grammar booster, because it gives you massive input and you can do it by yourself. So not being able to read doesn't just affect your reading, it also makes learning the overall language slower too.

Great point. It also provides an opportunity to savour the literary culture of the country whose language you are studying.

A good example is the novelist Haruki Murakami. A mate of mine who is an accomplished linguist says that his prose gets dumbed down in English translation.

 

[Manchester33]

Welsh first. English second.
Read a few of the older posts that suggested that we only speak welsh to slag people off. Complete and utter bolocks.
I would say 80% of the people I know are welsh first language, about 15% english first but understand welsh, and about 5% no welsh at all, so to suggest that we speak english then randomly switch to welsh is absurd.

As someone who doesn't speak a word of Welsh, but frequents North Wales at least annually, it doesn't bother me in the slightest when the locals converse in Welsh. I do find it surprising that Welsh isn't used more widely across the whole of Wales. It's a shame. I think schools in the North West of England would benefit from teaching Welsh as a second language too.

I also love listening to Welsh conversations when they drop in words like 'fucking' or 'shit'.... some words are universal.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Great point. It also provides an opportunity to savour the literary culture of the country whose language you are studying.

A good example is the novelist Haruki Murakami. A mate of mine who is an accomplished linguist says that his prose gets dumbed down in English translation.

That's interesting, because apparently Murakami wrote his first novel in English and then translated it into Japanese to create his style. He's apparently an accomplished translator in his own right, but like most literary translators, he only translates into his native language.

 

[MadchesterCity]

hindhi

 

[Double R]

As someone who doesn't speak a word of Welsh, but frequents North Wales at least annually, it doesn't bother me in the slightest when the locals converse in Welsh. I do find it surprising that Welsh isn't used more widely across the whole of Wales. It's a shame. I think schools in the North West of England would benefit from teaching Welsh as a second language too.

I also love listening to Welsh conversations when they drop in words like 'fucking' or 'shit'.... some words are universal.

It probably depends where you go. Anywhere along the A55, and east Wales and you wont hear much welsh, the further west and inland you go, the more you will hear. Even here, if I only travelled 8 miles away to to the nearest town, the Welsh/English ratio turns on its head to 20/80.
The local favourite is 'cont', no prizes for guessing what that means lol.