Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm surprised about that, because the journalistic language in German (and other Germanic languages) is very different from conversational German. That tends to be true in many languages, but seems especially so with the Germanic langs.
Any examples about that?
Let's take the English language into account, for example
In terms of pronunciation. I think Portuguese is closer to French than Spanish so be careful.
There is some truth to that. I just started Portuguese yesterday and the word man sounded closer to French. L'homme in French and o homem in Portuguese.
Though boy(menino) and girl (menina) sounds closer to Spanish. It really sounds like mi niño and mi niña. Interesting.
As for Quechua, I only know how to say 1-10, yes (ari) and no (ama) for now.
Let's take the English language into account, for example
English has a lot of idiomatic phrases in its journalistic language, and a lot of cultural and historical references, that foreign readers wouldn't get. Other than that, I think it's one of the easier languages to understand in that regard. But if you think about it, spoken language (in any country) is more informal. Journalistic language and also scholarly language (academic papers, studies, reports) use more formal vocabulary and phrasing.That's a whole other level of vocabulary-building.
In the Germanic languages, academic, scientific and journalistic language use "big words" often stringing together 4, 5, o4 6 syllables, or more, even. Nobody talks like that, in ordinary, day-to-day conversation.Someone who's only completed one year of German, especially, typically wouldn't have enough vocabulary to be able to read more sophisticated German, except maybe to pick out a few words, maybe recognize some roots of words in those big conglomerate-type words I mentioned, to sort of piece together the meaning.
I'm surprised about that, because the journalistic language in German (and other Germanic languages) is very different from conversational German. That tends to be true in many languages, but seems especially so with the Germanic langs.
The problem with Mandarin is, that unless you have a good visual memory (artists do well with this), the written language is a killer. Memorizing all those little scratchings. I studied Mandarin in my 30's, too, and didn't have a problem with it (except as noted), but then, I have a good ear for music and tone. And I thought the grammar was very simple.
If the OP is going to be teaching herself from an online program, it may be that she'll only be dealing with the spoken language, anyway.
When I started to learn German, I was advised that spoken and written German are very distinct, so I began studying both by myself. In the beginning, I spent one hour reading newspapers and magazines, and one hour watching to the Deutsche Welle TV. I also purchased a pocket dictionary for marking every unknown word.
As for Mandarin, the writting system is really hard. I don't have problems with the tones (since I'm musician), but my visual memory is horrible. I'm able to recognise many characters, but my reading is still word-by-word, without the ability of understanding the general meaning of the text unless I translate each word into Portuguese. The grammar is really simple, since we don't have to deal with complex verbal conjungations and noun declensions, but it has some phrase constructions which don't appear to make sense to westerners at first sight.
When I started to learn German, I was advised that spoken and written German are very distinct, so I began studying both by myself. In the beginning, I spent one hour reading newspapers and magazines, and one hour watching to the Deutsche Welle TV. I also purchased a pocket dictionary for marking every unknown word.
That's impressive! Congratulations on your hard work and initiative!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fabio SBA;
As for Mandarin, the writting system is really hard. I don't have problems with the tones (since I'm musician), but my visual memory is horrible. I'm able to recognise many characters, but my reading is still word-by-word, without the ability of understanding the general meaning of the text unless I translate each word into Portuguese. The grammar is really simple, since we don't have to deal with complex verbal conjungations and noun declensions, but it has some phrase constructions which don't appear to make sense to westerners at first sight.
Exactly. That's how a lot of people feel about Mandarin. I have a friend who now teachers Chinese literature at the university level, and she was just the opposite; in her first several years of study, she spoke with a monotone, but being an artist, she had no trouble learning the writing system. For Chinese, you need both a good ear AND a good visual memory! And you need to practice reading on a regular basis, so you don't forget how to read! Frustrating.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
