I’ve often wondered what makes English so attractive to such a large number of people. Only very rarely do I hear someone say that they don’t like this language. Are you born with a love for languages, can you fall in love with them, is it a gradual process or is it only a matter of acquired taste?
As far as I’m concerned, I’m pretty sure it was a kind of ‘love at first sight’ thing. And I owe it all to the American film industry, and to the old musicals in particular! Growing up in a Spanish family in a French-speaking environment, I hardly ever heard a word of English (at least during my early childhood). But I would listen with fascination to anyone speaking French with an English accent, which I liked imitating too.
The songs of musicals shown on TV really opened the first door to this language for me (most films were translated into French, only the songs were not, luckily). The urge to hear myself utter these wonderful new sounds was so strong that I would perform my own very particular version of the pieces while doing chores, like washing up or dusting – we’ve always liked singing around the house. Later, when I eventually started learning the language at fourteen (needless to say, it was my best school subject), I was all the happier about it. I think it was about the only homework I actually enjoyed doing – what I liked best was reading any text I could get hold of out loud. So it was all about phonetics, really.
Those were the passionate beginnings of my relationship with English. What about you? I’d be very interested in hearing about your first approach to (learning) this or any other language, whether and why you like it, what motivated you to learn it etc. Don’t be shy and share your experiences .
Interesting story. Thanks for sharing it with us. It reminded me of a Polish family we knew in Lausanne when I was a tiny girl. I would never tire of listening to them. This language would be one of my choices if I took up a new one – all these bizarre consonants in a row are enough of a challenge! A Polish friend of mine once suggested we do a language exchange, but we never really got started seriously. Maybe I’ll have to give it some thought.
all these bizarre consonants in a row are enough of a challenge! A Polish friend of mine once suggested we do a language exchange, but we never really got started seriously. Maybe I’ll have to give it some thought.
Conchita
Lesson No1
the Chrząszcz (a beetle, chafer), a poem famous for being one of the hardest to pronounce texts in Polish literature, even for adult, native Polish speakers. Its first line “W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie” (In [the town of] Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed) is the most popular Polish tongue-twister, in which almost all of the consonants make some kind of buzzing noises.
I never manage that but if you think it is a challange ?
Jan
It’s more than a challenge: it’s a complete physical trial! It would help immensely to have the phonetic symbols of the words, but the dictionaries I’ve found online so far don’t give you any. These buzzing sounds are a kind of hallmark and the sound ‘zh’ [long z] is predominant in Polish, I find – my friend is called Grazena (I’m not sure if the ‘z’ takes an accent mark). Anyway, thank you for the lesson.
In my particular situation, it’s more a case of English mastering me than the other way around (more so every day)! But it’s all the better for it.
Communicating with people through writing has often given me this feeling. Besides, it adds an entirely different dimension to their personality. Knowing someone in person is fine, yet the relationship (even a long-standing one) is often much more superficial, in my opinion. There we go getting carried away again!
Are you really? I say, why are men as a whole much less enthusiastic about dancing than women? – probably something to do with sensitivity.
These buzzing sounds are a kind of hallmark and the sound ‘zh’ [long z] is predominant in Polish, I find – my friend is called Grazena (I’m not sure if the ‘z’ takes an accent mark). Anyway, thank you for the lesson.
Hi,
your friend name has to be " Grazyna " written z with dot above, the z with ’ above is a bit diffrent etc etc…
Funny thing is that you may find these Polish z in just one more alhabet
guess which one … Maltese.
You will be suprise younglady about dancing , you will be suprise…
I used to make jokes from my colleage who had chosen
sunny Spain to live that flamenco is compulsory on Costa Brava. So and so he will be granded exemptions but imagine
him trying was quite funny.
Jan
Do you like to know why the Filipinos just love the English language? They said, blame it on the marines . When our country was colonized, the Americans left a good image with the people. In fact, we don’t only love the language but we love almost everything that the Americans have and do. We have colonial mentality until now, even if the Americans left us for ‘centuries’ already. I think the reason for this is that the Americans really exposed us to the Western culture. The Spaniards were also our first colonizers but we weren’t as influenced by them as compared to our being enthusiastic with the ‘Englishes’. Right now, we love English more because of the rising exposure through the internet and other media. However, we need to have a restructure with regards to the English instruction in our schools as the English proficiency of our graduates are deteriorating, maybe because of the government’s policy to use Pilipino as another language to be used as a medium of instruction in few subjects.
Well, it’s important to know the language. It’s almost a universal language, a medium. People of different countries speak to each other in english. If a French would speak to a Filipino, I think they will talk in english.
Well,My interest in English started when I was a child.
In my school,my classes were spoken and writen in English so it was a necessity for me to learn the language,then when my parents changed me from that school ,I missed to use English ,so I entered in an institute trying to improve what I had in my memory and learn what I havent learned before, in addition, I love English songs, and romantic ones are better in their language than their tranlations.
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