I came across this very interesting page when doing a little bit of poking around into languages:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:Language_Learning_Difficulty_for_English_Speakers
Useful if you intend to learn a language and want to estimate how much time and effort you'll need to spend.
Originally posted by NoEarthlyReasonExcellent.
I came across this very interesting page when doing a little bit of poking around into languages:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:Language_Learning_Difficulty_for_English_Speakers
Useful if you intend to learn a language and want to estimate how much time and effort you'll need to spend.
Originally posted by NoEarthlyReasonThanks for posting this. Excellent indeed and quite helpful.
I came across this very interesting page when doing a little bit of poking around into languages:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:Language_Learning_Difficulty_for_English_Speakers
Useful if you intend to learn a language and want to estimate how much time and effort you'll need to spend.
Originally posted by TygertWhat's your favorite non-Baroque clarinet piece? Mine is Brahm's clarinet trio and after that his clarinet quintet.
Canon in D is one of my favourite pieces of all time. A musician myself (clarinet) I can appreciate all the musicality of the piece. I love the baroque character of he harpsichord and the smooth chords. I like ornaments but not in excess.
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyGetting back to the Pachelbel Canon in D!
[b]Pachelbel's Canon in D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOA-2hl1Vbc
10,512,062 Hits
Somehow familiar the first time you hear this soothing classic.[/b]
You guys probably know this, but Bob Paravonian's take on this old favourite is absolutely hysterical! Entitled Pachelbel Rant. I laughed for hours. You must see.....
&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Originally posted by sonhouseGerman is harder because the basic words relating to physical objects / are all familiar, but the more complex and abstract words don't have any relation to ours (eg, "milk" is "Milch", but "science" is "Wissenschaft" ). This means that progress suddenly becomes difficult after the basic terms are learnt.
German is tougher? I thought German was pretty easy in HS. I saw an ad for some language tape or other, it said, German, the language you already know🙂
On the other hand learning a Romance language often means memorising new words for basic terms (eg, "lait" for "milk" ); but the complex terms are often very close ("science" identical in Frence, for instance). Moreover, the basic words often have parallels in English technical terminology (we can remember "lait" via "lactic" and "terre" via "terrestrial" ). So I think Romance languages, overall, are easier for an English speaker than Germanic ones, even though English is, at base, a Germanic language.
Originally posted by TeinosukeThank you, teinosuke. Sonhouse was making me feel very inadequate. German is very hard and harder than any romance language. I taught myself Italian. I could never do the same with German or Russian or Japanese.
German is harder because the basic words relating to physical objects / are all familiar, but the more complex and abstract words don't have any relation to ours (eg, "milk" is "Milch", but "science" is "Wissenschaft" ). This means that progress suddenly becomes difficult after the basic terms are learnt.
On the other hand learning a Romance language o ...[text shortened]... than Germanic ones, even though English is, at base, a Germanic language.
Originally posted by TeinosukeLooking at Wissenschaft, it sounds like 'wise craft', is that close? Just looking at the word closely.
German is harder because the basic words relating to physical objects / are all familiar, but the more complex and abstract words don't have any relation to ours (eg, "milk" is "Milch", but "science" is "Wissenschaft" ). This means that progress suddenly becomes difficult after the basic terms are learnt.
On the other hand learning a Romance language o ...[text shortened]... than Germanic ones, even though English is, at base, a Germanic language.
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Originally posted by sonhouseThe German "-schaft" is actually cognate to our "-ship" as in "comradeship" (a term which is in fact directly analagous in German - "Kameradschaft" ). Our word "craft" is Germanic, but Kraft means "strength" or "force" rather than "skill" as in English.
Looking at Wissenschaft, it sounds like 'wise craft', is that close? Just looking at the word closely.
"Wissen" I believe is related to "wise" and "wit" in English.
I wrote carelessly in saying that complex German words are unrelated to English words, but it's often the case that the connection needs quite a bit of thought to unravel.