The hidden benefits of being bilingual

[letric]

We know speaking a foreign language is a useful social career skill.
What is less widely known is how it can improve many other areas
of your life. Whether you grew up speaking an additional tongue
because your family was bi-cultural or lived abroad, or you take up
a new language in adult life, the evidence of bilingualism offers a
route to greater mental agility, and can ever stave off the onset of
dementia in later life. And even if you do not speak any foreign lan-
gauges yourself, the evidence is strong that your children would
benefit from language tuition as early as possible.

[greall]

Hmmm...one of the benefits is learning different cultures but it's sometimes hard to assimilate when you go to school and realize that not everyone else speaks Spanish,French or Portuguese like my clan...

Greg

[Solachica]

Greall, languages was a breeze for you in sch?

[letric]

Mon Amour

Je n'avais pas le choix d'apprendre a parler couramment
le français, je suis tombe amoureuse d'un femme français
un coup de foudre

[greall]

I always had an affinity for French but speak Spanish and Portuguese only when my dad's around as he speaks little to no English on purpose...

Greg

[Solachica]

he from Trini?

[greall]

he from Trini?

He was born in an area that is now in Brazil but 'twas in Venezuela...

Greg

[Solachica]

Ohho. U have intresting family history.

[letric]

I always had an affinity for French but speak Spanish and Portuguese only when my dad's around as he speaks little to no English on purpose...

Greg

Falar pstugves me remete a liberdade qve tive de me reinvertar

[letric]

Portuguese is more onomatopoeic than English. In English, you say,
'I love that', but you might say it with irony. In Portuguese, it is
'wonderful' or 'marvellous, or 'I adore that'. I do not think
Portuguese is difficult. What's complicated is the pronunciation,
and the intonation.

[letric]

Mon Amour

Je n'avais pas le choix d'apprendre a parler couramment
le français, je suis tombe amoureuse d'un femme français
un coup de foudre

' I had no choice about becoming fluent in French - I fell in love with a French woman'

[letric]

Falar pstugves me remete a liberdade qve tive de me reinvertar

'Speaking Portuguese reminds me of the freedom I had to reinvent myself'

I was in Brazil for work after six months I was fairly fluent. My wife
speaks lot of languages, and this was a new language that she did
not speak, so it was in a way of asserting my own identity.

[letric]

' I had no choice about becoming fluent in French - I fell in love with a French woman'

I had seven or eight years of school French, I did not learn any French from
her. She said it would be like teaching your partner to drive, and would lead
to quarrels. Instead I, immersed myself in French films, and music. I learned
that way. In terms of how I express myself, it is interesting that I find
impossible not to do the French gestures, and shrugs.

[indie]

Learning a foreign language is so wonderful....I will luv to become fluent in Spanish. Tengo un fuego en mi corazon para Espanol

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benef...bilingual.html

[letric]

If you cannot afford a holiday abroad, there is nothing to stop you from bringing
a new culture tro your home. Start watching films with subtitles, read basic
children's books with a translation dictionary at your side, listen to foreign Cd's
find a pen pal and start writing letters. Slowly, you will begin to understand more
and more. The most effective way to learn is toi hear it spoken and to speak it back.

[letric]

To understand the tongues of others offers us a chance to better understand
the people we meet from around he world. In Spain, a passionate spirit is em-
bodied in Duende, and in Norway, the value of knowledge is expressed in Kunn-
skaping. There is no more perfect description of the virtue of patience than the
Urdu proverb that translates as "Let us see which way the camel sits." The
Japanese language apparently has no word for 'water'. Mizu, the word for water,
actually means 'cold water' as opposed to oyu, 'hot water'. Spanish and Italian
have the same noun for 'sleep' as for 'dream' and think how difficult it is to get an
Irishman to say 'yes' or 'no'. Irish plays are full of replies such as 'it is', 'I am not',
'does it' etc. Western European, Eastern European, Yiddish, Nordic, Middle Eastern,
African, Asian, ancient and classical, Creole and pidgin languages are interesting
to get a look in.

[oecarb]

I had seven or eight years of school French, I did not learn any French from
her. She said it would be like teaching your partner to drive, and would lead
to quarrels. Instead I, immersed myself in French films, and music. I learned
that way. In terms of how I express myself, it is interesting that I find
impossible not to do the French gestures, and shrugs.

Do you still get French programmes etc?

I listen regularly to my local radio station France Bleue Armorique on the internet. Just click on Ecoutez direct. Occasionally they broadcast in the local Breton language which is a Celtic language and related to Scottish, Welsh and Irish Gaelic:

http://sites.radiofrance.fr/chaines/...?tag=Armorique

I also watch France 24. Click on Regardez France 24:

http://www.france24.com/fr/

[oecarb]

I had seven or eight years of school French, I did not learn any French from
her. She said it would be like teaching your partner to drive, and would lead
to quarrels. Instead I, immersed myself in French films, and music. I learned
that way. In terms of how I express myself, it is interesting that I find
impossible not to do the French gestures, and shrugs.

Do you still get French programmes etc?

I listen regularly to my local radio station France Bleue Armorique on the internet. Just click on the link below and then on Ecoutez direct. Occasionally they broadcast in the local Breton language which is a Celtic language and related to Scottish, Welsh and Irish Gaelic:

http://sites.radiofrance.fr/chaines/...?tag=Armorique

I also watch France 24. Click on the link below and then on Regardez France 24:

http://www.france24.com/fr/

[letric]

Do you still get French programmes etc?

I listen regularly to my local radio station France Bleue Armorique on the internet. Just click on the link below and then on Ecoutez direct. Occasionally they broadcast in the local Breton language which is a Celtic language and related to Scottish, Welsh and Irish Gaelic:

http://sites.radiofrance.fr/chaines/...?tag=Armorique

I also watch France 24. Click on the link below and then on Regardez France 24:

http://www.france24.com/fr/

Mostly German ...

[oecarb]

I did Spanish and Latin at school so, for me, Italian was easier to learn especially as it is so phonetic. You see a word written, you can pronounce it. Hear it spoken, you can spell it - as long as you understand the rules of pronunciation.

I noticed that here is a big difference in pronunciation between Brazilian Portuguese and "Metropolitan" Portuguese - ie as spoken in Portugal. In Brazil, all the stress is on one syllable and the rest is chewed up. In Spanish every syllable is pronounced. Brazilian sentence construction is closer to Spanish and some of the words are closer also. To look for in Brazil is buscar. In Portugal it is procurar. People from Bello Horisonte (pronounced Bel-ohizontsh), I found incomprehensible for many years.

Never having studied French seriously before, I had some difficulty when I first moved to France but I have picked up a lot over the last 20 months. I hope to be fluent by the end of the year. That's my goal, anyway.

[letric]

I did Spanish and Latin at school so, for me, Italian was easier to learn especially as it is so phonetic. You see a word written, you can pronounce it. Hear it spoken, you can spell it - as long as you understand the rules of pronunciation.

I noticed that here is a big difference in pronunciation between Brazilian Portuguese and "Metropolitan" Portuguese - ie as spoken in Portugal. In Brazil, all the stress is on one syllable and the rest is chewed up. In Spanish every syllable is pronounced. Brazilian sentence construction is closer to Spanish and some of the words are closer also. To look for in Brazil is buscar. In Portugal it is procurar. People from Bello Horisonte (pronounced Bel-ohizontsh), I found incomprehensible for many years.

Never having studied French seriously before, I had some difficulty when I first moved to France but I have picked up a lot over the last 20 months. I hope to be fluent by the end of the year. That's my goal, anyway.

The fluency lies in conversing ...

[oecarb]

The fluency lies in conversing ...

Oui. C'est vrai. Mais j'habite a France et il est presq' impossible l'eviter.

[letric]

Oui. C'est vrai. Mais j'habite a France et il est presq' impossible l'eviter.

Bon ...