Learning from scratch - any recommendations? [with OT additions]

[Richmond]

I'm not sure if in some countries kids learn languages more easily than 
in others.

But, I do think:

1. In English-speaking countries there is an unconscious feeling that 
learning a foreign language is not 100%
serious as "all the world learns English."

2. Many countries where the national language(s) is/are only confined to 
that country (as in Bulgaria)
there is a realisation that any school kid who does not learn at least 
one more widespread language
(such as English) is going to have a very restricted list of choices re 
jobs (especially internationally)
when they are adults.

3. Where foreign languages are taught by immersion in the target 
language (i.e. instruction is entirely
in the L2 without any use of the L1) fluency in the L2 is acquired more 
rapidly and more completely.

It should also be remembered that the younger the pupil, the more 
plastic and impressionable the brain:
after all, do you remember learning your Mother-tongue? No, of course, I 
thought not.  :)

4. If the target language belongs to the same language family as the L1
(i.e. German to English, Hindi to English: all Indo-European languages) 
acquisition
will be far, far easier than between language families (i.e. kiSwahlil 
to English, French to Chinese).

On 3.11.19 23:25, JJS via use-livecode wrote:
> Funny, the mistake is why one got the error and thus had a blunder.
>
> It seems that in Finland due to their school system that they are also 
> pretty good in languages, it also seems they have the highest learning 
> scores in Europe. Surprislngly it seems to be a system created in the 
> USA where it is apperantly not used as was said in the documentary. 
> Childeren first attend school when they are 7 with much less pression. 
> In NL they go to school when they are 4 and kindergarten at age 2 or 3.
>
> I can also not tell why in some countries they learn languages easier 
> than in other countries.
>
> Op 3-11-2019 om 17:08 schreef Graham Samuel via use-livecode:
>> Thanks to those who replied to my original question.
>>
>> I also liked the OT diversion into learning Dutch. I have Dutch 
>> friends and I just don’t know how they successfully learn languages 
>> at school when other nationalities (British, French, Spanish etc) 
>> seem hopelessly bad at it. As an illustration I, a Brit, have spent a 
>> great deal of time in France and I can communicate more or less, but 
>> I would not say I can speak French. To say that would mean that I 
>> could express myself completely both aurally and in written form, 
>> have no trouble reading anything in print or watching anything on tv, 
>> and probably should be able to dream in French. Sadly it will just 
>> never happen.
>>
>> Back to the grindstone (what’s the equivalent of that in French?).
>>
>> Graham
>>
>> PS In my experience, Germans are also pretty good at languages: years 
>> ago I met a polylingual man in Munich who told me that at his school, 
>> the English master made them discuss the difference between a 
>> blunder, and error and a mistake!
>>
>>> On 2 Nov 2019, at 08:27, JJS via use-livecode 
>>> <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Yes we watch it too, he is famous. I love when his son tries to 
>>> speak dutch haha. Sometimes his brother is in the show, then you can 
>>> hear some Drents which is different from normal dutch but not as 
>>> hard as Fries that's a language on it's own.
>>>
>>> Bob Sneidar via use-livecode <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> schreef 
>>> op 1 november 2019 23:34:08 CET:
>>>> Dr. Pol is Dutch. I love that show.
>>>>
>>>> Bob S
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On Nov 1, 2019, at 15:31 , Matthias Rebbe via use-livecode
>>>> <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
>>>>> we were very often in the Netherlands for vacation, so i seriously
>>>> tried to learn Dutch.
>>>>> But it ended that the Dutch better understood me when i spoke German
>>>> or English instead of Dutch. ;)
>>>>> Matthias Rebbe
>>>>>
>>>>> free tools for Livecoders:
>>>>
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