tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post7055925551140287544..comments2024-03-28T05:16:26.153+00:00Comments on You are witty and pretty! : Studio l'italiano! Brittahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-78202346686354003552014-10-27T12:28:23.328+00:002014-10-27T12:28:23.328+00:00Lovely! I am so happy to read this post and know y...Lovely! I am so happy to read this post and know you are in the process of adding to your language repertoire! Your zeal for something new and interesting is inexhaustible, B. I love it. Suzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07908805179119217608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-2781131836117985582014-10-24T07:16:32.894+01:002014-10-24T07:16:32.894+01:00Dear Geo.,
hearing You say that you haven't m...Dear Geo., <br />hearing You say that you haven't mastered English is really funny! You are able to use the subtle notes of a foreign language to create poetry and/or deeply humoristic essays - now that's exactly my definition of mastership! <br />To have a daughter-in-law from another culture must be fascinating! (I instantly snatched from Susan the word 'daughter-in-love' for mine - now people think that I am a prescholer in English). <br />As to the post post: I often forget that I am in the World Wide Web - not writing a letter with my quill gliding over the laid paper... <br />Geo., I jotted down a meeting in 2214 - come to think of it: even then I will not be able to understand Vietnamese -- I will still have to use my 'Broken English', as Marian Faithful so beautifully sings. One benefit: I don't have to write post posts then - I am sure we understand each other perfectly! As we do now . <br /> Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-90514291169283218722014-10-24T06:09:01.488+01:002014-10-24T06:09:01.488+01:00Dear Brigitta,
Your passion for languages impresse...Dear Brigitta,<br />Your passion for languages impresses and amazes me. I wish I had your aptitude for it. I shall be 65 this year and have not yet mastered English. However, my daughter-in-law is Vietnamese and I love to hear her converse with her father. In 10 years I have picked up enough vocabulary to understand one word in twenty. At this rate, I shall be fluent in 200 years. Very enjoyable post post!Geo.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16221314320558128986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-54552985503156460512014-10-23T19:40:20.991+01:002014-10-23T19:40:20.991+01:00Britta: For three years after the adoption, I spok...Britta: For three years after the adoption, I spoke only Spanish to her, while the rest of the family spoke English. However, once she felt comfortable in school, she unfortunately lost much of her Spanish.JJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14692103477055483000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-6127408911862765982014-10-23T15:37:43.925+01:002014-10-23T15:37:43.925+01:00Dear JJ, I wanted to change one sentence (about me...Dear JJ, I wanted to change one sentence (about me spending time in England which could sound ambiguously), but then everything was deleted. <br />So I'll try again: <br />I am very impressed about your knowledge of so many languages, and think it is a blessing when parents enable us to learn them early. Does your child grow up with English and Spanish? My 3 nephews do that with German + French - my brother-in-law is French. <br />I agree with your advice to plunge into culture and country of the language one wants to learn. I do that every year - at least for a month I stay in England. Husband then visits me for a few days, but on the whole I stay on my own - in a place where I haven't been before (except London - but there I change the place where I live) and where I don't know anybody - a good way to find out whether one is still able to function on one's own. Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-69842190414919082762014-10-23T09:46:25.532+01:002014-10-23T09:46:25.532+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-3779669200150637342014-10-23T09:43:28.858+01:002014-10-23T09:43:28.858+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-46171834560464401992014-10-23T09:33:16.113+01:002014-10-23T09:33:16.113+01:00Dear Sue, I am absolutely sure that you are as iro...Dear Sue, I am absolutely sure that you are as ironic as I am (partly) in my post above. If not, I thank you, but humbly and strongly recommend the only female role model that E.F.Benson drew with real sympathy: Olga Braceley, the opera singer. Au Reservoir! Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-27433733642151761432014-10-23T09:27:31.232+01:002014-10-23T09:27:31.232+01:00Dear Rosemary, I'm not so sure about the "...Dear Rosemary, I'm not so sure about the "soon". The method of teaching is different today: lots and lots of conversation (which I love), but no recognizable system (I have to confess that I secretly bought an old-fashioned grammar book - I mean: how can I learn a language without being able to do declinations? Know tenses?) <br />Of course I am a beginner - it reminds me of beginners studying Law: you have to explain one thing by using terms you don't know either... Well - I'll just hop into the water - caldo or fredo ... Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-69595803204146394302014-10-23T09:20:04.202+01:002014-10-23T09:20:04.202+01:00Dear Joanne, I love accents! (And it was never my ...Dear Joanne, I love accents! (And it was never my aim to speak English better than Queen Mum :-) For example I instantly adopted the word "pöb" - as my sweet French friends call a 'pub' so charmingly. <br />No - it is the writing that annoys me. (Though, come to think of it: with the years passing on it doesn't seem to trouble me that much any more - look at my English here...) Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-63503277320250886842014-10-23T09:15:56.148+01:002014-10-23T09:15:56.148+01:00Dear Susan, of course learning something new is no...Dear Susan, of course learning something new is not depending on age (though for most of us it takes longer). I am really astonished when I look at a page in my book the next day - after having really crammed in the grammar and vocabulary - and then get only half of it right. (If another person would tell me that, I would laugh inwardly - 'Four lessons, dear child!' - and then console her: 'Don't be that hard upon yourself!' With me that is a different matter... thought I would get mellower with age, but am still waiting...) Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-60953876792454511432014-10-23T09:08:43.702+01:002014-10-23T09:08:43.702+01:00Dear Jackie, you are so right: it ain't that e...Dear Jackie, you are so right: it ain't that easy as it has been before. (Query: what is?) The only consolation is that we learned a few tricks to avoid detours, hopefully - and might have a bit more discipline. I love your way of learning foreign language to be able to make a bit conversation in a foreign land. A friend of mine is from Serbia - I think the language is not easy to learn (in school I learned for 3 years Russian - but forgot very much of it - I would not die of hunger there, but could not speak about Dostoevsky :-) <br />See you in Italy - people there don't mind when we are not perfect - that's what I like! Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-48537202614514002892014-10-23T08:57:25.078+01:002014-10-23T08:57:25.078+01:00Dear Emma, thank you! I think all bloggers are doi...Dear Emma, thank you! I think all bloggers are doing it - writing a blog is mind-work too. And pleasant as well. Brittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10688373434576442657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-77350735063050434992014-10-23T00:15:28.319+01:002014-10-23T00:15:28.319+01:00Britta: I commend you! For many years, I taught co...Britta: I commend you! For many years, I taught college in Europe and it was necessary to study foreign languages. It was fairly easy for me because, while my first language was English, my parents and grandparents spoke Italian, I studied Latin in school, I adopted a 5 year old Spanish-speaking child from South America, lived on the Canadian border where French was commonly spoken, and since my wife is half German, we visited often and I picked it up quickly. The answer: It is absolutely essential to immerse yourself into the culture if you want to pick it up quickly. Buona fortuna!JJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14692103477055483000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-60404671530835732042014-10-22T23:59:08.523+01:002014-10-22T23:59:08.523+01:00You are my role model, doing this. Brava!You are my role model, doing this. Brava!Susan Scheidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250142489341777926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-82114346940281269962014-10-22T22:48:24.759+01:002014-10-22T22:48:24.759+01:00Ciao Britta - I am sure that you will soon master ...Ciao Britta - I am sure that you will soon master speaking Italian - once you have one or two languages up your sleeve it activates parts of the brain that remain redundant for we lesser mortals.<br />ArrivederciRosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-27964250298963784472014-10-22T21:57:12.380+01:002014-10-22T21:57:12.380+01:00Good for you. Is there any harm in speaking Italia...Good for you. Is there any harm in speaking Italian with a French accent?Joanne Noragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834682329952369721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-20116656143826013012014-10-22T21:30:00.427+01:002014-10-22T21:30:00.427+01:00I think it's fabulous to learn something new.....I think it's fabulous to learn something new... no matter how old we are, and for whatever reason. Learning new things and meeting new people keeps our minds alert, our spirits young, and our lives more enjoyable. Good for you!Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-30505951695515966232014-10-22T21:07:47.153+01:002014-10-22T21:07:47.153+01:00Ciao Britta ….. I have so much admiration for you....Ciao Britta ….. I have so much admiration for you. It' not easy, learning a new language, especially when we get a bit older. Our son was really good at languages but I only manage French at school and our daughter was much better than me….. not my forté, I'm afraid, although, I always learn a few words of the language of the countries that we visit….Croatia was rather challenging !!!!<br />Italy is one of our favourite holiday destinations so, maybe I should follow your example.<br />Enjoy your new venture Britta and buona fortuna !! XXXXJacqueline @ HOMEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06154045482594773377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594057670762283940.post-59888804649242226602014-10-22T18:57:31.894+01:002014-10-22T18:57:31.894+01:00I admire you for continuing to improve your mind. ...I admire you for continuing to improve your mind. Accomplishing something you have wished to do is a bonus.Emma Springfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543689047463574012noreply@blogger.com