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Post by riverhorse on Feb 3, 2024 2:54:14 GMT -5
Yes. Very often people don't understand that bilingualism is a spectrum. Just because your parents spoke a language at home, for example, doesn't mean you could automatically start a university course in that language and be fine. You might have deficits in spelling, writing, academic terminology, etc. All completely normal and understandably if you haven't been educated in the language, but people often think if your parents, or one parent, comes from a particular language background you just "are" this magic thing called bilingual in which both languages are equal. And this is why our school has a stream for German language for exactly these kids. Perhaps with one German parent they've grown up speaking German with in Australia or Canada, but they've never formally learned grammar structures and their spelling is usually all over the shop. Their spoken language is of course close to perfect.
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Post by tzarine on Feb 3, 2024 21:08:01 GMT -5
@ tzarevich's high school, they had spanish & chinese for kids who spoke @ home & classes for other speakers.
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Post by riverhorse on Feb 8, 2024 8:11:08 GMT -5
Ok, a slightly nerdy post. In my shark onesie today, a lot of the kids come up to me in the corridors and say "Hi Miss"! The German word for shark is "Hai" which is pronounced just like "Hi". So when they say "Hi Miss" I say back, yes, I am!!! It always takes a second or two for them to work it out. And then I high five them and say "Hey! German-English joke!!!!"
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Post by lillielangtry on Feb 8, 2024 8:37:03 GMT -5
Ok, a slightly nerdy post. In my shark onesie today, a lot of the kids come up to me in the corridors and say "Hi Miss"! The German word for shark is "Hai" which is pronounced just like "Hi". So when they say "Hi Miss" I say back, yes, I am!!! It always takes a second or two for them to work it out. And then I high five them and say "Hey! German-English joke!!!!" I went to a German circus once - a friend of mine was performing - and there was a comedian with a toy shark on his head who kept greeting everyone with "Hai"!
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 8, 2024 12:24:51 GMT -5
Love that river & lillie
"Hai" is interesting - do either of you know what the etymology of that is?
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Post by Q-pee on Feb 8, 2024 15:32:02 GMT -5
It's haai in Dutch
Or Haaien if you've got more than one.
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Post by psw on Feb 8, 2024 19:13:05 GMT -5
New coinage/portmanteau spotted at the intersection of politics and health care: Talibangelist.
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Post by sprite on Feb 9, 2024 5:18:40 GMT -5
I get the politics, but health care?
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Post by lillielangtry on Feb 9, 2024 8:28:46 GMT -5
Love that river & lillie "Hai" is interesting - do either of you know what the etymology of that is? I did not, but German Wikipedia suggests it is from the Dutch, which in turn is from the Icelandic.
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Post by Q-pee on Feb 9, 2024 9:36:02 GMT -5
Love that river & lillie "Hai" is interesting - do either of you know what the etymology of that is? I did not, but German Wikipedia suggests it is from the Dutch, which in turn is from the Icelandic. Very sharing of us all.
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Post by riverhorse on Feb 9, 2024 9:49:59 GMT -5
Another language quirk that made me laugh out loud in class yesterday - my Year 11s were learning about the traditions of Karneval, and I was teaching them a few words and phrases in our local Kölsch dialect.
Summing up, I asked if they remembered what it was that the people on the Karneval floats throw into the crowd. The answer is "Kamelle", which is the local dialect word for sweets or bonbons. (Note it is written with 2 "L"s which affects the pronunciation of a short "e" sound).
One bright spark piped up from the back of the class "Kamele" (only one L) which means "camels". I fell about laughing and so did everyone in the class who understood what he'd said by mistake.
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Post by psw on Feb 9, 2024 12:15:16 GMT -5
I get the politics, but health care? The crash at the intersection is "christian" lawmakers imposing their "god-given" rules, particularly on women's reproductive health and anything related to LGBTQetc.
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Post by sprite on Feb 9, 2024 15:34:22 GMT -5
aw. Despressingly easy to understand.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 9, 2024 19:01:02 GMT -5
I get the politics, but health care? The crash at the intersection is "christian" lawmakers imposing their "god-given" rules, particularly on women's reproductive health and anything related to LGBTQetc. I’m glad you put Christian into quotes. I am so sick of fundamentalists usurping the term to support extreme right wing views. In my view, Jesus was a socialist who preached love and acceptance.
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 9, 2024 19:03:31 GMT -5
Yes, I often think of what Jesus would think of what these folks say now
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Post by psw on Feb 10, 2024 1:25:23 GMT -5
Check out the quote from Barry Goldwater that groo posted in the American Election thread.
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Post by Q-pee on Feb 10, 2024 3:31:28 GMT -5
I’m glad you put Christian into quotes. I am so sick of fundamentalists usurping the term to support extreme right wing views. In my view, Jesus was a socialist who preached love and acceptance. I agree. He spends a lot more time speaking about helping the poor and disabled than about tax breaks for the rich. (I may be over simplifying the bible ever so slightly)
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Post by vinnyd on Feb 11, 2024 16:30:46 GMT -5
Mmm, Kölsch.
I was disappointed to learn just now that the theory that the English word shark might come from the Maya xooc has been disproven (by the English word's occurrence in a letter of 1442). It probably comes from a Dutch word meaning villain.
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 11, 2024 16:34:23 GMT -5
Oh no! I'm disappointed by that too.
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Post by rikita on Feb 11, 2024 18:05:00 GMT -5
as my trip to the czech republic is over, i stopped brushing up my czech and am now switching to working on my italian, in preparation of a trip to italy end of march/beginning of april. so, just to see what i remember, i watched some easy kids tv in italian (peppa pig), same as i had done in czech - considering i studied czech at university and invested a lot of time into learning it, a lot more than i ever did with italian, it's odd that i understand italian a lot better than czech (not that i am any good in either) ...
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Post by scicaro on Feb 18, 2024 15:51:48 GMT -5
I did not, but German Wikipedia suggests it is from the Dutch, which in turn is from the Icelandic. Very sharing of us all. Haj in Danish, unsurprisingly.
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Post by Q-pee on Feb 18, 2024 15:57:22 GMT -5
Also haj in Swedish, you'll be shocked to learn
So I had to look up the Icelandic
hákarl
But look what it does in the plural!!!!
hákörlum
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Post by scicaro on Feb 18, 2024 16:01:02 GMT -5
Danish dictionary site suggests it comes from the name for the fin 'há 'åretold, hage'. But amusingly, haj is borrowed from Dutch rather than coming directly from the original.
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Post by Q-pee on Feb 18, 2024 16:14:26 GMT -5
You're welcome
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Post by tzarine on Mar 27, 2024 20:42:12 GMT -5
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