Friday 24 October 2014

The 5 stages of Learning a New Language?

Posted by Rosie


Chatting on Twitter, my friend @BarefootAndrew about the blog I wrote on French idioms, Andrew came up with the following stages he believed you pass through when learning a new language:

7 comments :

  1. I so wish that I could speak another language fluently. I had a head start on French at my senior school as I attended a private school for a while. My teacher wasn't pleased that I didn't put it down as an option! Thank you for linking to PoCoLo :) x

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    1. I will never be bilingual ... but the boys will and it waill give them such as advantage in life!

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  2. Yes! This is so true - I hover around three most of the time but there are some awesome moments of 2 depending on the stress of the situation! I read lips too and some French people can make sounds that others understand while hardly moving their mouths at all.

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  3. It is hard work - I find wine helps when speaking in social gatherings. Your boys will have such a fantastic advantage!

    I have learned and forgotten up to 6 languages. Most of them are so far in the back of my mind that they are at a 1.5. When I need them they move to a 2/3 and then up to a 4 as I spend more time in the language.

    My Dad picked up so much Dutch that he dreams and counts in it. My (Dutch) mom became more fluent in English than some native speakers. We did not live in the UK until I was 8, however, so she spoke perfectly but without idiom until that time. As a consequence my English is much more formal than my sister who was 3 when my mom became idiomatically fluent.

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  4. Yup, this hits the nail on the head! (I had to add another idiom, haha). I'm with you in around the 3 range, and I also rely heavily on lips and single-speaker situations; though even now there are some days I find myself switching Dutch and English words as I go and forgetting the word I want to use in English. My son does much better, and thankfully the Dutch use many English swear words, so I'll know what's going on! =)

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  5. I think I've been stuck at 4.5 for about 10 years. I regularly forget English words, sometimes dream in French but still sometimes search for the right way to say something in French and would never describe myself as bilingual! I blame this on bringing up my boys bilingual with OPOL system (one parent one language)..brilliant for them (and honestly the only way I would have ever done it, so no hardship) but it means I always speak English at home even with french hubby who replies in French. My comprehension is beyond fluent and is certainly bilingual....but...I still find I'm a different person with my "French" hat on! I can't tell you how jealous I am of my truly bilingual kids. (I'm *slightly* less opinionated!!) #expatlifelinky

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  6. I'm actually glad they don't dub TV programs in the Netherlands. I remember watching an episode of Friends in French and being horrified!! lol I am somewhere between 4 and 5 I guess but still hate having to speak on the telephone as it is still more difficult than face to face - at least in my own mind. There are times when I cannot remember the word in English and the Dutch word slips out more naturally to compensate - not handy when you're a writer writing in English......

    Great post - thanks for linking up #ExpatLifeLinky

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