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Just curious. I'm not Canadian, nor do I speak French, but I live in Montreal. Any other DR players in this area?
Well in my defense I am American, and you know the joke, right?
What do you call someone that speaks two languages? (bilingual)
What do you call someone that speaks three languages? (trilingual)
What do you call someone that speaks one language?
American!
The company I work for hired a tutor for me though. I start learning French on June 13th. ::preen:: I will be in Paris from June 20-30th, but I probably won't be proficient by then. ::grin::
What do you call someone that speaks two languages? (bilingual)
What do you call someone that speaks three languages? (trilingual)
What do you call someone that speaks one language?
American!
The company I work for hired a tutor for me though. I start learning French on June 13th. ::preen:: I will be in Paris from June 20-30th, but I probably won't be proficient by then. ::grin::
Canadians, by and large, aren't much better. I'm always depressed at how few are truly bilingual. If your attempting to learn French I would suggest checking out the Rosetta Stone software, http://www.rosettastone.com. It was designed by the US government to teach State Dept. folk and Special forces languages in short periods of time. It will give you a really good conversational base very quickly.
The rest is just work. Took me 6 months to nail Japanese.
While your in Montreal though I would suggest taking trips to atleast Quebec City and Toronto. Quebec City because it is truly like being back in Europe when you go and Toronto because while the Quebecois know how to do a few things, there are few places like Toronto in the US. Very multicultural and fun for a few days.
As for Paris just remeber if you do end up learning French in Quebec you'll learn Quebecois French which Parisians will scoff at.
No, I'm not joking.
The rest is just work. Took me 6 months to nail Japanese.
While your in Montreal though I would suggest taking trips to atleast Quebec City and Toronto. Quebec City because it is truly like being back in Europe when you go and Toronto because while the Quebecois know how to do a few things, there are few places like Toronto in the US. Very multicultural and fun for a few days.
As for Paris just remeber if you do end up learning French in Quebec you'll learn Quebecois French which Parisians will scoff at.
No, I'm not joking.
>What do you call someone that speaks two languages? (bilingual)
>What do you call someone that speaks three languages? (trilingual)
>What do you call someone that speaks one language? American!
I guess that makes me one lonely quadrilingual American. Although, to be fair, I've forgotten almost all of my Hebrew, so that really just leaves me with French and Italian on top of English.
>As for Paris just remeber if you do end up learning French in Quebec you'll learn Quebecois French which Parisians will scoff at.
You know, I've always wondered about that. Obviously, as a native English speaker, I can easily spot the differences between American English and British English. The differences between American English and Australian, New Zealander, and South African English, respectively, are less well-known, but I'm sure they'd make themselves clear if I were exposed to those dialects. But even though I studied French for more than five years, I know woefully little about the differences between Parisian French and Quebecois French, though I'd imagine that they're just as profound. And I don't even speak Portuguese, but I'm also very curious about the differences between the European and Brazilian versions.
--David (Jolebin Swordstaff, Elemancer of Riverhaven)
>What do you call someone that speaks three languages? (trilingual)
>What do you call someone that speaks one language? American!
I guess that makes me one lonely quadrilingual American. Although, to be fair, I've forgotten almost all of my Hebrew, so that really just leaves me with French and Italian on top of English.
>As for Paris just remeber if you do end up learning French in Quebec you'll learn Quebecois French which Parisians will scoff at.
You know, I've always wondered about that. Obviously, as a native English speaker, I can easily spot the differences between American English and British English. The differences between American English and Australian, New Zealander, and South African English, respectively, are less well-known, but I'm sure they'd make themselves clear if I were exposed to those dialects. But even though I studied French for more than five years, I know woefully little about the differences between Parisian French and Quebecois French, though I'd imagine that they're just as profound. And I don't even speak Portuguese, but I'm also very curious about the differences between the European and Brazilian versions.
--David (Jolebin Swordstaff, Elemancer of Riverhaven)
All languages I've ever been familiar with are almost very much like English in that geographical distance makes for very interesting local patois.
My Japanese, for instance, is very very Tokyo-centric. When I go to Okinawa I sound like a Tokyo man and thats how I'm perceived on the phone. In Quebec I speak Parisian French and get weird looks for it. In Toronto I speak English with a Northeast US accent, and get weird looks for it. Cultures and geographic distance can make huge difference in language just think about the Queen's English and that horrific abuse of the English language they speak in the Southern US. Sorry anyone from the South but I just find the drawl so frustrating. Blame your president. I liked it when Clinton was in office.
My Japanese, for instance, is very very Tokyo-centric. When I go to Okinawa I sound like a Tokyo man and thats how I'm perceived on the phone. In Quebec I speak Parisian French and get weird looks for it. In Toronto I speak English with a Northeast US accent, and get weird looks for it. Cultures and geographic distance can make huge difference in language just think about the Queen's English and that horrific abuse of the English language they speak in the Southern US. Sorry anyone from the South but I just find the drawl so frustrating. Blame your president. I liked it when Clinton was in office.
Not everone in the south has that drawl... There is a difference between what you'd call a 'southern drawl', and a 'texas drawl'. An even then, its only small areas of texas that speak with it, not all. Its not abuse of the queen's english its just different... heck there are regional differences of the queen's english in her own lands even. I've met several people from Mississipi that had what I'd consider a 'texas drawl', was very funny to me.
There are several versions of a 'southern drawl' to, depending on what area you are from and if your a male or a female. Sometimes folk from the same durn town sound totally different just if they are male or female. Its interesting to note, how people perceive folk just based on their 'drawl' to... its an instant thing almost if your no thinking about it.
~Worrclan, Dwarf of the Realms-
There are several versions of a 'southern drawl' to, depending on what area you are from and if your a male or a female. Sometimes folk from the same durn town sound totally different just if they are male or female. Its interesting to note, how people perceive folk just based on their 'drawl' to... its an instant thing almost if your no thinking about it.
~Worrclan, Dwarf of the Realms-
