Once upon a time...
Once upon a time on a green hill in a quiet New England town I really thought:
* that being a soda jerk at the local pharmacy was the best job in the world
* that sex was invented by the athletes and cheerleaders at the local college
* that if I kept on practicing every day I could play for the Red Sox or Yankees
* that illnes and aging and death and dying wouldn't ever happen in our family
* that Santa took the time to enjoy the cookies and milk on our kitchen table
😉
30 Sep 11
1 edit
Originally posted by huckleberryhoundThanks, Huck. Great song.
Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes
Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so
But that was once upon a time, very long ago
Once upon a time we sat beneath a willow tree
Counting all the stars and waiting for the dawn
But that was once upon a time, now the tree is gone
I think Perry Como's offering is one of the best.
.
30 Sep 11
* that the Swedish language my parents often spoke must contain many secretsMay I ask why you were not encouraged to learn Swedish then, when you were a boy - bearing in mind how difficult it is to pick up a new language when we get older (as I think we all agree)?
*[/b]
Originally posted by lolofHi, lolof. Guess five children were quite a handful, making many demands on Mom's time. Dad worked long hours 6 and 1/2 days per week, getting home late each evening. Sunday was set aside for church and visits with our Swedish grandparents, uncles and aunts. School work came first and made demands on our time and Mom's. English was their primary language, too, not Swedish.
May I ask why you were not encouraged to learn Swedish then, when you were a boy - bearing in mind how difficult it is to pick up a new language when we get older (as I think we all agree)?
30 Sep 11
Originally posted by lolofI can't agree with that. Learning many languages for me, and bettering them, is my challenge.
(as I think we all agree)?
Thai has 44 consonants and associated vowels, an additional 18 vowels, plus 6 dipthongs; and that is just the basic beginnings of the Thai alphabet.
I'm pretty fluent in Thai, both written and spoken, after starting to learn after aged 2506. 🙂
My English isn't bad too, after starting to learn that at aged 8 (circa 2516). 😉
-m.
30 Sep 11
Originally posted by mikelomNo of course, it doesn't have to be hard for everyone, I'm sure there are many exceptions such as yourself. But generally I think that the younger we are, the better we learn to communicate - children who come to Sweden as immigrants often learn quicker than their parents. Also, they often lose their accent, whereas their parents tend to be keep theirs.
I can't agree with that. Learning many languages for me, and bettering them, is my challenge.
Thai has 44 consonants and associated vowels, an additional 18 vowels, plus 6 dipthongs; and that is just the basic beginnings of the Thai alphabet.
I'm pretty fluent in Thai, both written and spoken, after starting to learn after aged 2506. 🙂
My English isn't bad too, after starting to learn that at aged 8 (circa 2516). 😉
-m.
30 Sep 11
Originally posted by lolofThat's true, very much so.
No of course, it doesn't have to be hard for everyone, I'm sure there are many exceptions such as yourself. But generally I think that the younger we are, the better we learn to communicate - children who come to Sweden as immigrants often learn quicker than their parents. Also, they often lose their accent, whereas their parents tend to be keep theirs.
I used to speak with a very strong inbred Esan accent, that even people in Bangkok couldn't understand.
I went off, around the world, and returned with a non-Esan accent. Thais nowadays don't know where I am from. I like to believe I had a very good education in England, as that is what I paid for.
I know where I studied, and my sponsor families.
What happened to such?
Children can learn 3 languages at the same time, assuming they are K-2 to P/E-4.
Babies can learn 6.
I learned only 6 from Primary to High school, yet ventured to learn 6 more.
I am still learning English, especially innuendos and when not to use them. Some things I find funny are not acceptable, but that is relative to my childhood and incomplete use of English.
I challenge you to learn Thai and English, hand in hand, simultaneously. Without being in either place, I would suggest it is impossible.
Note my use of English modal auxiliary verbs, which I was corrected on something like a year ago on this site.
I never knew they never changed tense, don't have participles and are abundant in every day speech.
You read my book lolof. That was originally written in Thai.
How say you? 🙂
-m.
30 Sep 11
Originally posted by mikelomI'm a bit lost here, I'm afraid. What kind of book are you referring to? I always assumed you were originally English and therefore I expected you to speak natural English, with the same kind of mistakes most people do. Or am I missing something here? My English is probably good but sometimes I miss a lot reading the posts. Perhaps you can tell me/us a little more about yourself - where were you born?
That's true, very much so.
I used to speak with a very strong inbred Esan accent, that even people in Bangkok couldn't understand.
I went off, around the world, and returned with a non-Esan accent. Thais nowadays don't know where I am from. I like to believe I had a very good education in England, as that is what I paid for.
I know where I studied, ...[text shortened]... h.
You read my book lolof. That was originally written in Thai.
How say you? 🙂
-m.
30 Sep 11
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyI can understand that. I have Swedish friends in Italy whose children only speak a few words of Swedish. They have very little contact with their relatives here and I think there may be other languages that are more important to them.
Hi, lolof. Guess five children were quite a handful, making many demands on Mom's time. Dad worked long hours 6 and 1/2 days per week, getting home late each evening. Sunday was set aside for church and visits with our Swedish grandparents, uncles and aunts. School work came first and made demands on our time and Mom's. English was their primary language, too, not Swedish.