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Help[Opinions] Re: One very bad mispronunciation
in reply to a message by Ailis
People in my area of the U.S. seem to have a lot of trouble pronouncing j as y. It aggravates me. I know a Sonja who pronounces it SAHN-jah and a few Tanjas who pronounce it TAN-jah.
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Out of interest....
Out of interest, do people not learn foreign languages in America? Even Spanish, maybe, as there are lots of Spanish speaking countries near you? Where I live, aside from English, almost everyone can speak Irish, since we all learn it in school.
Out of interest, do people not learn foreign languages in America? Even Spanish, maybe, as there are lots of Spanish speaking countries near you? Where I live, aside from English, almost everyone can speak Irish, since we all learn it in school.
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Generally people do not learn foreign languages in America. Most states required students to take a year or two of a foreign language (usually French or Spanish) before they can graduate high school, but it's just not enough for any real learning to occur. And it's typically started too late, not until at least 14 or 15 years old, at which point the brain is not as capable of aquiring new language skills. Basically the system is very screwed up. In California, where I live, most people have a pretty basic grasp of Spanish due to the large amount of Spanish-speakers living here. But a vast majority of Americans beleive that the US is and should remain a one-langage country. They are not very tolerant of non-English speaking immigrants. They think people should essentially learn English or get out. And of course they wouldn't dream of learning another language! It's all very ignorant and annoying.
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That's interesting. I feel the same as you about people not wanting to learn another language. I'm very intolerant of any Gael who can't speak Irish, and doesn't want to learn how. I'm only 14, so I don't claim to be completely fluent in it (I will be, someday), but some people can't go much further than "Conas atá tú?" (How are you?) It's like you can't speak your own language. (Que my signature!) Plus, I think Irish is far more beautiful that English. I don't know why we don't speak it all the time, as a first language rather than a second one. Many people can also speak basic French over here, too. I love learning languages!
This message was edited 5/6/2009, 12:42 PM
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There isn't much of a need in the US to learn other languages. I majored in Russian and spent a summer in Moscow. My biggest problem there was that once people hear your accent, they automatically start speaking English. How can I learn their language if the native speakers won't use it with me when I use it. Also, there's a difference between Spanish and Norwegian. Most people can say Spanish names the way they should be said, probably because there are so many Mexican (Hispanic) immigrants and a neghboring country speaks it. As for Norwegian, not many people know it here. I can see how they can be confused. I hate when they pronounce the j too.
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There seems to be a general ignorance of other languages and cultures in America which is embarrassing. Even if you don't study the language you'd think you would at least pick up on a few things (i.e. do not order a "kay-sa-dill-ah"). But yeah the foreign language programs in US public schools are severely lacking. I had to do three years of French 1 because each school I transferred to wouldn't accept the fact that I might already be able to say 'banana' in French. Sigh.
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