Language

I am learning so much about languages.

Not only Flemish, but all sorts of languages.

I grew up in Toronto, where people speak a million languages and broken English. This helps a lot in a forigen country where people have varying skills in English. But really...English really IS the lingua franca.

Actually...if I were to ask a Belgian a question in English on the street, they would probably respond with better English then if i had asked someone on the streets of Toronto.

It's also really clear which people speak English the best.

People from countries who dub television (France, Spain, Italy Germnay) have a harder time speaking English, especially with pronouciation and ease of speaking.

And its funny becuase the mistakes people made are obviously b/c of their own language.

Belgians always say "I teach from you" becuase they don't have a world for 'learn' as opposed to teach.

Italians always saw 'This night' instead of 'to night' or use the definite article (the) at inappropriate times.

it really makes me appreciate being a native english speak (as they call me).

But I still want to learn French, Spanish and Hebrew and Arabic.

Everyone already thinks I can speak french just because i am Canadian. They don't really get the whole "only the french are bilingual' thing.



I make it my business to know how to say ' i don't know this language'...in the language.

It has come in extreme usefulness.

Especially when people assume I am spanish or italian. (which happens like 7 times a day, even when I start speaking english)

Or when they are drunk and forget their english langauge skills.

here is what i can say so far (phonetic spelling) :

"Ik sprake hein nederlands, ik sprake alain engels' ( I dont speak dutch, i only speak english)

"no hablo espanol" ( i don't speak spanish)

"io noso parlele italiano" ( i dont speak italian)

"je ne parle pas francais" ( I dont speak french)

" ani lo medaberet ivrit" ( I dont speak hebrew)

"maquimo Daniella" ( ITA My name is Daniella -- not danielle, euro's can't pronounce danielle

"O dizanovi ani" (I am 19 years old )

"Studio philosophia" ( I study philosophy)

Salaam alokom "hello, arabic)


I know...I know..I'm a genuis..just come out and say it!


lately though I have been trying to put out a real effort to speak french. I have only been listing to French radio, French podcasts, learn french podcasts and sometimes even trying to translate the newspaper!

I enrolled in a class, but, ahem, keep skipping it. But its really boring since I am only in level one. I will start attending when it gets past "Je suis etudiante"


I understood my first Dutch sentence the other day! "Where is my bike?". I was so proud, esp. since I'm not studying Dutch. I would love to if it was more widely spoken and they didn't already all speak English perfectly!

But for Europeans it is so natural for everyone to AT LEAST be bilingual, but it is also common for people to speak 4 languages.

In N.A if you speak one and a half languages it is impressive.


But if I learn French..(somehow...it is so difficult!) at least I will be able to use it in Canada, since bilingual positions pay so much higher!

Oh and Biblical Hebrew, which I am also taking, will also come in handy.