I've thought of this thread idea for some time. And as big_dog says, polydog is less censored than htlal so we may even go to some funny and not that correct areas. I guess you've seen this meme: http://memegenerator.net/Grinds-My-Gears-Peter-Griffin So, as a language learner, what grinds your gears? What comments, questions, facts and anything makes your life and learning less sweet and makes you laugh bitterly and count to ten so that you keep yourself from lecturing the person in front of you (or tearing away their head, which would be more appropriate when it comes to jewels like "Why do you learn languages, everyone should speak English instead")?
People who think learning a language is due to "talent" and not due to hundreds of hours of work and practice.
Yes, all those "I wish I had a gift for languages like you," are funny. natives claiming their language is the hardest on earth or at least "sooooo hard" :-D (including other Czechs but I've heard this nonsense from others as well) Native French imposing English on me. Really, my French is in most cases much better than their English and I feel like they are throwing out all my time, work and money spent on French without giving a fair chance. Publishers who sell audio and key to exercises separately from the course. Big news people: If your audio costs three or more times more than the course, most students will just find it online. Online sellers with unfair delivery fees not based on reality (Really. I don't believe sending something from France to the Czech Republic costs four times more than to Sweden and the same money as to Japan or Venezuela).
What grinds my gears? Let me count the ways: - People who always have seen every discussion before and who try to stifle new ones - those who think that you must have learned languages from 6 different language families to be "a real polyglot" - those who think what you have learned is due to some mystical talent, and not hard work, - those who come down on newbies like a ton of bricks and do not realize that people are very different - claims of "racism" for any and all criticism of a language, or a hint that one does not like it
So what grinds my gears? (= nice English idiom, by the way!) - if polyglottery isn't accepted in your own family or among some of your friends - if some languages are labled as "useless" - if you are not "allowed" to study languages just for your own pleasure and interest but only for job reasons - if polyglottery is seen as some sort of competition - if people concentrate on counting their languages instead of enjoying every language they study for its own fascination and the satisfaction it gives - if language learning beginners already plan in the next 15 languages they want to study - if you are forced to keep your activities as a polyglot as a secret Fasulye
- People who always have seen every discussion before and who try to stifle new ones - those who think that you must have learned languages from 6 different language families to be "a real polyglot" - those who think what you have learned is due to some mystical talent, and not hard work, - those who come down on newbies like a ton of bricks and do not realize that people are very different - claims of "racism" for any and all criticism of a language, or a hint that one does not like it - if some languages are labled as "useless" - if you are not "allowed" to study languages just for your own pleasure and interest but only for job reasons - if polyglottery is seen as some sort of competition - if people concentrate on counting their languages instead of enjoying every language they study for its own fascination and the satisfaction it gives - if language learning beginners already plan in the next 15 languages they want to study - if you are forced to keep your activities as a polyglot as a secret These items seem more like residue from the other forum, not something I've ever run into in real life or even Internet life. If you have actually encountered this stuff, wow, not only would these grind gears but might drop the entire transmission onto the tarmac if your jalopy is open to suggestion. Wishing the Big Dog best of luck with this endeavor. And to think, no more parliament of moderators pretty-policing, locking up, deleting, or otherwise driving away some of the more interesting talent and commentary.
You are right. They are residue from the other forum A language forum is a place where you can discuss languages without being considered a freak. It is also a place where you will meet a lot of strange ideas about languages. It goes with the territory.
No, this collection of bizarre experiences doesn't have any reference to the HTLAL -forum. It refers partly to my own family and partly to postings I have read on Facebook.
You know what pisses the shit out of me, it's when people tell me shit like "You are learning XX language, you should be learning XY language". I don't know, it just bugs me.
Yeah, those "You should learn [other language] instead, it's more useful!" remarks bug me as well. Maybe once my Spanish is at a high level I'll have enough in the "practicality bank" to avoid remarks about how pointless is to learn Portuguese or Norwegian.
Yes, it irritates me when Koreans do this to me as well. When I say something to one of them in a full, clear, grammatical Korean sentence, and they reply with a mix of awkward pauses and single poorly-pronounced English words, it can be exasperating. I generally try to be understanding, but it really kills an otherwise potentially interesting exchange.
I agree with this, especially if those people don't speak the target language themselves. Another thing that irritates me is being told that learning languages is a waste of time since the whole world is supposedly learning English.
Can't say I have experienced this one, though I have gotten the "conversation tutors who have trouble starting a conversation!"