On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:56:37 -0700 Erik Steffl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> csj wrote: > > On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 12:38:45 -0700, > > Erik Steffl wrote: > > > > [...] > > > > > >> think about it: when learning english the only challenge is > >>to learn how to pronounce words (and learn irregular > >>verbs). you built vocabulary by learning words, where you > >>pretty much only need to remember the word itself (in its basic > >>form). while when learning german... I don't even want to think > >>about it. > > > > > > Because everybody from the poor war orphan "Hey, Joe, eat!" to > > the UN Secretary General speaks it, English has become a rather > > tolerant language. But if the same standard for proper German is > > applied to what one considers proper English, then yes, German is > > easier to learn. It's a purer, therefore more consistent > > language, than the French-infected English. > > purity has nothing to do with it (not sure what you mean by pure). > not sure what your agenda is. english is a a lot simpler than german, > the usage of words is simple, the grammar is simple. Sorry to drop in at this point, I didn't see the beginning of the thread. A simple gramar doesn't mean it's simple to learn. English grammar can be simplified all the way down to say that there is no grammar, when accepting tons of `exceptions'. Or, it can be considered extremely complex, for instance if pronounciation rules should be applied mechanically. English is easy to start to learn, but the further the student progresses, the more difficult it gets. The positional grammar actually allows to form some working english sentences very quickly, which is not that possible in German, where you are confronted quite soon with declinations and a twisted sentence structure. On a more advanced level, it's hard to improve in English, because of so many exceptions, phrases and overloaded meanings, while german becomes predictable, being able to deduce the meaning of something new, or even forming new words by composition which are understood by the native speaker. What makes german really difficult specially for the beginner are the teaching methods which are based on the same principles as for teaching english: The student learns sentences as if german also had a positional grammar, without any linguistic understanding. This might appear to be more fun as it allows to say something already after the first lesson, but it just delays the solution of the initial problem. Even worse, german education has dropped so much during the last 2 decades, that many natives have severe difficulties in choosing the right tense or declination. On the other hand, an interested student can master most of german grammar within 6 to 12 months, from where on german actually becomes a language which is really very easy do deal with. -- Christoph Simon [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- ^X^C q quit :q ^C end x exit ZZ ^D ? help . -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
