Radek Zelenka and language

[nel_ani]

I've been stepping back from fandom a bit, staying away from communities and LJs and mailing lists and...it's actually been really nice. Before, it was almost as though I was reading so much meta that I wasn't sure what my opinion was and what was somebody else's opinion, so taking a break was actually a really good idea. I've written stuff and

Comments

[maskedlinguist]

Well, he could code switch when stressed or frustrated, but that tends to be larger phrasal structures than single words.
Also, the swearing, but that's a different issue altogether.

I blame the writers really, because THEY'VE WRITTEN IN this half-assed language switch crap. 1969 they have THEIR LINGUIST not only speaking in a horrible german accent (which is probably MS's fault really) but also substituting THE SIMPLE WORDS in German. Gah!

[nel_ani]

Well, he could code switch when stressed or frustrated, but that tends to be larger phrasal structures than single words.

*nods* Yeah, it's a full transition and not just small words, which would make it more difficult.

Also, the swearing, but that's a different issue altogether.

Oh, totally.

[kageygirl]

Oh, cool. Thank you, for the English-as-a-second-language perspective!

A lot of my friends have studied other languages (not immersion, because they studied them here), and it's actually pretty common for us to drop simple words like yes, no, please, thanks in French/Spanish/German/Russian into everyday conversation, but it's done deliberately, to be cute, not because anyone has slipped or anything. (I like to curse in Spanish, sometimes, because it's much more vigorous than English.) And my high school had a lot of people for whom Spanish was their first language, and it was definitely more common for someone to turn to someone else and ask them how to say a certain word in English than to just drop a random Spanish word into the conversation.

[nel_ani]

Oh, cool. Thank you, for the English-as-a-second-language perspective!

You're very welcome. It's the only time I can think of the second language thing has ever come to some kind of use, actually.

A lot of my friends have studied other languages (not immersion, because they studied them here), and it's actually pretty common for us to drop simple words like yes, no, please, thanks in French/Spanish/German/Russian into everyday conversation, but it's done deliberately, to be cute, not because anyone has slipped or anything. (I like to curse in Spanish, sometimes, because it's much more vigorous than English.)

Oh yeah, totally. I did that with the people I studied French with, and the "Germans" were always coming to us with new curses.

And my high school had a lot of people for whom Spanish was their first language, and it was definitely more common for someone to turn to someone else and ask them how to say a certain word in English than to just drop a random Spanish word into the conversation.*nods* Yeah, it just feels

[_inbetween_]

Yes. Absolutely. 100%. Thought that every single time someone made him say little words in Czech. It annoyed me from day one, and like you I have lots of experience with (and with being) an ESL user.

[nel_ani]

It didn't bug me to begin with, but then it wasn't that common to begin with either. I think people get so caught up in the fact that someone is from a different country that they don't consider the fact that the person in question is probably doing everything s/he can to lessen that impression.

[amycooper]

I see what you mean. After reading your post I went on and responded to someone else's post and noticed I was spelling the word "advertising." In American English, it is spelled "advertizing." I'm American, but have chatted and lj-ed with so many people from the UK, I sometimes find myself spelling things in the UK way.

[spyderqueen]

American here and I have NEVER seen it spelled Advertizing.

[amycooper]

That's funny. I must research this.

[amycooper]

I looked it up in the Oxford English Dictionary. It is listed in their as an alternate spelling, but it is apparent to me that it isn't often used. I wonder were I picked this up?

[suzvoy]

*remembers your Swedish fondly* :)

How was your waiting about after the bus ride this morning? How did things go?

[nel_ani]

*remembers your Swedish fondly* :)

I'm so curious how it sounds to you.

How was your waiting about after the bus ride this morning? How did things go?

Well, I spent a lot of time walking around and listening to my walkman and noticing that most stores don't open before 10. Before the thing I went with bud to her school and then I went for a little walk.

The thing itself took 20 mins and was pretty pointless, though I do get why we all had to meet up.

Afterwards I walked some more, then when sitting on a bench at the square (remind me to talk more about that, totally saw a thing I have to snigger with you about) became too boring, I went into the big store with smaller stores in it and spotted an old classmate that I went and bothered (she was working). So, pretty nice. :)

[suzvoy]

Good! :)