How does your brain learn languages?

[Apoclima]

I thought this might interest you, Ladyquill!

11. ADULT LANGUAGE LEARNING

Apo

[Apoclima]

And this:

No. 46

Bilinguals and the Brain
Storing our language knowledge

Apo

[KatyBr]

but there are people who really have a hard time with a second language and their apparatus seems to have deteriorated to the point where it is a detriment [I'm not mentioning names here, but you know who they are].


Apo

he's talking about me, but the thing is I can still learn I'm just lazy..

Kt

[Apoclima]

I wasn't talking about you, Kt. It was just a joke.

Apo

[Ladyquill]

When you are learning multiple lanugages, at first, the non-native ones are sort of thrown into a "Other Language" file that maybe a dominant one sort of takes over, like "German and other languages." So when one comes to an idea or a thing in a foreign language that we don't know, we search for a "Non-English" word first in our "Other Language" file.
Apo

WOW, you really hit the nail MY head. That is exactly what happens to me. I always say Portugues is my "default" second language. It's obviously the dominant language in my "other Language" file. Your whole post made absolute sense and I really want to thank you for responding. I will check out the site as well.
LQ

[Brazilian dude]

Sinto-me lisonjeado por alguém falar minha língua neste fórum. Você estará ocupada mais tarde? Talvez possamo tomar um café.

Brazilian dude

[Ladyquill]

Cafe? Cafe nao e meu favorito. Talvez uma guarana?
LQ

[Ladyquill]

oh...and don't feel too flattered...you haven't heard my portugues yet. hehehe
LQ

[Brazilian dude]

Cafe? Cafe nao e meu favorito. Talvez uma guarana?

Também prefiro guaraná.

Brazilian dude

[Ladyquill]

Vc sabe que nos nao temos guarana em Texas? We do have a new Brazilian restaurant in my city...but...once you've been to a REAL churrascaria, American imitations (or in this case, a Mexican imitation) can't compare. I'll be back in Brazil in July. Don't freak out if I show up on your doorstep with an ANTARTICA !:wink:

Have to go to Thailand first, though - in April. I'm trying to learn a little Thai before I go...but since I can't write it, it seems impossible. Seems I AM a visual learner when it comes to lanuguages. I wonder how difficult it would be to learn to write Thai...

LQ

[Brazilian dude]

Just remember to add crap to the end of every Thai sentence and you'll be fine.

Brazilian dude

P.S. Wait a minute! That's a man thing.

[Ladyquill]

Just remember to add crap to the end of every Thai sentence and you'll be fine.

Brazilian dude

P.S. Wait a minute! That's a man thing.

And you're actually admitting to this?

LQ

[Andrew Dalby]

I wonder how difficult it would be to learn to write Thai...

I did it, a few years ago now. I already knew Sanskrit script, which made it easier because the two work on the same principle and Sanskrit (devanagari) is more logical, but you can manage it without! I would say a few days of very hard work, after which it will seem easy.

It is useful to be able to read where the buses are going, if nothing else!

And it is a beautiful script ...

Andrew

[Ladyquill]

That's cool! Do you know of someplace online that I might be able to get started?
LQ

[Andrew Dalby]

Sorry to have taken so long to reply. I was trying to remember what guides to Thai script I had used myself -- now that I come to calculate, it wasn't a few years ago but 22 years ago -- and, naturally enough, I can't remember. It wasn't the Web, anyway! But I just fed

thai script learn

into Google and got some interesting answers, including websites that give you some help and a CD-ROM that someone wants to sell you, as well as mention of a textbook by Gordon H. Allison (published by Tuttle) and this Allison has been around a long time ...

I hope some of this helps. Enjoy it

Andrew