Other chat from the Growth Club thread

Brainmelting for me although I can English quite (very) well. Exhausting at times and fun at other times … sometimes comming to the situations when you simply exclaim “What did he say?” not all of a sudden “understand” what tutor wants from you to say. :slight_smile: Yah, that’s how it is, but interesting at the same time though. Well, this kind of learning obviously holds my brains of the higher “remembering” level, then it was before. Hmmm … one day might even remember more, who knows. :slight_smile:

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Funny thing is, I don’t actually count English as a foreign language that I’m using to learn a third language.

That Spanish through Welsh did give me some brain melting moments, when I didn’t know what language to use to say the sentences. :grin:

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I’m interested to try it because my other fluent foreign language (French) has taken a bit of a back seat while I’ve been learning Welsh. I can still understand it spoken and written, but wrenching the words out of the back of my mind to use them to speak or write is hard (when the Welsh words jump out instead, going ‘ooh, me, me, pick me!’) I’m hoping that learning another language through Welsh will keep it active at the same time.

But then brain-melting is a definite danger. Just as well I do the lessons with earphones in - it’ll stop any leakage.

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Danger of :bomb: then (read explosion as I didn’t find equivalent emo). :slight_smile: Be careful! - hehe

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I know that Finnish is not considered a Scandinavian language, although I think Finland can be considered part of Scandinavia geographically, but I’ve often found that Scandinavians are so good with English, it’s more like a “second first language” to them than a true “second language”. Similarly the Dutch and maybe some others.

I think the principle of learning a 3rd language through the medium of a second language is fantastic…even if perhaps not so easy in practice - but definitely worth a try. And it looks like SSi is going to give us this opportunity to try. :star: :thumbsup:

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Hopefully I have not been a catalyst to a major diplomatic incident. I happen to mention to a Russian friend that I had a good bottle of Polish vodka. Scornfully, she pulled out a bottle of Russian vodka and said ‘‘this my friend is the real thing’’. Anyway feeling the benefit of a few ice-cold shots (I was instructed to down each one in one gulp) I suggested how nice it would be to be able to speak Russian. YOU ARE NOT A SPRING CHICKEN was the reply.

So the challenge is on - if Aran takes you up on your kind offer to help with SSiRussian I am offering myself as a guinea pig for ‘‘high intensity Russian’’.

Then I am going to invite my friend for some shots of vodka at my place, bring out my bottle of vodka (provocatively Polish) and break into fluent Russian.

I have a dream …

Justin

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Oh, you can count on my help, anytime:) This is one of the best reasons I have ever heard for learning to speak Russian!

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@JustinandEirwen don’t forget to have some sour cucumbers at hand. They (I’ve seen this on my own eyes) cure “vodka” troubles (read if there’s too much of it) very well. At least what one Russian man said to my father is the magic - eating sour cucumbers along with drinking Vodka does it. (and he drunk a lot of vodka, believe me). So, if he lied (and had some other trick though) then I lie too. :slight_smile:

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Aran - did you neglect to mention that on the fifth anniversary of membership in the SSi Growth Club members will be presented with a dapper SSi T-shirt with that absolutely splendid logo developed by SSiW for The North American Festival of Wales

Justin

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I’m up for Russian too - if there is vodka involved :slight_smile:

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You can have a drink any time you give a wrong answer. When people do that, at some point they understand that mistakes don’t bother them anymore. :wink:

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Maybe I should try that for welsh as well!!

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I love my stomach too much to have any alcohol at all.

People have told me it also works wonders with the language barrier and that after a glass or two they suddenly could understand all the languages spoken at the table:) However, it seems that the effect doesn’t last long.

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I still have hopes that my literary genius will be recognised. Or at least that people will buy my books, in which case I shall have more money :wink: In the meantime, the least I can do is share the link to this.

Still, I am looking forward to being able to work on SSiG - Modern Greek, of course!

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There is a writer here and I didn’t know it! I’ve (hopefully) added my tiny contribution to your future recognition by buying your “Dragon’s rock” book. I love books for children. And I’m already delighted to see Welsh words in it :sunny:

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Oh thankyou so much! I hope you enjoy it! :slight_smile:

I’m sure I will, I like the beginning. I promise I will write a review:)

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I bought all but the last one. Started to read the first one.and iI really enjoy it.

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We are almost in Slovenia here in Austria. A lady who works in the hotel where we are staying has been extremely helpful. It turns out that she is Slovenian.

So how do I say to her in Slovenian:

''Thank you very much - we have really enjoyed our stay here and you have been very helpful"

Justin

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