VCF Europa Update

----- Original Message ----- From: "Hans Franke" <Hans.Franke(a)mch20.sbs.de> To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org> Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2000 9:48 PM Subject: Re: VCF Europa Update Sadly, it's easier for a toddler to learn (any language) than it is for an adult. My brother also studied German at University here, and probably speaks it as well as any non native. (Hard to tell, hardly anyone here speaks anything but english. I have picked up a few words here and there just through reading and foreign language films, but that's it) AFAIK, there is only 1 native German in the whole town. I have no idea how the grammar works. My brother mentioned something about gender and case, which don't exist in English in any form that is comparable. (Only gender I can think of apart from living males/females is that a ship or an aircraft is "she") Case??? The point is that no adult ever learns a foreign language as easily or as well as a young child. The inability of adult native Japanese speakers to pronounce certain English phonemes is due to the fact that they do not have the ability to pronounce them. It has to be learnt (IIRC) before age 5 or 6. The RR as in 'sorry' for instance. (It tends to come out more like a LL.) They aren't brain damaged, they just can't form the sound, they didn't learn how. I hope it all goes well. I wish I could join you, but my car doesn't swim very well. (I envy people who can visit another country just by driving there.) Cheers Geoff Roberts Computer Systems Manager Saint Mark's College Port Pirie, South Australia geoffrob(a)stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au netcafe(a)pirie.mtx.net.au ICQ: 1970476