oh yeah, in order to be a degree-seeking student you had to have a high
school diploma "or equivalent." But it was a ridiculously easy test.
> So... I'm studying in Paris and I can speak English, German and Thai,
> but I have a problem with french... heh :) Which of course, brings
> into question his skill with any languages he claims to speak. I know
> little bits of both spanish and french, but I don't claim to actually
> _speak_ them... Not conversationally anyway... J'aime parle francais
> mais j'aller pas amis parle francais avec moi... and it really is sort
> of a "use it or lose it" sort of thing.
Exactly, despite his doctorate.. or I guess his doctoral studies program in
English, he was incomprehensible in the language, and couldn't understand
Cockney well enough to order food in a store. You have to hear French
students in an English class to knwo what I am talking about :) *They*
understand each other and thereby reinforce all of the horrendous accents.
How real-life is what they are learning? To be fair, I am sure he did in
fact read English quite well, and maybe even write it.
By the way, past a certain level it is sort of like riding a bicycle. There
is very little call for French in New Mexico, but I can summon it up when
necessary. But then I was pretty much immersed in it for years and years.
But I have found I can remember my German and Japanese, given enough time
and resources. But no, I probably could not order pastries in Japanese :)
in German, maybe, if I didn't mind slaughtering the language... but then I
am not a doctoral candidate in either language either :)
Dana
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