"Una hamburger, por favor"

[days_unfolding]

It tickles me when I hear someone mix English into another language. ("Una hamburger, por favor" is what the counter clerk says to the kitchen staff when I order a hamburger at Carl's Jr.)

I grew up around people speaking languages that I did not know. The Lithuanian relatives spoke Lithuanian all the time. (Occasionally the Polish relatives would speak Polish, but that was rarer.) Occasionally, I would hear an English word in the mix, such as blah blah blah <name of the local grocery store in English> blah blah blah. That time, I guessed that they were wondering how late the store was open, so I told them, and I was right. Even more disconcerting is when I'd hear "blah blah blah Adrienne blah blah blah." Uh okay, whatever you say. My grandmother would occasionally forget which language she was speaking, and try to talk to me in Lithuanian. (I remember one time in high school when I was trying to translate French into French, and felt like an idiot when I realized what I was doing. I didn't realize what a good sign that was.)

So it doesn't bother me when I hear someone speaking a language that I don't know. I kind of enjoy hearing it.

I've been working on reviewing French, and it's been coming back quickly. (I took French from junior high through part of college; it's the only foreign language that I never entirely forget.) I've been using the Michel Thomas CDs, and generally can respond at the phrase or sentence level without translating word for word. I've been playing the CDs in the car because I can split my attention well enough to drive. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with any other language.

When I started thinking about a trip to Italy, I tried the Michel Thomas Italian CD, and that went way too fast for me. (I'm not surprised; some English conversations go too fast for me, although those generally are group situations.) So I'm looking for a kinder, gentler way to learn Italian.

I also have been doing the Rosetta Stone exercises in Latin. I haven't had a chance to work with my Latin textbook and tapes.

Comments

[papoose.livejournal.com]

After I got used to it, it was kind of amusing to hear the cooks speak chinese. They'd be rattling away a mile a minute, and an english word would pop up. It just sounded funny.

[days-unfolding.livejournal.com]

It's kind of fun to guess what someone might be talking about based on the English word.