Re: I am a linguist from China


Leszek L. <lleszek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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U¿ytkownik "Edward Hennessey" <replyaddress-nonono@xxxxxxx>
napisa³ w
wiadomo¶ci
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L.L.:

Interesting. Your English seems both very fine and natural to
me,
which remark I hope doesn't disturb our relationship. Don't
you

L.L.:

Thank you very much, it is comforting to hear this.

You are welcome.


think
starting from a formal orientation gives you a much better
set of
options in difficulties than those consequent for one working
from a casual, street-level speech and attitudinal position?
I

I don't have very much experience communicating in a natural
English environment. My only stay in an English-speaking
country
was 4 weeks in Australia.

That was a short term of deportation.

But I have spent a lot of time in France,
and I notice that I can communicate (in French) very well with
educated French people, who consider circumlocution a natural
way of dealing with language difficulties, who share my
analytical
mode of thinking, and who have a lot of experience talking
to other educated non-native speakers of French like myself.

Odd. I pictured you throwing off that outworn, formal approach
and chilling with casseurs whose Gualoises seesawed
in time to the mamba rhythms of your latest rap composition.
Maybe
this unborn prophecy will yet find witness?


On the other hand, when I had a defective electric outlet in a
student
dormitory and tried to tell the _concierge_ about it while not
yet
knowing the French for "electric socket", I started talking
about
"a hole in the wall with electricity in it" and she almost
called the
maintenance staff with bricks and mortar (convinced that this
Polish
madman had kicked a hole in the building and hit a live wire
in the process).

This revivifies memory of a native replying to an explanation of
a device by exclaiming "You mean this thing excercises the air in
circles and cr*ps
out sparks?" How could anyone use "windmill" after that?


But my remarks about formal language being perceived as haughty
comes from the experience of a cousin, who learned much of her
English from me before going to Britain and finding a job there
in a pub. The difference in register could hardly have been
more
shocking.

No doubt the electric vision of your cousin would define hauteur
to
denizens peeping up from the bottoms of their cups.


Also, on an interpreter job with visitors from Doncaster, a
British
youngster said to me "I know s*U*m", which I failed to
understand
because of the vowel shift, so she quickly upgraded to "I know
of a few of them".

don't remember my innate reaction to being called "Dude" by a
representative of the pedestrian set being one promoting

Does "the pedestrian set" mean the young people whose job
is to keep the pavements smooth by continously rubbing them
with their sneaker soles?

Job? Did you say job? Dude....

immediate aspirations of brotherhood.

It seems surprising that your audiences might have mistaken
your
more rigorous speech as condescending instead of
acknowledging
its etiquette
and attainment. When I've been in the position of relying on
a
relatively meagre and formal foreign vocabulary in dealing
with
people, they seemed to appreciate the attempt at proper or
classical form and the respect intended. That has not stopped
men

Some do, others - those with less insight and less experience
talking to foreigners - will simply assume that you are deaf,
and yell at you.

from simultaneously chuckling or exchanging glances when
first
addressed by stilted honorifics exalting them beyond their
station, nor has it prevented ladies from being infected by
giggles and wondrous embarassment when told how divinely
enchanted I was to make their acquaintance. Yet, getting past
these faltering steps always seemed easy.

Again, a question of personal culture (even more than of
academic
education). Some have it, some don't.

When similar clear and immediate feedback made it apparent
your
presentation was gauche or somehow awkwardly out of tune, how
did
you handle it and were you able to handle it in a way that
dispelled tensions?

You would have to ask my cousin about that; my own experience
in this respect, in English, is very limited. As for French, I
first came
to France with a very basic knowledge of the language and
learned
hands-on, so I never really went through the phase of fluently
speaking the language of l'Encyclopedie but not that of Mr
Dupont.

Did you listen to other English radio programs than those
offered
by the
BBC and, if so, would you have picked another assortment of

This reminds me: I owe an acknowledgement to Gen. Jaruzelski
for imposing martial law in Poland in 1981. If it weren't for
him,
I might never have become addicted to 648 and 5975kHz.>
stations
or kinds of programs to monitor based on the hindsight of
your
experience?

I think the best way to improve my informal English would be
to watch a lot of movies, especially those set in the lower
income brackets (working class and below). But I do not watch
many movies of any kind and in any language, for reasons
beyond the scope of this group.

There is something beyond the scope of this group? I do recall
seeing
my one Polish movie, "Man of Iron" at an art theatre which
frequently
ran subtitled films. The only thing caught in the sieve of memory
is the
image of some blonde lass racing about constantly chimnefying
Nicotiniana. If you have something more edifying and available to
recommend, I am at attention.

Thank you kindly for your valuable thoughts.

Your questions are most welcome,

Just to warn you, while pining for your belated revelation of
picturesque Polonisms, I began a jaunt up a thicketed hill by
modestly howling "For Leszek!" Unbeknowst to my anticipation,
your handle took the fancy of my people and was speedily pushed
through various grammatical mutations from adjective to verb
until I intervened, urging them to show respect for a man's name.
Chastised and humbled, they added the term Mr. Zek to the banter.
Please be assured that we share the wish to avoid any
international imbroglio and know that I am working to curtail any
more chimeric variations on the theme. You have one confederate
here surnamed Mrka who is helping me on your behalf. We call him
"Biotite", which will reach your understanding as it should serve
your amusement. Nonetheless, after a long day of pounding and
heat conditioning, our hectic heads seemingly pulse in mandorlas
only dimmed by the incessant orbits of attendant brush flies.
Words turn, freak and polymerize of their own accord. When the
clime or our position changes, the situation can be rectified and
I hope you can be satisfied with my apologies and intentions
until then.

By the way, do you live near the Swietokrzyskie/Holy Cross
Mountains?

Regards,

Edward Hennessey


.

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