how to learn any language-第24部分
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work together and get along。
A little knowledge of a language; then of a people; can convert even a rabid partisan
into a one man peace movement!
Keep Learning
Stay with it。 Keep pressing ahead with all of the tools in all of the ways suggested; plus
whatever other ways you discover en route that seem to work for you。 Keep pursuing
opportunities to use what you learn; not just in exercises and self simulation; but in
genuine; real life conversation; reading; writing and comprehension。
When will you “arrive”? When will you no longer “be studying” but “have learned”
the language?
Never! At least; pretend never。 Your linguistic infancy will lead to babyhood;
childhood; adolescence; young adulthood; and so on。 Your fragments of knowledge will
lead to competence。 Your competence will lead to fluency。 Your fluency will intensify to
higher and higher levels of fluency。
The best attitude; however; is that your attempt to master the foreign language
should remain perpetually unfinished business。
You’ll succeed if you make sure you never go to bed knowing no more of your
target language that you did when you woke up!
P A R T T H R E E
Appendices
The Language Club
In 1984 some of us language lovers decided that; although there were plenty of places in
New York to learn foreign languages; there were no places to go to practice foreign
languages。
Sure; you can let fly a greeting in Italian and a request for red pepper at the pizzaria
and practice similar performances at even the busiest French restaurant; but there was no
place to sit down; have a glass of wine; open books; converse with others; and consult
with native speakers for two or three hours at a time。
So we started the Language Club with “practice parties” every Monday night at La
Maganette; a restaurant in Manhattan at the corner of Third Avenue and Fiftieth Street。
That remains our “mother club;” though we’ve extended our practice parties to other
evenings and other restaurants – even a Sunday brunch at Victor’s on Columbus Avenue
at Seventy…first Street。
Our mission is to enable men and women to practice conversation in other
languages in a pleasant; non…threatening atmosphere at fine restaurants at a minimum
price。 The restaurants understand the uniqueness of the Language Club and enjoy
catering to such a high minded endeavour。
The questions callers most frequently ask about the Language Club are “What night
is French?” and “What’s your age group?”
We explain that every night is French night – all languages are welcome at all
practice parties。 When you enter you go to the French table; the Italian table; the Spanish
table; the German table; the Russian table; etc。 Many visitors grasshopper from table to
table; practicing three; four; or more different languages at the same practice party。
When they ask about age group; we immediately understand that their agenda is
broader than mere language practice! We first explain we’re a language club; not a
“social” club or a “singles” club。 We emphasise that age is irrelevant; since someone five
years old can provide good language practice for someone ninety…five years old。
Having made that point; we then relent a bit and explain that indeed many of our
members are single; and if two single language lovers should enter our practice party
separately and leave together; we don’t blow a whistle and pull a citizen’s arrest。 In fact;
we have several “language marriages” to our credit and at least one confirmed birth!
All we ask is your sincere interest in language practice。 All your other interests will
be tolerated provided they do not result in any infringement of the law!
All those wishing more information about the Language Club may write:
The Language Club
P。O。 Box 121
New York; NY 10108
Our telephone number is (212) 787…2110。
The Language Club has no official handshake; club song; club motto; or club dues。
(You come when you feel like it and you pay for your own meal。)
We do; however; have an official club joke。 Once you know this joke; you’re as
much a member of the Language Club as anybody else。
Two mice were hopelessly trapped。 A hungry cat was poised to pounce。 There was
no escape。
At the last instant; one of the mice put his little paws up to his lips and yelled; “Bow
wow!”
The cat turned around and ran away; whereupon that mouse turned to the other
mouse and said; “You see; that’s the advantage of knowing a second language!”
The Principal Languages
of the World
Source: Sidney S。 Culbert; University of Washington; Seattle; Wash。 98195
Total number of speakers (native plus nonnative) of languages spoken by at least
one million persons (midyear 1989)
Language Millions
Achinese (N。 Sumatra; Indonesia) …………………………………………。。 3
Afrikaans (South Africa) …………………………………………………… 10
Akan (or Twi…Fante) (Ghana) ……………………………………………… 7
Albanian (Albania; Yugoslavia) ……………………………………………。 5
Amharic (Ethiopia) …………………………………………………………。 17
Arabic ………………………………………………………………………。 197
Armenian (USSR) …………………………………………………………… 5
Assamese (Assam; India; Bangladesh) ……………………………………… 22
Aymara (Bolivia; Peru) ……………………………………………………… 2
Azerbaijani (Iran; USSR) …………………………………………………… 14
Balinese (Indonesia) ………………………………………………………… 3
Baluchi (Bakuchistan; Pakistan) ……………………………………………。 4
Bashkir (USSR) ……………………………………………………………。。 1
Batak Toda (including Anakola) (Indonesia) (see also karo…Dain) …………。。 4
Baule (Cote d’Ivoire) ………………………………………………………。。 2
Beja (Kassala; Sudan; Ethiopia) ……………………………………………。 1
Bemba (Zambia) ……………………………………………………………。 2
Bengali1/Berber2 (Bengal; India; Bangladesh) ……………………………… 184
Beti (Cameroon; Gabon; Eq。 Guinea) ………………………………………。 2
Bhili (India) …………………………………………………………………。 3
Bikol (SE Luzon; Philippines) ………………………………………………。 4
Brahui (Pakistan; Afghanistan; Iran) ………………………………………… 1
Bugis (Indonesia; Malaysia) …………………………………………………。 4
Bulgarian (Bulgaria) ………………………………………………………… 9
Burmese (Burma) ……………………………………………………………。 30
Buyi (S Guizhou; S China) …………………………………………………… 2
Byelorussian (USSR) ………………………………………………………… 10
Cantonese (or Yue) (China; Hong Kong) ……………………………………。。 63
Catalan (NE Spain; S France; Andorra) ……………………………………… 9
Cebuano (Bohol Sea area; Philippines) ………………………………………。 12
Chagga (Kilimanjaro area; Tanzania) ………………………………………… 1
Chiga (Ankole; Uganda) ……………………………………………………… 1
Chinese3
Chuvash (USSR) ……………………………………………………………… 2
Czech (Czechoslovakia) ………………………………………………………。 12
Danish (Denmark) ……………………………………………………………。。 5
Dimli (EC Turkey) ……………………………………………………………。 1
Dogri (Jammu…Kashmir; C and E India) ………………………………………。 1
Dong (Guizhou; Hunan; Guangxi; China) ……………………………………。。 2
Dutch…Flemish (Netherlands; Belgium) ………………………………………。。 21
Dyerma (SW Niger) …………………………………………………………… 2
Edo (Bendel; S Nigeria) ………………………………………………………。。 1
Efik (incl。 Ibido) (SE Nigeria; W Cameroon) …………………………………。 6
English ………………………………………………………………………… 443
Esperanto ……………………………………………………………………… 2
Estonian (Estonia) ……………………………………………………………。。 1
Ewe (SE Ghana; S Togo) ……………………………………………………… 3
Fang…Bulu (Dialects of Beti; q。v。)
Farsi (Iranian form of Persian; q。v。)
Finnish (Finland; Sweden) ……………………………………………………。。 6
Flemish (see Dutch…Flemish)
Fon (SC Benin; S Togo) ………………………………………………………。 1
French (France; Switzerland) …………………………………………………。 121
Fula (or Peulh) (Cameroon; Nigeria) …………………………………………。 13
Fulakunda (Senegambia; Guinea Bissau) ……………………………………。。 2
Futa Jalon (NW Guinea; Sierra Leone) ………………………………………。。 3
Galician (Galicia; NW Spain) …………………………………………………。 3
Galla (see Oromo)
Ganda (or Luganda) (S Uganda) ………………………………………………。 3
Georgian (USSR) ……………………………………………………………… 4
German (Germany; Austria; Switzerland) ……………………………………。。 118
Gilaki (Gilan; NW Iran) ………………………………………………………。。 2
Gogo (Riff Valley; Tanzania) …………………………………………………。。 1
Gondi (Central India) …………………………………………………………。。 2
Greek (Greece) ………………………………………………………………… 12
Guarani (Paraguay) ……………………………………………………………。 4
Gujarati (W and C India; S Pakistan) …………………………………………。。 38
Gusii (Kisii District; Nyanza; Kenya) …………………………………………。。 2
Hadiyya (Arusi; Ethiopia) ……………………………………………………… 2
Hakka (or Kejia) (SE China) …………………………………………………… 32
Hani (S China) …………………………………………………………………。 1
Hausa (N Nigeria; Niger; Cameroon) …………………………………