Native-speaker intuition.

That's it exactly! Thanks milky.

Englishuser wrote:

A non-native speaker who has immersed himself or herself with highbrow literature written in a foreign language could very well have a more vivid vocabulary and a better knowledge of the grammar of the language than the average native speaker. At least as far as the 'standard version' of the language is concerned. Englishuser

Hi Englishuser

I agree, learning the grammar of a language can be relatively easy for a person who is familiar with the grammatical structures of his native language. As far as I am concerned, English grammar was a piece of cake for me even though it differs considerably from Finnish grammar. It was easy because there is so little of it; an English word has very few forms: write, writes, writing, wrote, written. That's all there is written as single words. Of course has written, having written etc. exist in addition to the five basic forms.

However, in Finnish, for instance, you need six forms just to say something affirmative in the present tense, a different inflection for every person (I, you, he, we, you, they). You need another six forms to ask a question etc. Nouns have more than a hundred forms and an adjective has hundreds of inflected forms. Some English people have said to me they don't belive me when I say that. That's because they think the languages they may have some knowledge of, usually German or French, are as complicated in structure as a language can be. They know of nothing else.

What is difficult about English are the countless idioms and spelling.

By the way, when I am abroad I try not to sound British or American even though I have been told that I am able to mimic the American accent quite well. Finland was never a major country in world politics or colonization and I often get good service just because people don't really know anything about my country. They have no preconceived notions.

I was once having a drink in a hotel bar in New Orleans. The man sitting next to me asked me: "Where do you come from?" I said: "Finland." He said: "Which state is it in?" So I got wise and a couple of days later when a fiftyish woman asked me the same question, I said: "I'm from Europe." Her face lit up: "That's marvelous! I've got relatives in the same country."

Cheers
CB

Hi Cool Breeze,

You wrote:

What is difficult about English are the countless idioms and spelling. By the way, when I am abroad I try not to sound British or American even though I have been told that I am able to mimic the American accent quite well.

I couldn't agree more: English idioms and spellings tend to be difficult even for many a native speaker! I would also like to add that the size of the English lexion makes learning English relatively difficult.

Just out of curiosity: What exactly do you try to sound like on your trips overseas?

Englishuser

Englishuser wrote:

I couldn't agree more: English idioms and spellings tend to be difficult even for many a native speaker! I would also like to add that the size of the English lexion makes learning English relatively difficult. Just out of curiosity: What exactly do you try to sound like on your trips overseas? Englishuser

Hi Englishuser

Yes, the English lexicon is larger than that of most languages. However, since many common words have numerous meanings, learning the basic vocabulary is quite easy. For example, this is what one can say if one knows the prepositions and the verb to get:

I get letters from him. It's getting late. You're getting on my nerves. Let's get off the bus. Get out of here! I don't get on with him. What are you getting at? He doesn't get about much anymore due to his sickness. He got over his illness. And so on. In many languages one needs a different word for each of these meanings.

Many years ago I read a study which said that an English blue-collar worker uses about 500 different words when he speaks. German has a smaller lexicon than English, but a German worker needs 800 words because in German one word doesn't have as many meanings  as in English. I don't really know if these figures are accurate but my logic tells me there may be some truth in them.

As to your question what I try to sound like when I am overseas, I am not quite sure I know the answer. If I am in the USA, sounding American won't be a hindrance, so I suppose I don't try to avoid sounding American, at least not consciously. I guess I usually sound more or less Finnish or Scandinavian when I speak English. A retired opera singer has told me I have an exceptionally acute ear for music and rhythm, which explains my ability to imitate some accents. I can mimic a BBC newscaster if I have to, but it doesn't come very naturally to me. I have to force myself to it, so I never use that 'accent'.

Cheers

CB

Hi Cool Breeze,

Yes, the English lexicon is larger than that of most languages. However, since many common words have numerous meanings, learning the basic vocabulary is quite easy.

That's true, but I think you'll agree when I say that it is sometimes difficult to learn all the different meanings of a words such as 'get'. Besides, if you want to read an English newspaper, for example, you need to know some alternative words: Knowing merely one word for one thing, so to say, won't be enough.

A retired opera singer has told me I have an exceptionally acute ear for music and rhythm, which explains my ability to imitate some accents. I can mimic a BBC newscaster if I have to, but it doesn't come very naturally to me. I have to force myself to it, so I never use that 'accent'.

How convincing do you think that your imitation is?

Englishuser