LL-L "Language acquisition" 2005.05.15 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

======================================================================
L O W L A N D S - L * 15.MAY.2005 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
http://www.lowlands-l.net * lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Rules & Guidelines: http://www.lowlands-l.net/index.php?page=rules
Posting: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org or lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Commands ("signoff lowlands-l" etc.): listserv at listserv.net
Server Manual: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html
Archives: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Please switch your view mode to it.]
=======================================================================
You have received this because you have been subscribed upon request.
To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l" as message
text from the same account to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or
sign off at http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================
A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
=======================================================================

From: Ingmar Roerdinkholder <ingmar.roerdinkholder at WORLDONLINE.NL>
Subject: Language Acquiring

Currently on Dutch television there's a program called "Wie was ik?"
(who was I?), in which people are taken back to their 'past lives' in
regression sessions first, and they are asked to describe the circum-
stances, surroundings, professions, age, time, special buildings etc.
and then a reconstruction is made and they go back to that particular
country and place they lived... It's quite amazing, I must say.
I remember a similar British (?) show from maybe fifteen or more years
ago, especially an Australian lady who described certain things under a
stone or so that she actually found back later in France.
Interesting, incredible, intriguing...

What does that have to do with languages? Well, through the OnzeTaal site
I found an article called <the language connection> about how some people
learn foreign languages exceptionally fast and / or well.

There are different types of people that are able to learn languages very
much faster than others.

First, we have the ADELL's - anomalously dominant excellent language
learners. Like our well-respected leader, I guess. Yes, you must be an
Adell too, Ron ;-)

But there are also people that "remember" languages from their past lives.

At last, there are the DID's - people with multiple personalities- and
some of those personalities just speak different languages...

The article:

www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20050513wobl.htm

I have some quick language learning experiences myself as well. I remember
that I went on a vacation to Hungary on my own about eleven years ago, and
I was totally intrigued by the Hungarian language, that is very different
from all other European languages (including Slavonic ones). I met someone
who offered me to stay at her place, and she showed me Budapest from
within, her friends, family, university, student life, trendy cafés etc. I
was soaked into Hungarian life, including the language. After two or three
weeks I could actually understand and speak quite a lot of Magyarul, to
the amazement of Szófia's friends at parties etc. Most of it is gone away
now, though I remember some words and phrases.

So what do you think: was I a Hungarian in a past life, do I have multiple
personalities or was I just being Adellistic at that time - inspired by
a beautiful and lovely girl?

Rubin Imre (Ingmar Roerdinkholder)

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Games

Thanks a lot, Ingmar, also for the compliment ... I think.  (Abnormal?)  If
I belong to this ADELL category I have a lot of company, with lots of
familiar "faces," including Lowlands-L ones.

While I do not discount the possibility of past life memories without having
any proof one way or another, I'd like to look at more mundane possibilities
first.  I feel that in discussions of the sort the powers of motivation and
interest are highly underrated.  I believe they make a lot of difference.

Add to this the "linguist's epiphany," namely the "cracking of the code,"
and you have gone a long way in possibly explaining why some people do
better in learning other languages than others.  By "cracking the code" I
mean the discovery that language does not consist of random bits but has
pretty clear patterns, and that it is more efficient to figure out the
patterns and the big picture before learning the details.  Also, some people
figure out by themselves that there are etymological links, and that
figuring out the general sound shifts between related languages goes a long
way in getting ahead in listening comprehension.  I know people that for
years have studied languages related to their native ones and have still not
figured out some connections that to us are obvious, and for that reason
their progress is slow and frustrating.  Typically, these are the types of
people who cannot understand you if you have an "accent," be it domestic or
foreign.

So it may be more of a case of differences in analytical abilities and
skills.  People whose minds work very analytically and are automatically
drawn to figuring out the basic system are at an advantage.  I bet you you
will find that the same people also have an easier time doing mathematics,
learning the use of software, computer languages, playing musical
instruments, etc.  I know people that still memorize each and every computer
key combination and have not discovered the general principles behind the
system, thus make very slow progress and think you are a wizzard if you do
"search and replace" or throw a data table together in seconds.  These are
overly detail-oriented people that cannot see the forest for the trees.
This is not to say that they are less intelligent, only that their mindsets
or their "wiring" dictates a different approach.  I also believe that they
can be "rewired," because I remember I acted like them when I was fairly
young and later had this "epiphany," this breakthrough, and that this
coincided with overnight success.  I also believe that as very small
children most of us use the analytical approach to pick up language and
other skills.

In my experience, we are able to tap into all sorts of mental resources,
resources we aren't normally aware of, when we are thown into unusual
situations such as having to figure out a new environment.  It is probably
our survival instinct that makes us resort to this, such as when suddenly
finding ourselves in a culturally and linguistically different world,
something that is extreme in immigrant experiences.  Furthermore, I believe
that language "nerds" like you, me and other folks of this list create a
similar "adrenaline rush" by means of our fascination.  I think your
Hungarian experience could well fall into this category, and I have
experienced such things myself.

Lastly, there is the aspect of inhibition versus the absence of it.  I know
that many people's language learning progress is slowed down by their social
inhibitions.  Typically, they are perfectionists that believe they will be
the laughing stock unless their use of language is absolutely perfect.  So,
in a way they are their own worst enemies in this case.

As you probably gathered by now, I am convinced that there are two main keys
to language acquisition success: (1) efficient analytical skills and (2)
confidence.  Some people start off with both while others have to acquire
one, the other or both.  One confidence booster I use to support other folks
is to remind them that they learned their native languages perfectly, just
as well as everyone else did, that thus they have all it takes.  However, in
some cases it is impossible to get over the error hump.  Some people find it
helpful when you remind them that they made mistakes as children and must go
through this again with a foreign language, because by learning the system
first you will get exceptions wrong (such as when children say "Daddy's goed
to work").  However, a few people simply do not want to play "the stupid
child" again, and they are the ones with real problems, ought to seek mental
health counseling to address their inferiority issues before they can
progress.  And then there is the unrealistic expectation of wanting to
become "perfect" in a foreign language when starting to learn it as an adult
... Need I say more?

Again, as far as I am concerned, the jury is still out when it comes to past
life memories.  Under hypnosis I have spoken a foreign language very well,
much better than in a state of waking.  (In fact, I wouldn't be able to
carry a simple conversation in that language in waking state, then and now.)
For a while I considered the possibility of past life regression, also
because it came with living through events I do not normally remember.
However, then I remembered that I did study some of that language a long,
long time ago (as an older child or young teenager), and I rationalized it
all by assuming that under hypnosis I was able to tap into that memory and
at the same time was drawing on my other language skills and had been freed
from my usual fears, inhibitions and mental preoccupations for the duration
of the experience.

This sort of thing has been documented several times.  In some cases it
could be proven that a person had acquired the knowledge a long time ago and
had consciously forgotten about it, then tapped into it under hypnosis, and
biased researchers jumped to the conclusion that it was a case of past life
regression.  I remember the case of a Finnish lady "appearing" as a woman in
medieval England, singing one or two ancient English songs.  Later it turned
out that she, who could sight-read musical notation, had read those songs
and their words in a book in a public library as a child.  She had not
consciously tried to deceive anyone, was as surprised about the sound
recordings as everyone else.  The theory is that many people under hypnosis
experience a need to please the hypnotizer, subconsciously draw on hidden
resources and make up stories to do so, perhaps even follow a need to make
sense of their current situations by concocting stories that would offer
explanations and solutions.


Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

==============================END===================================
Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.
Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l")
are  to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at
http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================