LL-L "Language acquisition" 2005.05.15 (13) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 15.MAY.2005 (13) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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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)
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language acquisition

Last week I watched the tail end of a television show dealing with savants.
In the part I watched, a young Englishman was the focus.  I'm not sure if he
really qualified as a savant, given that he seemed quite "normal" in every
regard, except that his brain power was presented as extraordinary.  For
example, you can give him any number, and he can tell you right away if it
is a primary number.  I can't comment on this, though I could see that he
has either memorized them (which would be very much like a savant) or has
some "trick" that enables him to do very fast computations.  He said,
though, that he gets a "warm feeling" in the chest as soon as he hears a
primary number mentioned.

What is more interesting and germane here (no pun intended) is that they did
a language acquisition test with him.  They flew him to Iceland and gave him
one week to demonstrate up to what level he could study Icelandic within
that time frame, the big reveal being planned in an Icelandic television
show.  The report was sketchy.  You saw him study from books and talking
with his Icelandic mentor and some other Icelanders.  The mentor later
commented that he soaked everything up like a dry sponge.  Two TV people
interviewed him after one week.  He spoke fluently in Icelandic, not just
about the usual first-lessons subjects but also about his experiences
learning Icelandic, traits of Icelandic grammar, etc.  Everyone was very
impressed, and his grammar was said to be excellent, not a mean achievement
in the case of (notoriously difficult) Icelandic.  I was more impressed by
his ability to understand the questions of his interviewers, given that they
spoke fast, probably with ordinary speed, not slowed down for his sake.  I
understood all *he* said in Icelandic, only little of what the interviewers
said.

I certainly would not want to rain on his parade.  However, I do not
consider this achievement extraordinary to the degree everyone else seemed
to consider it.  I feel confident that quite a few of our Lowlanders could
pull this off too.  You don't have to be a savant to do so.  All you have to
have, besides a sharp mind, honed memory skills and good resources, is an
analytical mind that figures out the principle patterns and then starts
reading and listening to pick up vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.

Besides, in the program I did not hear anything mentioned about any previous
language acquisition of his.  Even if this young man never ever studied or
read about Icelandic before his task would have been much simpler if he had
studied even one other Germanic language besides English, or just Middle or
Old English, or in fact any language.

Again, I do not wish to trivialize his skills, but I am aware that the
average person has strange, myth-like ideas when it comes to non-native
language learning.  Non-native language learning is seen as one of the most
difficult tasks, and success in doing so is often equated with high
intelligence.  I consider this overblown.  I think that most people could do
very well at it if they had the right conditions, the right mindset and the
right method.

Or have I lost all sense of proportion?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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