tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post1613030881824683227..comments2024-01-24T11:41:28.022+00:00Comments on A Cuban In London: Living in a Multilingual World (The One About Adjectives and their Order)A Cuban In Londonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-17999180392320600652017-05-07T04:14:37.577+01:002017-05-07T04:14:37.577+01:00I really should use my Spanish more...I spoke it, ...I really should use my Spanish more...I spoke it, read it, thought in it, and now, it is slowly disappearing...<br /><br />Greetings from La Floridaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376645220662546020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-13647990608041898012017-05-06T01:31:14.921+01:002017-05-06T01:31:14.921+01:00It's an exciting moment when one realizes he&#...It's an exciting moment when one realizes he's actually thinking in a foreign language. I used to be able to do that with French many years ago. (Why, oh why didn't I study Spanish instead??? There are many many Spanish-speaking people in our area, but little to no French speakers.) Believe it or not, the same kind of ah-ha moment happens while learning Morse code. <br /><br />One thing that fascinates me about the romance languages is the way gender is assigned to words, and without any apparent rhyme or reason.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-423572873126393222017-05-05T09:52:41.620+01:002017-05-05T09:52:41.620+01:00Oh no, I thought both sentences are correct but me...Oh no, I thought both sentences are correct but mean different things! :) (Fortunately there's also Sabine's interesting comment.) To my not-native ears, "ugly little fellow" might be an idiomlike expression that doesn't necessarily mean the person in question is short...<br />I have now copied the order of the adjectives - in my journal. :)Sara - Villa Emiliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17402655388283396110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-65876089283366962732017-05-05T07:15:01.563+01:002017-05-05T07:15:01.563+01:00Hi Mario - yes we do feel the words somehow ... we...Hi Mario - yes we do feel the words somehow ... we do know that the sentence, or phrase is probably better this way than that - but English is a wonderful language ... and thank goodness I'm an English speaker - and I admire others who move between languages so easily. Lovely post - cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-11725994903147978912017-05-05T02:22:04.864+01:002017-05-05T02:22:04.864+01:00Newspaper (my background) style books often are at...Newspaper (my background) style books often are at odds with each other, not to mention with English text books, in terms of grammar and punctuation, etc. .... so, in effect, whatever a writer chooses to do makes him incorrect to someone's way of thinking. As a compromise, I created my own stylebook, which makes everyone incorrect -- other than myself, of course. Teasing ....<br /><br />Actually, I try to write the way I talk and let the cards fall where they may ....<br />Fram Actualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01540773153894050197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-33022968571417215962017-05-04T14:39:30.891+01:002017-05-04T14:39:30.891+01:00It's true that for native speakers, a feel for...It's true that for native speakers, a feel for rules is largely instinctive. I would have said "ugly little fellow" without knowing why! (Obviously this isn't always true, though. I imagine if I'd grown up around parents with bad grammar I would have picked up THEIR rules, or lack thereof, rather than proper English rules!)Steve Reedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11684120060438252945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-85766243866815439472017-05-04T10:19:41.884+01:002017-05-04T10:19:41.884+01:00I love the flow of words and if one is out of plac...I love the flow of words and if one is out of place it jars my mind. That is why a writer should read his work aloud before laying it before a publisher. A split infinitive really irritates. Valeriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12099030819314552958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-42154320890152559702017-05-04T09:13:31.887+01:002017-05-04T09:13:31.887+01:00languages isn´t easy nowadays. :(
languages isn´t easy nowadays. :(<br />NatureFootstephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01340635075481959029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-30022441547008530232017-05-04T08:40:35.527+01:002017-05-04T08:40:35.527+01:00My understanding in French and Italian (I don'...My understanding in French and Italian (I don't speak Spanish) is that whether adjectives come before or after the noun is determined by similar logic to which order we would use adjectives in English. Being not yet fluent in either of those languages I generally default to all adjectives coming after the noun. Crafty Green Poethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02486633917197181851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-69601614814767419052017-05-04T00:31:16.503+01:002017-05-04T00:31:16.503+01:00I agree with you for the most part. However there ...I agree with you for the most part. However there are exceptio0ns to the rules and that is what makes the English language so confusing at times. For instance if you were to say in a derisive way, "That is an ugly man," I might wish to expand on the insult. I could say, "Not only that he is a LITTLE ugly man." I pointed out that not only is he ugly but that he is little also. What do you think?Emma Springfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543689047463574012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-56658534191075696922017-05-03T23:54:21.468+01:002017-05-03T23:54:21.468+01:00Yes, an ear beats knowing rules :)Yes, an ear beats knowing rules :)Cloudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853753108637831069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-43672761710424751092017-05-03T22:48:09.710+01:002017-05-03T22:48:09.710+01:00I've heard that English is a difficult languag...I've heard that English is a difficult language to learn because there are so many exceptions to the rules. I admire anyone who speaks more than one language.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-82698810143887094052017-05-03T22:48:08.554+01:002017-05-03T22:48:08.554+01:00English can be a tricky language. My father, a na...English can be a tricky language. My father, a native German speaker, said that the 'ridiculous rules" always escaped him when he was tired...Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-77350764515329773632017-05-03T21:37:06.490+01:002017-05-03T21:37:06.490+01:00Tricky one! While English is not my first language...Tricky one! While English is not my first language, it is the one I have been using for most of my life now. But I speak Irish English which differs a lot from British English.<br /><br />I remember a similar 'test' at some stage when I was a studying for my translation degree and we agreed at the time that these two sentences refer to two different fellows, based on the order od adjectives you mention.<br /><br />When I refer to someone as 'little' it can also be a derogatory (opinion) adjective, especially when spoken dismissively. It serves to stress the 'ugly'. He is after all only little, nothing worth your while etc.<br />Whereas 'ugly' can be a lot more than the opposite of 'pretty'.<br /><br />Anyway, this was a really stimulating post. Thanks!!Sabinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09015827501648296977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-70015614092807615242017-05-03T19:52:43.194+01:002017-05-03T19:52:43.194+01:00Cuando no es nuestra lengua natal siempre hay fras...Cuando no es nuestra lengua natal siempre hay frases que uno tiene tendencia a traducirlas de su propia lengua hasta que uno las adopta por haberlas oido muchas veces y las considera que son las correctas.<br />Un abrazo.Mari-Pi-Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00661886117860375651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-88167648152243482912017-05-03T19:44:58.379+01:002017-05-03T19:44:58.379+01:00Your English is excellent! I am fluent in French....Your English is excellent! I am fluent in French. :)Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12692170857496442623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-89606355804431860132017-05-03T19:35:18.946+01:002017-05-03T19:35:18.946+01:00I usually get them out in the right order as I rea...I usually get them out in the right order as I read over and see if they make sense.Pat Hatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07745293224202430152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-48291279672175347862017-05-03T19:00:38.504+01:002017-05-03T19:00:38.504+01:00Yes you speak good english!!nice to hear your voic...Yes you speak good english!!nice to hear your voice..There is many different ways to speak spanish ...Depends on what village you come from..since Iam a Basque..no ones understands me..Therefor I speak Catelan....But my son has taken the interest in spanish he even speaks better then me..so this year we travel to Spain..up to the north country..Bacue land and Pyrenees<br />I got three languages norwegian, canadian and spanish.. I think in all three of them.. :))))Nice post Cuban<br /><br />Greetings AnitaAnitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16296393166114580709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-79923749611863664852017-05-03T18:36:29.132+01:002017-05-03T18:36:29.132+01:00As one trying to learn Spanish, I'm struggling...As one trying to learn Spanish, I'm struggling with word order - sometimes the subject comes after the verb (as a clarifier) and sometimes before. And some adjectives go before the noun and some after. It takes persistence - it will be years before I'm as comfortable as you are with English!JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.com