Tea? (Part 2)

[wafflycat]

First day of college went well. Conversation of the day:-

Young girl to dinner lady.

"Could I have a tea please?"

"We only have fruit tea or early grey."

"What's earl grey like?"

"It's not like ordinary tea, it tastes horrible, you will not like it."

"OK I will have a chocolate instead."

How could she say that?

Off to college now, see you later.

She speaks truth. How anyone could find liquid pot pourri drinkable, I know not.

On the other hand, a good assam, breakfast blend, darjeeling... delicious!

 

[Arch]

What are you doing at college Gromit?

Tea recognition...

Eh up Gromit, I hear you had a good weekend away. First day at new big school eh?

Loving the canteen sales technique by the way!

 

[HelenD123]

I'm going back to school next week as well, doing beginners Chinese. Thought it might be useful if I'm ever cycle touring in that part of the world.

 

[Arch]

Blimey! Impressive. I think I'll just restrict my touring to places I can speak the lingo... Mind you that limits me a bit to Anglophone countries, (and I have little or no interest in going to most of them) and France (Well, I can get by, just).

I think it's time to put the kettle on. Tea?

 

[HelenD123]

Blimey! Impressive. I think I'll just restrict my touring to places I can speak the lingo... Mind you that limits me a bit to Anglophone countries, (and I have little or no interest in going to most of them) and France (Well, I can get by, just).

I think it's time to put the kettle on. Tea?

Get learning! The guy I spoke to at the York cycling weekend said he didn't speak any other languages apart from a bit of French but just learned a few essential words like water and bed. He managed to stay away for 2 or 3 years.

 

[Arch]

Get learning! The guy I spoke to at the York cycling weekend said he didn't speak any other languages apart from a bit of French but just learned a few essential words like water and bed. He managed to stay away for 2 or 3 years.

Yeah, that's the thing, total immersion, you soon pick it up. I've become more confident in French in the course of about 5 weeks in total staying there than I ever was after 5 years of secondary school learning and a CSE pass.

Most importantly, I reckon I could decipher a basic menu in French, Italian, and a little bit of Spanish, Dutch, Danish and German...

I have a little booklet, came free in The Independent one day, called "Point it", it's just pictures on themes (transport, food, medical etc), the idea being that if you don't know the word, you just point at a picture of the thing. I reckon that would help a lot - plus you'd then learn the word when the other person said it. I think I could pick up vocab ok, it's having the confidence to have a stab at the grammar that's hard, knowing you'll end up sounding hilarious...

Oh now, the sun's shining, and I'm thinking about France....

 

[Amanda P]

They do say that something like 80% of communication is non-verbal. This may be true.

On Sunday, I got on a bus in Lyngdal, Norway, in the rain. The driver had put my bike on the bus, and I was wearing cycling clothes. There was a bit of a queue to get up the steps onto the bus and pay. The guy behind me in the queue said something to me, and without thinking, I replied "yes, it is a bit wet for cycling, but I don't have much choice".

It was only when he then replied in English that I realised he'd spoken to me in Norwegian, but because of the context, his gestures and some of the words he used (like "sykel"), I'd understood him perfectly.

 

[Arch]

They do say that something like 80% of communication is non-verbal. This may be true.

On Sunday, I got on a bus in Lyngdal, Norway, in the rain. The driver had put my bike on the bus, and I was wearing cycling clothes. There was a bit of a queue to get up the steps onto the bus and pay. The guy behind me in the queue said something to me, and without thinking, I replied "yes, it is a bit wet for cycling, but I don't have much choice".

It was only when he then replied in English that I realised he'd spoken to me in Norwegian, but because of the context, his gestures and some of the words he used (like "sykel"), I'd understood him perfectly.

Interesting story - I wonder how often we think too much about what we're hearing, when instinct might get us through.

When my housemate was learning Swedish, he came to my room door one afternoon, about 4ish, and said something, in Swedish, from the tone, obviously a question. And ending in a word that sounded like 'tay'. So I said "Yes!" and he went and put the kettle on - he'd asked "Shall we have a cup of tea? OK, the context was quite clear, but I wasn't in much doubt about what he'd said. Also of course, many words in Scandinavian languages sound similar to the English, even if the spelling looks odd. I think Dutch is similar, only their spelling looks even odder!

 

[LordoftheTeapot]

Might just be another book to you... But it is my hand on the cover!!


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beast-Finge...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253784575&sr=1-1

 

[wafflycat]

Yeah, that's the thing, total immersion, you soon pick it up. I've become more confident in French in the course of about 5 weeks in total staying there than I ever was after 5 years of secondary school learning and a CSE pass.

Most importantly, I reckon I could decipher a basic menu in French, Italian, and a little bit of Spanish, Dutch, Danish and German...

I have a little booklet, came free in The Independent one day, called "Point it", it's just pictures on themes (transport, food, medical etc), the idea being that if you don't know the word, you just point at a picture of the thing. I reckon that would help a lot - plus you'd then learn the word when the other person said it. I think I could pick up vocab ok, it's having the confidence to have a stab at the grammar that's hard, knowing you'll end up sounding hilarious...

Oh now, the sun's shining, and I'm thinking about France....

When Family Wafflycat had a holiday in Italy some years ago, none of us spoke Italian. A few weeks before we went I got a phrase book and English/Italian dictionary. In the few weeks before we went I taught myself some basic phrases. Once there I went everywhere armed with phrase book, dictionary, pencil and paper pad. The place we stayed in was a converted farmhouse in Tuscany. The owner lived on site. He spoke not a word of English, but noticing my bicycle was a Bianchi cut the ice as he had one too. Anyhow, at a dinner, where fresh figs from his trees were dessert, he went into raptures of delight as I tucked in. Apparently I eat figs as a true Italian does, so I have the soul of an Italian The next morning on the door of the apartment Family Wafflycat was staying in appeared a huge dish of fresh figs, courtesy of Mr Sisti. So I wandered off to find him & say thank you. Armed with said phrase book, dictionary, paper & pencil we had a long conversation were we understood each other almost perfectly

 

[Arch]

Might just be another book to you... But it is my hand on the cover!!


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beast-Finge...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253784575&sr=1-1

How did you get into the hand modelling game then?

I've often thought it's the one bit of me that might be modellable, so to speak.

 

[Landslide]

Morning all!

I've entered the big bad world of made up numbers. Our mortgage application has been approved!

 

[Arch]

Morning all!

I've entered the big bad world of made up numbers. Our mortgage application has been approved!

Woo hoo! You now own that lovely fireplace?

Party at Landslide's everyone!

 

[TheDoctor]

She speaks truth. How anyone could find liquid pot pourri drinkable, I know not.

Sorry, Waffles, but you're wrong.
Earl Grey is delicious.
FACT

*snigger*

Better than that fruity / herby nonsence, anyhow. Peppermint tea, I ask you.

 

[wafflycat]

Sorry, but Earl Grey is the Spawn of Stan. Bleccch.

Just been out to check on The Laydeez. One of them is practising her ostrich impersonations. The egg produced is a good 50% larger than the normal eggs The Laydeez produce, and the eggs they produce would be classed as large or extra large if commercially produced.