@hongminhee @clv1 @patricus I actually did seriously consider some sort of genetic problem. My grandmother (on my father's side) was a French speaker who had the exact same problems learning English. She took dozens of courses over her life, but never actually learned anything. And yet, both me and my grandmother have won awards for writing in our native languages, and had our writing published. My aunts and uncles are all bilingual, but none of my cousins on that side of the family are: they either speak only French or only English, just like me. So that's a strong pattern. On the other hand, the idea of a genetic inability to learn a second language just seems silly. Why wouldn't it make it harder to learn a first language?
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🇨🇦Samuel Proulx🇨🇦
@fastfinge@fed.interfree.ca
Posts
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I'm writing this in English. -
I'm writing this in English.@clv1 @hongminhee @patricus Yup! With French, I tried:
* in-person classroom instruction (both in school and extra-curricular): material is often inaccessible, teachers are mixed quality, I eventually lag behind everyone else in the room and get left behind
* total emersion (I live in Canada and have extended family that doesn't speak English): I never manage to take anything in, and just freeze up when addressed directly
* independent correspondence courses: materials are more accessible and I can go at my own pace, but no matter how I study, I can't pass the tests or use what I've tried to learn in real life
* apps (duolingo): accessibility varies. I eventually get pretty good at doing the exercises offered in the app, but that never generalizes in a way that lets me pass any formal tests or use the language
My measures of success are:
* able to have basic conversations in the language
* able to pass Canadian government tests to be certified in the language for career purposes
I have never achieved either of the above. And after eight years of failures, I've pretty much given up. -
I'm writing this in English.@patricus @hongminhee @clv1 It also doesn't solve any of the problems of "just learn English": can you afford the lessons? Do you have the cognitive ability to learn two languages? Do you have the time for the lessons? Are teachers and materials available? Are they accessible? Do you have a place to practice outside of the classroom? Also, "let's erase everyone's culture" doesn't sound, to me, like any better of an answer than "let's make one culture king".
I speak as someone who studied French for eight years straight, an hour a day, and never managed to pass a single course. There are people who just literally can't, when it comes to language learning. I'm one of them. Though to be fair, it's almost certainly a combination of the environment, the instruction, and other factors, rather than some flaw innate to me. But either way, I've never found a method that works.
I actually toyed with learning Korean, thinking that maybe it was the gendered nature of French, as well as the spelling, that was the problem. Plus I thought a more regular alphabet might help me. But after eight years of bashing my head against the French wall, I just...couldn't. Picking up a new language course felt like going back to hell, and I couldn't make myself stick with it for more than a week. -
Is it dangerous to use a rusting microwave?@feld @alexisbushnell They can. Depends on if you're using 5G or CDMA or what though, I guess. mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/simple-microwave-oven-leakage-test-using-wifi.1176492/ -
Is it dangerous to use a rusting microwave?@alexisbushnell It would only explain wifi issues that happen while someone is using the microwave. If the issues start when the microwave starts, and go away as soon as the microwave stops, then it's the cause. -
Is it dangerous to use a rusting microwave?@alexisbushnell Okay, I don't have links to hand, but I'm a licensed ham radio opperator, and this is the kind of theory we learn. The danger from a microwave comes if it is failing to keep the actual waves inside. Microwaves are designed with an enclosure that blocks most of the energy from them. However, you might notice that when you run your microwave, your wifi and cell signal degrades. This is because your wifi/cell and a microwave use similar frequencies. But your wifi just uses a millionth or billionth of the power. So when those waves start leaking out of your microwave, they can drown out the wifi completely. The danger comes from just how much energy is leaking. You can stick a wifi antenna directly in your mouth for hours while it transmits, and nothing bad will happen to you. But if it was putting out the same power of a microwave, you would be cooked. In general, the test I use is this: place your cell phone inside the microwave, and close the door. DO NOT! TURN ON THE MICROWAVE OBVIOUSLY! Now, with the door completely closed, try to call your cell phone from another phone. If it rings while inside the microwave, I'd worry a bit. If it doesn't, I wouldn't. This works because your cell tower is transmitting at low power, and is far away from you. So if your phone can talk to the tower from inside the microwave, it means it's probably leaking more energy than you would really like.