Who wants cheese?
Feb. 18th, 2011 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apple_pathwaysThe POLL to accompany my post about languages. As usual, I cut myself off because I ran out of time, and not necessarily because I finished asking everything I wanted. So take note: there may be follow-up questions! XD
For the purposes of this poll, we will use the following definitions from Wikipedia, that bastion of academic rigor and accuracy: (Also see this article on multilingualism.)
Language fluency is used informally to denote broadly a high level of language proficiency, most typically foreign language or another learned language, and more narrowly to denote fluid language use, as opposed to slow, halting use.
Conversational means able to carry on a casual conversation, but not necessarily without halts in speech, or gaps in vocabulary.
Skip any questions that don't apply. Pretend that it's not weird I spend so much of my free time coming up with meaningless LJ Polls written in unneccessarily-academic language.
[Poll #1706752]
Please leave any details you're willing to share about your language abilities and experiences learning foreign languages in the comments below!
For the purposes of this poll, we will use the following definitions from Wikipedia, that bastion of academic rigor and accuracy: (Also see this article on multilingualism.)
Language fluency is used informally to denote broadly a high level of language proficiency, most typically foreign language or another learned language, and more narrowly to denote fluid language use, as opposed to slow, halting use.
Conversational means able to carry on a casual conversation, but not necessarily without halts in speech, or gaps in vocabulary.
Skip any questions that don't apply. Pretend that it's not weird I spend so much of my free time coming up with meaningless LJ Polls written in unneccessarily-academic language.
[Poll #1706752]
Please leave any details you're willing to share about your language abilities and experiences learning foreign languages in the comments below!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-02-19 07:44 pm (UTC)'Afsluiten' means 'to lock'.
In Holland, the kind of school determines where you're headed, as opposed to college in the US. At the age of 12, in your last year of elementary school, everyone is subjected to a Standard Aptitude Test, that measures your IQ etc. This determines your school. If you go to 'gymnasium', as I did, you're automatically bound for University (only about 7% of young people go to Uni). You're specifically groomed for Uni, so you are taught Classics and do really in-depth studies of your chosen path. For me, it was languages because numbers scare me. If you choose all languages you are not allowed to choose, say, chemistry as well, because it doesn't fit in with the path you're headed down. Languages = alpha; sciences = bèta; economics = gamma. That is what I put on my resumé as well: 'gymnasium alpha', so that future employers know at a glance it's useless to have me work in the finance department.