Klarinet Archive - Posting 000841.txt from 1999/12

From: "Rien Stein" <rstein@-----.nl>
Subj: [kl] Re: languages
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 20:56:38 -0500

On Thu, 23 Dec 1999 23:39:14 -0500 Danny Ehrhart wrote:

>what about us students that are taught French but don't speak it. I'm prime
>example. I don't see why we need masculine and feminine articles?! (That's
>the part I have the most trouble with!) But I try, maybe I'll be able to
use
>it some day!

Dear Danny

French is a rather uncomplicated language: it has only two genders. Many
languages have three, usually indicated as male, female and neutral. I am
not aware of any language having more than three genders.

You can do quite without genders: English contains only one, the Indonesian
has none at all, and also this language, like Russian, has no articles.
Don't shout hoorray to these languages, though, they are not simple! In
Russian you have no articles, but you "ll meet all three the genders, and
besides six cases (and many more difficulties), in Finnish (I never learned
that one, but a friend of mine did) you have even eight. So cheer up, do the
best you can, and try to get fluent in French. Be not as that LA woman, that
said to me "I teach French, but I cannot speak it!" It gives much richness
to your life, when you master a language, and, believe me, I think it is
easier to become fluent in a foreign language, than to learn to play
clarinet ...

Rien

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