but isn`t he right?

[kimba1]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/14/national/a162328D73.DTL

he`s not saying ,don`t speak spanish
just speak more english,like he did
it`s not gonna help people in a interview to not be fluent in the primary language here.
even in england cockneye is disapearing and that is english.
note in the article the oppostiton doesn`t address this issue.

[Michael Tee]

I'd want to hear from an expert that there's a difference between three hours a day of English and every waking hour.  Who knows if there isn't a saturation point for students of a new language or a Law of Diminishing Returns, where after the first x hours, every hour spent thereafter in the study of the language is producing benefits at a rapidly decreasing rate.

I won't say he's right or wrong - - just that I don't think he's any expert just because he learned to speak English.  There's such a thing as burnout and there's also such a thing as keeping informed.  If you're learning English slowly, not understanding the news of the world for example, if you don't listen to any Spanish-language radio or TV, you'll really fall behind on important news.

Personally, having tried to learn a few languages in addition to the ones I studied in school, I found one of the most efficient means of study was to read the news in the language I was trying to learn.  Since I'd already read and thoroughly understood the same story in English probably the same day, I wasn't slowed down by the need to look up so many words in the bilingual dictionary, as I was able to instinctively able to understand many more, also (and probably more importantly) the meanings of idioms and figures of speech were much more readily apparent and it was easy to translate from idiom to idiom, rather than making painfully precise (linguistically) translations of the foreign idioms, which sounded stilted and unnatural in English.  My advice would be, listen to and read the news in both languages daily.   

Similarly, comic books are good - - because they're usually simple and the graphic images accompanying the relatively few words make them much more intuitively understandable, again without slowing down progress by excessive dictionary consultations.

[Plane]

http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa122500a.htm


That seems like a good suggestion.




Disney Glossary
Note: The names and characters listed in this glossary are copyrights or trademarks of the Disney and Buena Vista corporations. This glossary is for educational purposes only and has no official connection with Disney or Buena Vista.

April, May, and June  Dicky, Dacky und Ducky

Beagle Boys, the  die Panzerknacker
  (“the safe crackers”)
Black Pete/Peg-Leg Pete  Kater Karlo
Brigitta Macbridge  Gitta Gans


The cover of "Adventure in
Uncle Scrooge's Treasure Chest."

Chip 'n' Dale  Ahörnchen und Behörnchen
  der Ahorn = maple (tree)
  das Ahörnchen = squirrel
Clarabelle Cow  Klarabella Kuh

Daisy Duck  Daisy Duck
Dalmatian (dog)  der Dalmatiner
  101/102 Dalmatians  101/102 Dalmatiner
Donald Duck  Donald Duck
Duckburg  Entenhausen
  (town where Donald Duck lives,
   die Ente = duck)

Eega Beeva  Gamma

Flintheart Glomgold  Mac Moneysac

Gladstone Gander  Gustav Gans
Goofy  Goofy
Grandma Duck  Oma/Dorette Duck
Gus Goose  Franz Gans
Gyro Gearloose  Daniel Düsentrieb

Huey, Dewey and Louie  Tick, Trick und Track

Lady and the Tramp  Susi und Strolchi
Ludwig von Drake  Primus von Quack

Magica De Spell  Gundel Gaukeley
Mickey Mouse  Micky Maus
Minnie Mouse  Minni Maus
Morty and Ferdie  Mack und Muck

Pluto  Pluto

Rockerduck  Klaas Klever

Uncle Scrooge (McDuck)  Onkel Dagobert
Scrooge McDuck  Dagobert Duck

[Michael Tee]

Disney wasn't what I had in mind, but it could work. 

The German site you linked to was humour, which I don't really recommend, simply because humour is sometimes hard to get and because the fact situations are often fanciful and imaginative, not realistic, the captions or dialogue won't relate instinctively to what you would recognize from life.  But of course, if you're interested in humour anyway, then there's a bonus in each one that you do "get."

I was thinking more of the French "bandes dessinees," which are adult-content hard-cover story books, some X-rated, some not, but all of them on about a B-movie level of action and fairly easy to follow.  The popular ones are fantasy/science-fiction and action-adventure.  Even the idioms and slang can be followed and the bonus of course is that you'd probably be interested in the story line whether you were learning a language or not.

[Lanya]

My brother used to send me Paris Match magazines.    Those were fun to read, as best I could.   I recall them being pretty similar to Life, Look, something like that.   
A well-loved story that is simple is another good choice.   We read The Little Prince in English and then in French. 

[kimba1]

I`ve been watching spanish tv for 2 decades and haven`t learned a single word
kinda distracted for some reason to really pay attention to what they say.
goodlord the women are good looking

[Lanya]

 I love their soaps. 
For you, I prescribe children's programming.  With no ads featuring good-looking women.

[Michael Tee]

When we were in Brazil, the most popular children's show in the country was hosted by some voluptuous blonde babe named Zsuzsu in a silver-flake, skin-tight evening dress with a plunging neckline, surrounded by kindergarten and elementary-school kids of every race and colour imaginable, all chattering, singing and dancing with the hostess.  I don't think kimba would have any problem at all with children's programming.  Most of the guys in Brazil just turned off the sound while they watched.

[Amianthus]

When we were in Brazil, the most popular children's show in the country was hosted by some voluptuous blonde babe named Zsuzsu in a silver-flake, skin-tight evening dress with a plunging neckline, surrounded by kindergarten and elementary-school kids of every race and colour imaginable, all chattering, singing and dancing with the hostess.  I don't think kimba would have any problem at all with children's programming.  Most of the guys in Brazil just turned off the sound while they watched.

Voluptuous? She's skinny as a stick!

(My daughter used to watch her show all the time...)


Wikipedia - Xuxa

[Michael Tee]

Not the Xuxa I remember.  I'll stick with the memories.  Didn't know they broadcast her show in North America.

[Amianthus]

Not the Xuxa I remember.  I'll stick with the memories.  Didn't know they broadcast her show in North America.

Our satellite tv has programming from around the world, as you'll remember from our discussion of the availabilty of al Jazeera in the US.

If it's not the one you remember, your description of her show was right on. Except the "voluptuous" part.

[kimba1]

I remember her
she even had a show in the U.S. but for some reason it didn`t work
she used to be pele`s girlfriend
and yes she is a stick girl,but a pretty one
and I do watch the soaps and never with the volume.
america really got no reason to say they got too much sex on tv.
the U.S. is sooo tame .
I even watch british shows and they are more risque than out stuff
they say fuck on tv

[Michael Tee]

<<If it's not the one you remember, your description of her show was right on. Except the "voluptuous" part.>>

No, she's the one I remember alright.  The name particularly, I just spelled it wrong.  Forgot that initial X in Portuguese was a "sh" sound.  Didn't need an "s."   She could have been wearing a push-up back then.  Or maybe there's a law similar to the fisherman's "the one that got away" - -  with the passage of time, they get bigger and bigger.

[kimba1]

I remember her wearing  x`s all the time it was kinda confusing since it was the time malcolm x was in fashion so we can`t help thinking of him instead it meaning her name.
I remember people complaining about her ,because of her aryan looks portray the wrong image of brazil.

[Amianthus]

because of her aryan looks portray the wrong image of brazil.

Errr, excuse me?

There are plenty of fair skinned Hispanic / Lusitanic people.