Warm – up
1) What is your mother tongue?
2) How many languages do you speak?
3) How did you learn your second language?
4) What's the best way to learn a foreign language?
Vocabulary
1) Multilingual
He's English, but he can speak eleven languages
Alex Rawlings has been named the UK's most multilingual student, in a competition run by a dictionary publisher.
The German and Russian student from London, who is only 20 years old, can speak 11 languages f luently. In a video for the BBC News website he demonstrated his skills by speaking in all of them, changing quickly from one to
anot her. Rawlings said t hat winning t he competition was 'a bit of a shock'. He explained, 'I saw the competition advertised and I heard something about a free iPad. I never imagined that it would generate this amount of media attention.'
As a child, Rawlings' mother, who is half Greek, used to speak to him in English, Greek, and French, and he often visited his family in Greece. He said that he has always been interested in languages. 'My dad worked in Japan for four years and I was always frustrated that I couldn't speak to the kids because of the language barrier.' After visiting Holland at the age of 14 he decided to learn Dutch with CDs and books. 'When I went back I could talk to people. It was great.'
He taught himself many of the languages with 'teach yourself' books, but also by watching f ilms, listening to music, and travelling to the countries themselves.
Of all the languages he speaks, Rawlings says that Russian, which he has been learning for a year and a half, is the hardest. He said, 'There seem to be more
exceptions than rules!' He added, 'I especially like Greek because “I think it's beautiful and, because of my mother, I have a strong personal link to the country and to the language.”
'Everyone should learn languages, especially if they travel abroad. If you make the effort to learn even the most basic phrases wherever you go, it inst antly shows the person you're speaking to that you respect their culture. Going around speaking English loudly and getting frustrated at people is tact less and rude.'
Discussion
1. Can you or anyone in your family speak another language fluently?
2. Do you know any basic phrases in any other languages?
3. Do you have a personal link to another country or language? Why?
4. Have you ever travelled to another country and felt that there wasa real language barrier ?
5. What other languages would you like to be able to speak? Why?
Valeriia | www.thedapo.com
1) What is your mother tongue?
2) How many languages do you speak?
3) How did you learn your second language?
4) What's the best way to learn a foreign language?
Vocabulary
1) Multilingual
2) Fluently
3) Language barrier
4) Skills
5) More exceptions than rules
6) Link
7) Basic phrases
Reading
3) Language barrier
4) Skills
5) More exceptions than rules
6) Link
7) Basic phrases
Reading
He's English, but he can speak eleven languages
Alex Rawlings has been named the UK's most multilingual student, in a competition run by a dictionary publisher.
The German and Russian student from London, who is only 20 years old, can speak 11 languages f luently. In a video for the BBC News website he demonstrated his skills by speaking in all of them, changing quickly from one to
anot her. Rawlings said t hat winning t he competition was 'a bit of a shock'. He explained, 'I saw the competition advertised and I heard something about a free iPad. I never imagined that it would generate this amount of media attention.'
As a child, Rawlings' mother, who is half Greek, used to speak to him in English, Greek, and French, and he often visited his family in Greece. He said that he has always been interested in languages. 'My dad worked in Japan for four years and I was always frustrated that I couldn't speak to the kids because of the language barrier.' After visiting Holland at the age of 14 he decided to learn Dutch with CDs and books. 'When I went back I could talk to people. It was great.'
He taught himself many of the languages with 'teach yourself' books, but also by watching f ilms, listening to music, and travelling to the countries themselves.
Of all the languages he speaks, Rawlings says that Russian, which he has been learning for a year and a half, is the hardest. He said, 'There seem to be more
exceptions than rules!' He added, 'I especially like Greek because “I think it's beautiful and, because of my mother, I have a strong personal link to the country and to the language.”
'Everyone should learn languages, especially if they travel abroad. If you make the effort to learn even the most basic phrases wherever you go, it inst antly shows the person you're speaking to that you respect their culture. Going around speaking English loudly and getting frustrated at people is tact less and rude.'
Discussion
1. Can you or anyone in your family speak another language fluently?
2. Do you know any basic phrases in any other languages?
3. Do you have a personal link to another country or language? Why?
4. Have you ever travelled to another country and felt that there wasa real language barrier ?
5. What other languages would you like to be able to speak? Why?
Valeriia | www.thedapo.com
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