tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post8386831056177875785..comments2024-03-27T09:08:50.883-07:00Comments on Bad Mom, Good Mom: Multilingualbadmomgoodmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-47559327045085330412009-10-08T14:56:30.462-07:002009-10-08T14:56:30.462-07:00I often fret that my French and Spanish are quite ...I often fret that my French and Spanish are quite rusty, although I am much more fluent reading. It has been so long since I used either. It is nice to be able to turn the subtitles off on foreign movies and see if I can follow them.<br /><br />I am always surprised at the number of people I know who feel that there is no reason to learn another language, or for their children to learn another language. They just assume that everyone will learn theirs.Mardelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04850551308931710502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-9590888659607563602009-09-29T18:15:22.094-07:002009-09-29T18:15:22.094-07:00I learned that Shanghainese is still a completely ...I learned that Shanghainese is still a completely different dialect used in Shanghai when I was there last week. Of course, I couldn't hear any difference at all, but my husband's business colleagues filled us in:)<br />It is hard not to feel inferior about my inability to converse in several languages. I deal with it at work (healthcare industry) as well as during travel. I need to study French again- my only other formal language training, and definately have a goal of at least Spanish. I don't hold out any hope of learning Mandarin. I don't think I would ever get inflection even if I could produce the sounds of the language.Raye Annnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-27247844588355113612009-09-28T19:58:25.447-07:002009-09-28T19:58:25.447-07:00Thanks for the info about Shanghainese. So I shou...Thanks for the info about Shanghainese. So I should amend my earlier statement b/c I only understand Taiwanese and Mandarin w/ a Shanghai accent.badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-35749917329816537162009-09-28T17:30:22.754-07:002009-09-28T17:30:22.754-07:00I would expand your joke to have the third answer ...I would expand your joke to have the third answer be North Americans - most Canadians are unilingual as well. In rural Quebec there is no English ability, in most of the "rest of Canada" there is no French ability. <br />Shanghainese is still a living language today. I guess it is known as the Wu dialect, same as the character on the Shanghai licence plates. Apparently it is not broadcast on TV or taught in schools.<br />Glad you had a chance to see the new print of City of Sadness! Definitely one of the best films ever, and it sounds as though it would resonate well with your family history.<br />Lisa in Toronto<br />p.s. you left out the sign language as another language used in the filmLisa R-Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13655634518894913177noreply@blogger.com