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Originally Posted by dogsbody70
Perhaps it is time that here in the UK Languages should be taught from early years when it is easier to assimilate them.
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I couldn't agree with this more. In the US, you don't usually get language courses offered until high school. This year a school was offering Chinese to grade school students and the right wing nutjobs went crazy (crazier), claiming they were trying to indocrinate their children in Communism. Oy. They seem to think learning another language is un-American or something.
I know what you mean about accents. I've always found it amusing that some interviews in documentaries have subtitles when the people are speaking English.
But what's really interesting to me is the connections between American accents and UK accents. Until I saw The Story of English (riveting - highly recommended, both the book and the series) I would never have guessed or heard the roots of Scots Irish in the
American Appalachian accent. There are many more accents and ways of speaking English than most Americans are even aware of.
Dictionaries are good sources of information about word roots which can help in remembering the words and how they're used (just threw that in to be on topic
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It would be interesting comparing the differences in describing things.
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I agree, but I think maybe it should be a new thread? Go for it.