But she does not have the Danish accent yet.
It is clear that she is fluent or quite near fluency in Danish.
That's what I think
I think she will never do, because you can not pretend to have any perfect accent when you passed your childhood and early life in a completly different country
Thank you for posting this link. It still amazes me that with technology today, I can watch something on the computer that was watched in Denmark.
Thank you for posting this link. It still amazes me that with technology today, I can watch something on the computer that was watched in Denmark.
As for Mary, I don't think I ever gave her credit for learning another language. From what I heard on the documentary, it sounds like a very difficult language to learn and she speaks it very very good. I'm very impressed.
My parents speak can speak both english and spanish, english being their mother tongue. Even after 45 years of listening to them when they do speak spanish, I know nothing but a few words here and there. I commend her! Well done Pr. Mary!
Frelinghighness said:
In Mary's defence I'd say it isn't that simple.
Mary has to be able to read and write Danish to almost perfection. She is expected to speak Danish not just fluently, but to master the nuances of the language. Including subtleties and sounds that simply doesn't exist in English. (Let alone our little habit of omitting words when we speak or cutting off the ends of words).
Oh, did I mention the constant use of irony? (Which can be a genuine problem in workplaces with different cultures).
Not only that, she also has to understand the natives. Copenhagener Danish sounds different from say Danish spoken on Southern Funen even though the words are exactly the same. - And that's pretty easy, because Danish spoken in Northern Jutland or Bornholm sound even more different!
And then there are dialects....
It's litterally no more than 100 years ago that Danes from different parts of the country would have had problems understanding each other.
I believe Mary may have needed an aspirin from time to time.
It'll be equivalent to dropping me off in Yorkshire or rural Louisiana. I may have learned to speak English, but I'd still be pretty lost...
I mean: My point exactly. That's what happens when one accidentally think in Danish.
Indeed it is. But I'd say someone who can master up to ten languages has a gift for learning languages. And unfortunately few possess that talent.
To most of us it's hard work and endless practise.
It's my impression that Mary hasn't been born with a gift for learning languages, or she would probably have picked up other languages by now, besides English and Danish and perhaps a little French.
That means she must have had to work and work hard to get where she is now.
That's also an accomplishment, eh?
However, there is a considerable difference between learning the basis of a language. I.e. grammar, spelling, correct pronounciaton and to master a language, with all the subtleties, dialects, slang, accents.
That's the difference between newsreader-English and English as spoken by people in the street.
It's when you can do crosswords at a reasonable level and when you can effortlessly understand and chat with people on the street that you can say that you truly master a language.
I doubt Mary used a multimedia course given she was already in the country and could speak Danish with practically everyone around her. Immersion is the best way to learn a language and with dedicated tutors, I think it's hard to go wrong if you work hard enough.
lancchick said:Is that an endorsement or advertisement?
In Mary's defence I'd say it isn't that simple.
Mary has to be able to read and write Danish to almost perfection. She is expected to speak Danish not just fluently, but to master the nuances of the language. Including subtleties and sounds that simply doesn't exist in English. (Let alone our little habit of omitting words when we speak or cutting off the ends of words).
