http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17101370
My husband knows six languages (including Latin and Ancient Greek although they may not count as they're literary languages, but I think he could hold a conversation in Ancient Greek)
And if you look at the bullet points on the right under the picture of the sign, it lists Arabic as one of the most difficult languages for a native English speaker to learn. So I feel slightly less bad about being rubbish at it lol. I'd still like to be a polyglot, ideally.
I used to know this woman in London who spoke 9 languages fluently. She spoke four of those before she was 5.
A's father spoke about 6 of them. Mandinka, Wuluf, Arabic, Dutch, English and something else I can't remember. These were fluently, I'm sure he had words of another.
For some reason languages just came naturally to him.
Then somehow he managed to produce A, who couldn't speak at all for ages... lol. But Al just 'gets' Maths, so maybe it's all linked up somehow.
I speak.... English. And I got an A for French GCSE but was never fluent even conversationally and I've forgotten most now. I feel ashamed!
I don't have an 'ear' for languages or music so struggled with French, but did get an O'level. I admire anyone who can speak more than their native language
EB my Es is the same as your A, despite being brought up around fluent Irish speakers he hates it and isnt great at it, he's had french lessons since he was 3 and still struggles but is amazing at maths, it just rolls off the top of his head.
We were brought up speaking Irish at home, while we did have lessons for dutch and flemish, (we've a lot of family that live in Belgium) Id no real interest but my brother M is fluent. I only did french until GSCE.
My dad also spoke latin (catholic upbringing) and German.
DD and wiggles havent been brought up speaking Irish because OH refuses to speak it at home all the time but they've been pretty quick at picking up words and phrases with being around my family. OH's family are beyond a joke, they know a few words in Irish and claim to be fluent, yet cant speak it in the right context either, think thats what puts OH off it so much.
I can't imagine Dutch being that easy but it says it's the easiest language for English speakers to learn!
I imagine it's a grammar thing. When we (English speakers) learn a new language, there's the vocabulary, but also the grammar where English tends to be simple - verbs don't conjugate, we don't have masculine and feminine for most things, and so on.
It's a bit like when I ask my DW, what's Russian for "sheep" she says it depends on how many and what you are doing with them. Where as in English, it's always just "sheep". I guess Dutch is the same.
The mind boggles, Daedy!!!!