Living wealthy or living poor?

[Eng274]

You can always make your own curry if eating at home, I had a chicken tikka which was 3 servings for a fiver.

I'm more concerned about the price of my bottles of Jack Daniel's. It was £90 in November before the VAT rise

Home brewing..now that could be a worthwhile venture

How much did you get for £90, 6x70cl bottles i hope!

 

[SS4]

Home brewing..now that could be a worthwhile venture

How much did you get for £90, 6x70cl bottles i hope!

That's true, would be interesting to say the least. Also it was a 3L bottle of Jack for £90, it's not as good value as multiple smaller bottles but I wanted the huge one it came in (that last clause belongs in the metre high club thread)

 

[WestCoast]

I think the education system should focus more on languages. In Germany, they learn English every day from Kindergarten.

I am keen supporter of languages in schools, I think the UK as a nation is far too blasé about our language. I went to a school that made pupils take one language to GCSE and the amount of whinging and moaning was unbelievable. "They all speak English" is all I ever heard. Coming from a family with foreign roots soon puts that straight.

Unlucky, I got A* in both. I am proud of it but I don't show off. As an aside I would like to continue learning German, I just need the motivation.

Well done, it is rare nowadays. I was awarded an A* in both French and German, and I am pursuing the latter to A2 level.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Going back to the original question, on a more practical level it does depend on how you live and where you live.

It's your lifestyle, your needs and wants, your accommodation (and so on) and some of those factors will depend on your location and lifestyle choices.

Some people will live beyond their means and this is where credit issues come in.

 

[yorksrob]

You can always make your own curry if eating at home, I had a chicken tikka which was 3 servings for a fiver.

I prefer to leave some things to the professionals.

Home brewing..now that could be a worthwhile venture

Alas I don’t think my body would stand up to home brewing !

 

[90019]

I think the education system should focus more on languages. In Germany, they learn English every day from Kindergarten.

I don't.
Though, that's because I'm not able to learn a second language.

Personally, I think the qualifications system should use a range of different techniques to assess people, rather than just exams.
I prefer the system at uni because the exam only counts towards part of the final grades, with various other parts of the course being assessed as well (experiments, write ups, reports, etc.)

I did alright in school, but because I have a very bad memory, am easily distracted and really struggle to memorise things, I didn't do that well in my exams (I just scraped through my highers on the second attempt to get good enough grades to get into uni).

 

[me123]

English Literature got harder too. My year was the last year in which you were allowed to annotate your anthology. Needless to say everyone wrote down the answer in all but name which is probably why it was banned..

You may be interested to know that Higher English exams in Scotland (which almost all 5th year students will probably sit) used to consist of two literature essays, each a thousand words, total time for both essays was 90 minutes, and you didn't have any access whatsoever to the literature. You even have to remember your quotations. So you've still got it pretty easy!

 

[90019]

You may be interested to know that Higher English exams in Scotland (which almost all 5th year students will probably sit) used to consist of two literature essays, each a thousand words, total time for both essays was 90 minutes, and you didn't have any access whatsoever to the literature. You even have to remember your quotations. So you've still got it pretty easy!

I hated those exams.

Especially since I'm really crap at writing essays and have a terrible memory
Needless to say, I didn't do very well on the essays.

 

[Ivo]

I quite like the situation on my course at Bath Spa. Although not true for many courses here, there are precisely zero exams during the entire Degree programme. We will only be facing the prospect of actual exams come the PGCE element, which is compulsory (based on the course structure) for those wishing to go beyond the Education Degree to Qualified Teacher Status; the PGCE course is a guaranteed possibility (i.e. no Interviews etc) for all on the course. It's known as a "3+1". It also means that should I decide after the dissertation that I would rather be an Ed Psych, for example, I will still have the Education Degree.

Back to the GCSE issue, there is also the small problem of people just revising for ever. Even if you have a bad memory, if you look at a page of test every day for a month you are bound to remember at least some of it, so what's the point in exams if said text will just be imprinted on your mind? As my Access course Sociology tutor said, "Exams don't test your ability in the subject; they test your ability in exams."
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I am keen supporter of languages in schools, I think the UK as a nation is far too blasé about our language.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

In meiner Meinung, alle Leute sollen Französisch, Deutsch oder Spanisch lernen.

 

[me123]

I am keen supporter of languages in schools, I think the UK as a nation is far too blasé about our language. I went to a school that made pupils take one language to GCSE and the amount of whinging and moaning was unbelievable. "They all speak English" is all I ever heard. Coming from a family with foreign roots soon puts that straight.

Although I don't come from a family with foreign roots, I wholly agree with you. Our language skills are, and to be fair always have been, a national embarrassment. It sickens me that so many people don't know even the most simple phrases in at least one other language. And they struggle to do anything whatsoever. Ironically, these are often the people who moan when tourists can't speak English.

I may not be the best at languages, and I was always disappointed that I couldn't take two languages to Standard Grade and one to Higher. I only managed to take French to Standard Grade, although I know more than just what's needed for that exam. As I say, I may not be the best, but I can get by in Francophone countries, and not do badly in Germany either. I always mean to learn some basic Spanish, but sadly it's never quite worked out. Nevertheless, I do think it's important to try and speak some of the language when you're abroad. Even if it's just "Gracias". Most people do appreciate a legitimate effort.

It shocks me that so many people refuse to learn other languages because they've all managed to learn ours. In fact, it's just downright rude. How pathetic is it that just about every other developed country in Europe is churning out students who are almost totally bilingual, whereas we're only managing to get a handful of students out at the same level?

 

[Ivo]

I remember at the 2006 FIFA World Cup there was a bit of a joke among the national media about how many languages each referee could speak. Some could speak two, some three, some four.

As for Graham Poll? Well...

 

[me123]

In meiner Meinung, alle Leute sollen Französisch, Deutsch oder Spanisch lernen.

A mon collège, nous avons étudié le Francais et l'Allemand. Mais le francais était beaucoup plus populaire.

 

[Ivo]

A mon collège, nous avons étudié le Francais et l'Allemand. Mais le francais était beaucoup plus populaire.

Ah, oui? A mon collège, nous avons étudié le Français et l'Allemand aussi! Il a venu un "Language College".

Tu a dit que "le francais était beaucoup plus populaire"; c'etait plus populaire à Southend aussi.

 

[WestCoast]

Op mijn school hebben we geleerd Franse of Duitse....Mijn Nederlands is niet goed

Just thought I'd try some very ropey Dutch that I was taught by my grandparents!

 

[Ivo]

Croeso

(Sorry; I just wanted to add something in Cymraeg.)

Did you actually study Dutch, or did you use a translator? - Oops, sorry; you answered that already. My bad.

The thing with Dutch is that it is actually very easy to learn; I can easily translate that into English in spite of having never been taught it!

 

[WestCoast]

Did you actually study Dutch, or did you use a translator?

Never studied it, it's a family thing. I have to use a translator for certain words but the grammar on the translator is appalling in general - it struggles with word order for german/dutch especially!

 

[Daimler]

Ah, oui? A mon collège, nous avons étudié le Français et l'Allemand aussi! Il a venu un "Language College".

Tu a dit que "le francais était beaucoup plus populaire"; c'etait plus populaire à Southend aussi.

Ah, ça fait plaisir de voir qu'il y a quand même de nos jours des jeunes qui veulent apprendre le français en Angleterre. Moi, je suis en train de l'étudier - avec l'histoire - à l'université, et j'adore cette langue.

Mon allemand, hélas, est nettement moins bon...

 

[WestCoast]

The thing with Dutch is that it is actually very easy to learn; I can easily translate that into English in spite of having never been taught it!

The fun starts with saying it correctly! Plus, if you know German that sentence is easy, "hebben" for "haben" and "we" for "wir" . "Duits" for "Deutsch" e.t.c

 

[Ivo]

OK, I'm beat; Daimler wins! I have tried and failed to trump that.

I just wish my Welsh was better; I bet I could beat you with that!

 

[SS4]

Ah, oui? A mon collège, nous avons étudié le Français et l'Allemand aussi! Il a venu un "Language College".

Tu a dit que "le francais était beaucoup plus populaire"; c'etait plus populaire à Southend aussi.

Apres je suis parti, mon école est devenu un "Language College" aussi. Avant, on peut choisir le Français et/ou l'Allemand. Il y avait seulement cinq personnes qu'ont choisi les deux quand je l'étudias.

Word order in German is horrible, especially when reflexive verbs got in on the action, ich habe mich um 11 Uhr aufgestehen (I can never remember if they use haben or sein)

 

[me123]

Ah, nous n'avons pas les "Languages Colleges" en Ecosse Mais il faut étudier une langue moderne à Standard Grade.

 

[Daimler]

OK, I'm beat; Daimler wins! I have tried and failed to trump that.

I just wish my Welsh was better; I bet I could beat you with that!

I think you'd probably be right there, and the same would go for German! Curiously, about the only complete sentence I know is 'Haben sie eine kleine plastiche leufel bitte?' Why that, I have no idea (nor have I any idea if that's entirely correct!*).

I should definitely have chosen German over Latin at school, but never mind...

* A quick Google Translate would suggest not, returning something surprisingly far removed from 'Do you have a small plastic spoon please?'

 

[Ivo]

I give up. I haven't even been to France or Germany since 2005. The last non-UK country I visited was Ireland, and that was 2006! And between then and December 2009, I left England once (and then it was to Cardiff Airport).

Cymraeg?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Ah, nous n'avons pas les "Languages Colleges" en Ecosse Mais il faut étudier une langue moderne à Standard Grade.

Ah, je suis désolé. Je pense que les "Language Colleges" sont une mal idée! Ils sont venu de Labour!

How did I manage to miss the "de" from "devenu"? :? And I've used both avoir and être past forms for venir... :?

I thought you were talking about something else when you said "plastic" at first, but then I realised that the term "Brüste" was not present! More MHC calamities...

 

[SS4]

I think you'd probably be right there, and the same would go for German! Curiously, about the only complete sentence I know is 'Haben sie eine kleine plastiche leufel bitte?' Why that, I have no idea (nor have I any idea if that's entirely correct!*).

I should definitely have chosen German over Latin at school, but never mind...

* A quick Google Translate would suggest not, returning something surprisingly far removed from 'Do you have a small plastic spoon please?'

Close, Löffel is spoon (capitalising all nouns = another German headache!) and löffeln is to spoon

Like Ivo it's time for me to quit while I'm ahead

 

[WestCoast]

Ich habe immer das Erlernen von Sprachen in der Schule genossen. Meine Lieblingssprache ist Deutsch, auch wenn die Grammatik kann etwas mühsam sein! Meine Klassenkameraden konnten nicht die Sprache begreifen. Die Wortstellung ist schwierig, aber Übung macht den Meister!

 

[Daimler]

Close, Löffel is spoon (capitalising all nouns = another German headache!) and löffeln is to spoon

Like Ivo it's time for me to quit while I'm ahead

Ah, thankyou - I've never attempted to write that sentence before, only having spoken it (and even then, understandably, very seldom!).

I should've remembered the capitalisation of nouns, though...

 

[90019]

Although I don't come from a family with foreign roots, I wholly agree with you. Our language skills are, and to be fair always have been, a national embarrassment. It sickens me that so many people don't know even the most simple phrases in at least one other language.

This always makes me feel a little awkward, because a lot of people just assume that I've deliberately chosen not to learn any other language.
(Which isn't the case; I tried to learn French for 9 years and German for 3 - turns out I don't have the ability to learn more than one language ).

 

[Ivo]

Can onybody here speak Scots?

A want tae speak it the nou.

 

[me123]

Apologies to 90019; I do have the utmost respect people who try to learn!

Can onybody here speak Scots?

A want tae speak it the nou.

Aye. Whit fettle?

Do you want Doric? Lallans? Glesga? There's dozens of Scots dialects.

I don't actually speak any Scots (although I understand most of it, Doric aside). Like most people up here, I speak the Scots dialect of English.

 

[WestCoast]

This always makes me feel a little awkward, because a lot of people just assume that I've deliberately chosen not to learn any other language.
(Which isn't the case; I tried to learn French for 9 years and German for 3 - turns out I don't have the ability to learn more than one language ).

I can sympathise - It is the case that some people find it extremely difficult to grasp languages after the key early years of language adsorption (i.e. early child years).

We're all not good at something - my maths isn't brilliant!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Out of interest, do they make any small attempt to teach Scottish Gaelic in Scottish schools?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The last non-UK country I visited was Ireland, and that was 2006! And between then and December 2009, I left England once (and then it was to Cardiff Airport).

As terrible as it sounds, I sometimes get bored with UK rail and have to go to Europe for something different and the languages do come in handy then!!

 

[me123]

Out of interest, do they make any small attempt to teach Scottish Gaelic in Scottish schools?

No. A lot of people are very resistant to it for some reason. As such, most of us know absolutely no Gaelic whatsoever (unless you come from an area where it's still widely spoken, eg the Western Isles). There has been a small attempt to push bilingual teaching for those who want it (even if they're not Gaelic speakers), and it seems to work very well, but it's not widespread.

It's a shame really; I'd love to know a wee bit of Gaelic. And I'm sure they do a lot of Welsh teaching in Wales even though it's not a majority language either.