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How difficult English is for me (part 2)

I would like to tell you another thing about my difficulty with speaking English. It was explained to me by one of my students recently. He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies in INALCO, which is a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages. I'll try to translate a paragraph from an article he wrote in French. (By the way, his French is tremendously good. This guy has an amazing capacity for learning languages.)

In his article, he talks about another article he read. It's about the specificities of Florida English. He explains that Spanish is a “syllable-timed” language whereas English is a “stress-timed” language. That means that in Spanish the intervals between two syllables are relatively equal whereas in English one would rather speak with equal intervals between two stresses, instead of two syllables. Besides, according to the article he read, Spanish would have influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

As French is a syllable-timed language as well, it makes it difficult for me to understand native English speakers because my brain tries to identify each syllable separately. Of course, I'm familiar with the fact that some syllables can be contracted like in French “j'suis” or “t'as” but when that happens in French, I think it's some kind of informal speaking convention, to the extent that we've got a specific spelling for that. It's not in the essence of French prosody.

Corrections

MY PREFERENCE: I would like to tell youmention another thing about my difficulty withdifficulty I have had when speaking English.

It was explained to me by one of my studentsALSO POSSIBLE: One of my students recently explained this point to me recently.

I preference because the focus is clearer.

He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies inat INALCO, which is considered a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.

I'll try to translate a paragraph from an article he wrote in French.

(By the way, his French is tremendously good.

This guy hasALSO POSSIBLE: This guy seems to have an amazing capacity for learning languages.)

SUGGESTION: The hedge is better because we do not sure for sure.

BETTER: In his article, he talks aboutmentioned another article he read.

NOTE: The phrase "talks about" is good when *speaking.* When *writing* "mention" is a better word choice.

It'sHe wrote about the specificuliarities of Floridaian English.

COMPARE: (A) Floridia ➔ nound (B) Floridian ➔ adjective

He explainsed that Spanish is a “syllable-timed” language, whereas English is a “stress-timed” language.

That means that in Spanish the intervals between two syllables are relatively equal whereas in English one would rather speak with equal intervals between two stresses, instead of two syllables.

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would havehas influenced English in Florida in a way thatthe Floridian dialect to makes it more syllable-timed.

As French is a syllable-timed language as well, it makes it difficult for me to understand native English speakers because my brain tries to identify each syllable separately.

Of course, I'm familiar with the fact that some syllables can be contracted like in French “j'suis” or “t'as” but when that happens in French, I think it's some kind of informal speaking convention, to the extent that we've got a specific spelling for that.

It's not in the essence ofThis characteristic is not in common in French prosody.

Feedback

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

11

Thanks a lot! :)

How difficult English is for me (part 2)

I would like to tell you another thing about my difficulty with speaking English.

It was explained to me by one of my students recently.

He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies inat INALCO, which is a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.

I'll try to translate a paragraph from an article he wrote in French.

(By the way, his French is tremendously good.

This guy has an amazing capacity for learning languages.)

In his article, he talks about another article he read.

It's about the specificities of Florida English.

He explains that Spanish is a “syllable-timed” language whereas English is a “stress-timed” language.

That means that in Spanish the intervals between two syllables are relatively equal whereas in English one would rather speak with equal intervals between two stresses, instead of two syllables.

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would havehas influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

I'm not sure what the "besides" is trying to communicate here ("besides" used in this way is usually in the context of trying to convince someone of something) . Maybe you mean "however"?

As French is a syllable-timed language as well, it makes it difficult for me to understand native English speakers because my brain tries to identify each syllable separately.

Of course, I'm familiar with the fact that some syllables can be contracted like in French “j'suis” or “t'as” but when that happens in French, I think it's some kind of informal speaking convention, to the extent that we've got a specific spelling for that.

It's not inpart of the essence of French prosody.

"in" makes it sound like it's floating in the essence, like how you might say an ice cube is in a glass of water. "part of" says more explicitly says that it is that thing, but only a part. Hopefully that make sense.

Hopefully that makes sense. I can't really give a concrete explanation for why "in" doesn't sound quite right to me.

11

Thanks a lot!

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would havehas influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

C'est la seule partie qui ne me semble pas idiomatique.

« Besides » signifie « en plus » ou « de toute façon ». Il est utilisé pour exprimer que même si ce qui précède ne suffit pas, ce qui suit l'est. Mais dans votre cas, ce qui précède « Besides » est une information générale, et ce qui suit est le but de l'article. Cela ne sert donc à rien d’utiliser « En plus ». Il est naturel de simplement dire le point après les informations contextuelles.

Concernant "would have" vs "has", il me semble beaucoup plus probable que l'article parle de quelque chose qui s'est déjà produit. Dans ce cas, nous parlons de ce qui « has happened (according to the article) ». Dire « would have » implique que vous pensez que l'article est faux.

Feedback

C'est globalement bien écrit, et c'était intéressant de lire sur ce phénomène. Merci d'avoir partagé.

11

Avec plaisir ! Merci pour vos corrections et commentaires.

How difficult English is for me (part 2)

I would like to tell you another thing about my difficulty with speaking English.

It was explained to me by one of my students recently.

He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies in INALCO, which is a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.

I'll try to translate a paragraph from an article he wrote in French.

(By the way, his French is tremendously good.

This guy has an amazing capacity for learning languages.)

In his article, he talks about another article he read.

It's about the specificities of Florida English.

He explains that Spanish is a “syllable-timed” language whereas English is a “stress-timed” language.

That means that in Spanish the intervals between two syllables are relatively equal whereas in English one would rather speak with equal intervals between two stresses, instead of two syllables.

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would have influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

As French is a syllable-timed language as well, it makes it difficult for me to understand native English speakers because my brain tries to identify each syllable separately.

Of course, I'm familiar with the fact that some syllables can be contracted like in French “j'suis” or “t'as” but when that happens in French, I think it's some kind of informal speaking convention, to the extent that we've got a specific spelling for that.

It's not in the essence of the French prosodyspeaking rhythm.

The original sentence is correct, but "prosody" is not a commonly used word, it's easier to understand with a word like "rhythm".

Feedback

Your writing is really good!

11

Thanks a lot!

How difficult English is for me (part 2)

I would like to tell you another thing about my difficulty with speaking English.

It was explained to me by one of my students recently.

He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies inat INALCO, which is a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.

I'll try to translate a paragraph from an article he wrote in French.

(By the way, his French is tremendously good.

This guy has an amazing capacity for learning languages.)

In his article, he talks about another article he read.

It's about the specificities of Florida English.

you could also say "particularities"

"specificities" doesn't exist as far as I know

He explains that Spanish is a “syllable-timed” language whereas English is a “stress-timed” language.

That means that in Spanish the intervals between two syllables are relatively equal whereas in English oneyou would rathernormally speak with equal intervals between two stresses, instead of two syllables.

"rather" makes it sounds like a conscious preference

also "one" is very rarely used as a pronoun, it's almost always "you". You could also say "we" here if you wanted to include yourself as an english speaker, and with this high quality of text, you can! :-)

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish wcould have influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

I didn't understand "besides" in this context, and I couldn't think of an alternative. The sentence sounds correct to me with no word to introduce it.

Also the concept in French of using the conditional for expressing uncertainty about something doesn't really exist in English in the same way.

As French is a syllable-timed language as well, it makes it difficult for me to understand native English speakers because my brain tries to identify each syllable separately.

Of course, I'm familiar with the fact that some syllables can be contracted like in French “j'suis” or “t'as” but when that happens in French, I think it's some kind of informal speaking convention, to the extent that we've got a specific spelling for that.

It's not in the essencean essential part of French prosodye.

prosody does exist I think but I don't know what it means so I would suggest not to use it except in whatever very specific circumstance it's used!

11

Thanks a lot!

How difficult English is for me (part 2)


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This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I would like to tell you another thing about my difficulty with speaking English.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

MY PREFERENCE: I would like to tell youmention another thing about my difficulty withdifficulty I have had when speaking English.

It was explained to me by one of my students recently.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

It was explained to me by one of my studentsALSO POSSIBLE: One of my students recently explained this point to me recently.

I preference because the focus is clearer.

He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies in INALCO, which is a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.


He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies inat INALCO, which is a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies inat INALCO, which is a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.

He's a guy from the US who lives in Paris and studies inat INALCO, which is considered a very famous university for people learning “oriental” languages.

I'll try to translate a paragraph from an article he wrote in French.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

(By the way, his French is tremendously good.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This guy has an amazing capacity for learning languages.)


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This guy hasALSO POSSIBLE: This guy seems to have an amazing capacity for learning languages.)

SUGGESTION: The hedge is better because we do not sure for sure.

In his article, he talks about another article he read.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

BETTER: In his article, he talks aboutmentioned another article he read.

NOTE: The phrase "talks about" is good when *speaking.* When *writing* "mention" is a better word choice.

It's about the specificities of Florida English.


It's about the specificities of Florida English.

you could also say "particularities" "specificities" doesn't exist as far as I know

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

It'sHe wrote about the specificuliarities of Floridaian English.

COMPARE: (A) Floridia ➔ nound (B) Floridian ➔ adjective

He explains that Spanish is a “syllable-timed” language whereas English is a “stress-timed” language.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

He explainsed that Spanish is a “syllable-timed” language, whereas English is a “stress-timed” language.

That means that in Spanish the intervals between two syllables are relatively equal whereas in English one would rather speak with equal intervals between two stresses, instead of two syllables.


That means that in Spanish the intervals between two syllables are relatively equal whereas in English oneyou would rathernormally speak with equal intervals between two stresses, instead of two syllables.

"rather" makes it sounds like a conscious preference also "one" is very rarely used as a pronoun, it's almost always "you". You could also say "we" here if you wanted to include yourself as an english speaker, and with this high quality of text, you can! :-)

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Besides, according to the article he read, Spanish would have influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.


Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish wcould have influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

I didn't understand "besides" in this context, and I couldn't think of an alternative. The sentence sounds correct to me with no word to introduce it. Also the concept in French of using the conditional for expressing uncertainty about something doesn't really exist in English in the same way.

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would have influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would havehas influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

C'est la seule partie qui ne me semble pas idiomatique. « Besides » signifie « en plus » ou « de toute façon ». Il est utilisé pour exprimer que même si ce qui précède ne suffit pas, ce qui suit l'est. Mais dans votre cas, ce qui précède « Besides » est une information générale, et ce qui suit est le but de l'article. Cela ne sert donc à rien d’utiliser « En plus ». Il est naturel de simplement dire le point après les informations contextuelles. Concernant "would have" vs "has", il me semble beaucoup plus probable que l'article parle de quelque chose qui s'est déjà produit. Dans ce cas, nous parlons de ce qui « has happened (according to the article) ». Dire « would have » implique que vous pensez que l'article est faux.

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would havehas influenced English in Florida in a way that makes it “syllable-timed”.

I'm not sure what the "besides" is trying to communicate here ("besides" used in this way is usually in the context of trying to convince someone of something) . Maybe you mean "however"?

Besides, aAccording to the article he read, Spanish would havehas influenced English in Florida in a way thatthe Floridian dialect to makes it more syllable-timed.

As French is a syllable-timed language as well, it makes it difficult for me to understand native English speakers because my brain tries to identify each syllable separately.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Of course, I'm familiar with the fact that some syllables can be contracted like in French “j'suis” or “t'as” but when that happens in French, I think it's some kind of informal speaking convention, to the extent that we've got a specific spelling for that.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Of course, I'm familiar with the fact that some syllables can be contracted like in French “j'suis” or “t'as” but when that happens in French, I think it's some kind of informal speaking convention, to the extent that we've got a specific spelling for that.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

It's not in the essence of French prosody.


It's not in the essencean essential part of French prosodye.

prosody does exist I think but I don't know what it means so I would suggest not to use it except in whatever very specific circumstance it's used!

It's not in the essence of the French prosodyspeaking rhythm.

The original sentence is correct, but "prosody" is not a commonly used word, it's easier to understand with a word like "rhythm".

It's not inpart of the essence of French prosody.

"in" makes it sound like it's floating in the essence, like how you might say an ice cube is in a glass of water. "part of" says more explicitly says that it is that thing, but only a part. Hopefully that make sense. Hopefully that makes sense. I can't really give a concrete explanation for why "in" doesn't sound quite right to me.

It's not in the essence ofThis characteristic is not in common in French prosody.

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