Author Topic: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English  (Read 4435 times)

Offline wayfe

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Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« on: November 17, 2014, 07:32:39 PM »
I know a guy who speaks primarily Yiddish and a broken, chassidishe English wanting to learn to speak/read/write English properly for business purposes. How would you recommend he go about it?
"I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers which can't be questioned."
— Richard Feynman

Offline sky121

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2014, 07:38:43 PM »
Read.
Listen to English CDs.
Take lessons.
"Not all who wander are lost"

Offline meshugener

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2014, 10:57:40 PM »
Read, read and don't stop reading.
Whatever interests him, be it news articles, trip reports out whatever he feels interested in.

That's the best way.

Spending 2 years on DDF also helps a lot.
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Offline MC

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2014, 11:02:12 PM »
I second the reading but with the caveat that it should be well written works that he's reading.
Reading poorly written articles, books, etc. won't get him very far.

Offline meshugener

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2014, 11:09:42 PM »
Of course.

I had a habit reading 5-6 NYT articles every day. No kidding.
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Offline Dan

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2014, 11:12:56 PM »
Read the WSJ daily.
Lookup every word you don't understand.

Not just good for him, good for anyone who wants to hold intelligent conversations.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2014, 11:26:18 PM »
Of course.

I had a habit reading 5-6 NYT articles every day. No kidding.
+1. Nyt may be liberal, but is very well written

Offline dudi

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2014, 11:28:12 PM »
I was in the same situation a few years ago just that i was coming from hebrew to English.
Reading made all the difference I read all 7 harry potters and made sure I understood every word its good because its interesting and very long so by he time I read all 7 books I knew ALOT.
Then I went to a few really high vocabulary books and read them making sure I understood every word and now I am speaking and writing in pretty high level English my hand writing still looks like a tzunami but I will figure that our one day
(Maybe I will open a thread for ideas)

Offline meshugener

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2014, 11:45:54 PM »
Read the WSJ daily.

Doesn't compare to the NYT.
Yes, it might make you think a little different than what you're used to. But it doesn't bite.

Compare my first year of DDFing to two years later.
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Offline mochada

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2014, 11:56:22 PM »
Doesn't compare to the NYT.
Yes, it might make you think a little different than what you're used to. But it doesn't bite.

Compare my first year of DDFing to two years later.

+100  Your english has improved drastically! Did you read 5-6 DDF articles a day as well?

Offline Dan

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #10 on: November 17, 2014, 11:58:03 PM »
Doesn't compare to the NYT.
Yes, it might make you think a little different than what you're used to. But it doesn't bite.

Compare my first year of DDFing to two years later.
-1
It's written on the same grade level, it just doesn't corrupt your mind with the left's ideals.
I enjoy reading the NYT and would gladly take a free subscription, if only to view how ridiculously anti-Israel they are.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline meshugener

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #11 on: November 18, 2014, 12:04:36 AM »
I'm not looking to go into a back & forth here, but you're mistaken.
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Offline Dan

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #12 on: November 18, 2014, 12:11:53 AM »
Most newspapers are written on a 5th grade level.
NYT/WSJ are written for a 10th grade level.

My best business class was the wone that had no textbook, just required reading the WSJ and Information Week.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline srap

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #13 on: November 18, 2014, 01:13:49 AM »
+100  Your english has improved drastically dramatically! Did you read 5-6 DDF articles a day as well?
;D   FTFY, but yours...   Cute oxymoron.  This is a quotable sentence.

Offline wayfe

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #14 on: November 18, 2014, 09:55:09 AM »
Thanks guys, newspapers are a great idea! So are the Harry Potter series due to their high interest level. I'll recommend that.

I think the biggest difference in this case is that it's not about learning a new language (ex. Hebrew to English) but rather relearning English...
"I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers which can't be questioned."
— Richard Feynman

Offline Achas Veachas

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #15 on: November 18, 2014, 10:07:52 AM »


I think the biggest difference in this case is that it's not about learning a new language (ex. Hebrew to English) but rather relearning English...

I still thin reading a LOT can help, especially when you keep it in mind while reading so you pay special attention to new/unfamiliar words etc.

Tip: reading out of a Kindle or similar gives convenient access to dictionaries and definitions.

Offline wayfe

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #16 on: November 18, 2014, 10:10:49 AM »
Reading is definitely key. The question is- what to read?

I'm wondering whether WSJ or NYT might just be over his head...
"I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers which can't be questioned."
— Richard Feynman

Offline wayfe

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #17 on: November 18, 2014, 10:16:24 AM »
Not just good for him, good for anyone who wants to hold intelligent conversations.

It's a fascinating idea, how simply having an expanded vocabulary allows you to think of things and in ways you couldn't fathom otherwise. Brings to mind 1984 (a book I can't seem to get out of my mind).
"I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers which can't be questioned."
— Richard Feynman

Offline yos9694

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #18 on: November 19, 2014, 12:51:01 PM »
I read gemara, chumash, etc. every day and I can't speak a straight sentence in Hebrew or Aramaic.

Speaking is key, not reading. Practice and stumble, that's what pays off.

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Yiddish (Yinglish) Speaker Learning English
« Reply #19 on: November 19, 2014, 01:34:04 PM »
I read gemara, chumash, etc. every day and I can't speak a straight sentence in Hebrew or Aramaic.

Speaking is key, not reading. Practice and stumble, that's what pays off.
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