Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bambi B (A) on August 25, 2005 at 11:27:34

In Reply to: Re: To honour Mr. Mantz------ posted by patrickU on August 25, 2005 at 10:08:21:

Patrick,

Mantz: The article on Mantz is very interesting as his death is one of the few that rises to mythology in movie history was so odd- and attached to such an odd and wonderful movie. -Thanks again!

______________

Languages: My German is just terrible- though I'm told I have a "nett Ausprache". I had a radio programme for 6 years and listeners could never decide- I know because they'd ring me up and ask- where I'm from- It must have been all those years in Libya, then Holland, Oklahoma, US!, England, and then Los Anegles since 1980. This seems to be giving a very mixed sound.

With German I've forgotten grammar, spelling and I get all the endings and cases wrong- nicht genug Unterhaltung. I need to practice my German as I 'm currently designing a house for a nice fellow from Austria whose English is (unbelievably) less than my German. As well, I haven't really used my first language in years- all my Dutch friends and family, and people in Holland just end up speaking English. When I was in Amsterdam last time, people would come up to me on the street and speak Dutch- for some reason a lot of people ask me for directions*** there, but when I replied, they'd change to English- that's a bit humiliating! And, in the US I get jokes, questions, and distracting comments about my surname all the time. No one believes it's a real name!

*** Well, some were actually asking for something else probably!

I'm dissapointed too as at one time my French was reasonably good- but in Los Angeles I almost never cross paths with French speakers. My accent in French is not so good. Actually, it's a surprise to me, but here in L.A, German is the 6th most common languages. I think the order English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, German!

I shouldn't really be too terribly proud of my English either- disorganized and overly elaborate usually.

By the way, do you speak more than French, German, and English? It'a always interesing to me which languages people end up with. My mother is something of a linguist and speaks Dutch, English, Spanish (her college degree is in Spanish literature), Italian, German, French, and even got me interested in learning a little Russian when her sister was living there. I've long had a bit of "language envy" as I find it so amazing when people are fluent in several languages- while I'm not even approaching perfect in any!

With a complicated history, it amazes me as I fell ackward all the time in every language! Do you ever feel completely at ease- use it without noticing- in German?

Best wishes, Cheers, Salut, Vaarwel, and Gruss,

Bam