Has anyone noticed how young the professor looks for his age? This is another advantage of studying so many languages... You rarely go out in the sun and so you don't age as quickly.
Dr. Argueulles, have you ever been interested in Quechua? If so, are there any good sources out there in English or German? My wife is from southern Peru, so that is why I am interested. I also have a thing for "dying" languages. I learn Icelandic too, as you may have guessed.
@Iceland1944 Though I've never had time to study them, one of my motives for visiting Peru and Bolivia 15 years ago was to get materials for Quechua and Aymara, but it is all in Spanish. Since you have a native source to help you, you may do well by listening to an audio drama new testament in Quechua (you can find these in many dialects on the language museum pages of my website) while you read the text in German or English - you can then ask your wife to explain the logic of the wording.
@ProfASAr I will do so, sir. I was able to purchase one book for Quechua with two audio cd's while in Peru. The book is in Spanish, but that is no problem for me. I just prefer German. Thank you for the advice, as always. I wrote to you once about bringing up a bilingual baby. He is nine months old now and we are speaking to him in Spanish and German. He will learn English just by living here in the U.S. The main thing we need to focus on now is consistency.
I thought it might be worth mentioning to anyone interested in the idea of "polyliteracy", that there have been several quite heated and intense discussions on this very subject in the Lessons in Polyglottery sub-forum on the HTLAL site in the last couple of months.
Professor, the interview in Dutch was a delightful thing to see. I don't really like the sound of Dutch, but I have to say, although you seemed to have an accent, the sound of your Dutch was very pleasant. (The Dutch women who "interviewed" you seemed to have unusually pleasant voices as well). Do you think there is any chance of another video in which you are spontaneously speaking one of your languages?
Professor, the interview in Dutch was a delightful thing to see. I don't really like the sound of Dutch, but I have to say, although you seemed to have an accent, hearing your Dutch was very pleasant. (The Dutch women who "interviewed" you seemed to have unusually pleasant voices as well). Do you think there is any chance of another video in which you are spontaneously speaking one of your languages?
Ik ben zelf Nederlands en volg uw videos al een tijdje. Zeer onder de indruk van uw vermogen om 'out-of-the-blue' een, zoals u zegt, 'zwakkere' taal toch te kunnen spreken, en vooral zonder moeite te kunnen begrijpen. Ik ga in mijn dagelijks leven veel met buitenlandse mensen om die Nederlands proberen te leren, maar zelfs na lange jaren verblijf in Nederland nog steeds geen woord kunnen spreken. Ik zal ze deze video laten zien, ter inspiratie. Dankuwel.
Someone has to mention it... for someone that doesn't know any German or Dutch this might seem impressive... but for someone that speaks good German, as ProfASAr says he does... this is child's play.
@espukr Being German I for one couldn't hold such a conversation, not without learning some basic Dutch beforehand. I get the gist of the talk though, and many phrases. I think ProfASAr used to rate his Dutch conversational skills as being of intermediate level, and here he was also taken by surprise. Lovely chat with the girls, they appear to be twins. I really enjoyed it.
@vinayaka70 Of course just being German (and hence speaking German) doesn't immediately endow upon someone the ability to speak Dutch. But for a German speaking linguist it is child's play to then learn Dutch.
@espukr Sure, and that is what he explained to the Dutch girls. As he was already acquainted with Gothic (?), the old Skandinavian languages, Old and Middle High German, even Middle Dutch, and is fluent in modern German, even lived here, it took him only a short time to get a good foundation in Dutch. Used an Assimil textbook and two or three years ago read a Dutch novel.
1) I don't remember Prof. Argüelles gloating about any of his speaking abilities. German was his undergrad major, he lived for two years in Berlin, was a fellow at a German University, had professional accent training in German, authored a multilingual (incl. German) dictionary, has done philological studies of German, and has read the great literature of Germany - in fact, he reads more in German than in English. But never did he gloat about speaking German well.
@jmichaelrout I don't see anywhere in my comment that I said Prof.Argüelles was gloating about his German abilities. And it's clear from the video that he thinks it's not of a big deal. I was just pointing out a fact for those that think being able to speak Dutch is such a big deal for a linguist that already speaks German well. No slight against Prof.Argüelles intended.
3) Dutch is one of his self-admitted “weak languages,” meaning he has, relative to his other languages, "poor" speaking abilities (remember he's more interested in literary multilingualism anyway).
4) I speak two Germanic languages and I’m impressed.
It's very nice to see that your students are as in awe of your abilities and determination as we, your viewing audience, are. You should consider self-publishing your own foreign language learning manuals and a language learning memoir if you can't find any publisher willing to do it. You would sell at least several thousand and make a lot of us very happy.
I'm glad that your students made this and that you posted it. I think that a lot of students who study linguistics think that they are signing up for classes that teach what you suggest. They then become disheartened when they find that linguistics has very little to do with actually learning and mastering languages. The Dutch at the end was also a nice touch that added more weight to your words.
As an Afrikaans speaker I was greatly impressed by your Dutch. Wish I had your stamina and time to perfect the languages I have learnt amidst the demands of a world of consumers on a hedonic treadmill where a slow and arduous expansion of one's philosophical and spiritual boundaries through languages is actively discouraged and undervalued. A combined library/garden of language is a wonderful idea - I imagine the style of Japanese house where nature is freely permeates the structure.
wow that was awesome when you switched to dutch! i could actually understand most of the dutch conversation but im not sure if i could actually learn dutch without being a little frustrated..as the dutch love switching to english..i like how you didnt let them switch to english at 28:41 when they tried changing the language to english. hats off to you! great video :)
@elvein1 the more one is in control of a language, the less he needs gestures to convey ideas i guess. look at how kids learn by listening to their parents and the people around them, and by noticing hand signs and emotions on people's faces. So i think it's only natural he used his hands more when he switched to Dutch since his spoken ability in it is less developed than in his native English.
Before you finish your book (which I know you're searching for a publisher for) you should finish the Korean Modern Fiction Reader! And do more interviews!
@lokijeong I do indeed need to deliver the ms. of the Korean Fiction Reader within the next few months. I'll feel more fulfilled, though, when and if I ever finally get to publish my book detailing the kind of thing that I talk about here.
@abstractshit Thank you. I have written a manuscript about this kind of thing and I've posted information about it on my website for years now, but no publisher has ever shown any interest in bringing it out.
I have only studied Dutch for about 24 hours during my lifespan, but I could follow the Dutch conversation pretty well.
alkantre 1 month ago
Has anyone noticed how young the professor looks for his age? This is another advantage of studying so many languages... You rarely go out in the sun and so you don't age as quickly.
bossendenwoodconvict 3 months ago
Dr. Argueulles, have you ever been interested in Quechua? If so, are there any good sources out there in English or German? My wife is from southern Peru, so that is why I am interested. I also have a thing for "dying" languages. I learn Icelandic too, as you may have guessed.
Iceland1944 5 months ago
@Iceland1944 Though I've never had time to study them, one of my motives for visiting Peru and Bolivia 15 years ago was to get materials for Quechua and Aymara, but it is all in Spanish. Since you have a native source to help you, you may do well by listening to an audio drama new testament in Quechua (you can find these in many dialects on the language museum pages of my website) while you read the text in German or English - you can then ask your wife to explain the logic of the wording.
ProfASAr 5 months ago
@ProfASAr I will do so, sir. I was able to purchase one book for Quechua with two audio cd's while in Peru. The book is in Spanish, but that is no problem for me. I just prefer German. Thank you for the advice, as always. I wrote to you once about bringing up a bilingual baby. He is nine months old now and we are speaking to him in Spanish and German. He will learn English just by living here in the U.S. The main thing we need to focus on now is consistency.
Iceland1944 5 months ago
Befriending a native speaker also helps. Nice hearing those Dutch girls. ;)
ProductofWit 5 months ago
Hoe zegt men "Gimme a Dutch Rub" in het Nederlands?
Iceland1944 5 months ago
I thought it might be worth mentioning to anyone interested in the idea of "polyliteracy", that there have been several quite heated and intense discussions on this very subject in the Lessons in Polyglottery sub-forum on the HTLAL site in the last couple of months.
Kouziren 6 months ago
This video is very useful and for teaching listening and speaking.
lvh18081978 6 months ago
nicely done. Those dutch chicks are hot!
ajwhhis 6 months ago
Are you still studying spoken Mandarin?
Kouziren 6 months ago
I love how after telling them he speaks 20 languages as well as Dutch at 32:55, he's just like "yep, I'm amazing."
AmideLanval 6 months ago
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Professor, the interview in Dutch was a delightful thing to see. I don't really like the sound of Dutch, but I have to say, although you seemed to have an accent, the sound of your Dutch was very pleasant. (The Dutch women who "interviewed" you seemed to have unusually pleasant voices as well). Do you think there is any chance of another video in which you are spontaneously speaking one of your languages?
9244Matt 6 months ago
Professor, the interview in Dutch was a delightful thing to see. I don't really like the sound of Dutch, but I have to say, although you seemed to have an accent, hearing your Dutch was very pleasant. (The Dutch women who "interviewed" you seemed to have unusually pleasant voices as well). Do you think there is any chance of another video in which you are spontaneously speaking one of your languages?
9244Matt 6 months ago
Ik ben zelf Nederlands en volg uw videos al een tijdje. Zeer onder de indruk van uw vermogen om 'out-of-the-blue' een, zoals u zegt, 'zwakkere' taal toch te kunnen spreken, en vooral zonder moeite te kunnen begrijpen. Ik ga in mijn dagelijks leven veel met buitenlandse mensen om die Nederlands proberen te leren, maar zelfs na lange jaren verblijf in Nederland nog steeds geen woord kunnen spreken. Ik zal ze deze video laten zien, ter inspiratie. Dankuwel.
NegaSado 6 months ago
Very interesting video.
How long have you studied Biblical and/or Modern Hebrew?
volapuk49 6 months ago
Someone has to mention it... for someone that doesn't know any German or Dutch this might seem impressive... but for someone that speaks good German, as ProfASAr says he does... this is child's play.
espukr 6 months ago
@espukr Being German I for one couldn't hold such a conversation, not without learning some basic Dutch beforehand. I get the gist of the talk though, and many phrases. I think ProfASAr used to rate his Dutch conversational skills as being of intermediate level, and here he was also taken by surprise. Lovely chat with the girls, they appear to be twins. I really enjoyed it.
vinayaka70 6 months ago
@vinayaka70 Of course just being German (and hence speaking German) doesn't immediately endow upon someone the ability to speak Dutch. But for a German speaking linguist it is child's play to then learn Dutch.
espukr 6 months ago
@espukr Sure, and that is what he explained to the Dutch girls. As he was already acquainted with Gothic (?), the old Skandinavian languages, Old and Middle High German, even Middle Dutch, and is fluent in modern German, even lived here, it took him only a short time to get a good foundation in Dutch. Used an Assimil textbook and two or three years ago read a Dutch novel.
vinayaka70 6 months ago
@espukr
1) I don't remember Prof. Argüelles gloating about any of his speaking abilities. German was his undergrad major, he lived for two years in Berlin, was a fellow at a German University, had professional accent training in German, authored a multilingual (incl. German) dictionary, has done philological studies of German, and has read the great literature of Germany - in fact, he reads more in German than in English. But never did he gloat about speaking German well.
jmichaelrout 6 months ago
@jmichaelrout I don't see anywhere in my comment that I said Prof.Argüelles was gloating about his German abilities. And it's clear from the video that he thinks it's not of a big deal. I was just pointing out a fact for those that think being able to speak Dutch is such a big deal for a linguist that already speaks German well. No slight against Prof.Argüelles intended.
espukr 6 months ago
@espukr
2) He was caught by surprise.
3) Dutch is one of his self-admitted “weak languages,” meaning he has, relative to his other languages, "poor" speaking abilities (remember he's more interested in literary multilingualism anyway).
4) I speak two Germanic languages and I’m impressed.
jmichaelrout 6 months ago
Bedankt, erg leuk en informatief.
polyronin 6 months ago
It's very nice to see that your students are as in awe of your abilities and determination as we, your viewing audience, are. You should consider self-publishing your own foreign language learning manuals and a language learning memoir if you can't find any publisher willing to do it. You would sell at least several thousand and make a lot of us very happy.
jmichaelrout 7 months ago
@jmichaelrout Thank you, but self-publishing wouldn't be very fulfilling, and the ms. wouldn't get the professional editing I feel it needs.
ProfASAr 6 months ago
27:55 Dat is de echte stront! Polyglot in actie!
translipcorsia 7 months ago
I'm glad that your students made this and that you posted it. I think that a lot of students who study linguistics think that they are signing up for classes that teach what you suggest. They then become disheartened when they find that linguistics has very little to do with actually learning and mastering languages. The Dutch at the end was also a nice touch that added more weight to your words.
thelinguistblogger 7 months ago 2
As an Afrikaans speaker I was greatly impressed by your Dutch. Wish I had your stamina and time to perfect the languages I have learnt amidst the demands of a world of consumers on a hedonic treadmill where a slow and arduous expansion of one's philosophical and spiritual boundaries through languages is actively discouraged and undervalued. A combined library/garden of language is a wonderful idea - I imagine the style of Japanese house where nature is freely permeates the structure.
aethermind 7 months ago 2
What is your opinion of constructed languages, J.R.R. Tolkien's in particular? I personally find Quenya to be both brilliant and immensely beautiful.
Throrindor 7 months ago 2
So the real reason he learnt all those languages was to chat up girls in every country?
MrOregona230 7 months ago 4
absolutely fascinating! Loved that video. Thanks. I would love it if you brought a book out about learning languages.
jasonUKbristol 7 months ago
Flink gedaan hoor !!! Groetjes uit België !!!
loki2504 7 months ago
I was very impressed with your dutch :).
benc454 7 months ago
funny thing with the dutch girls ^^ I even
DreamsTrance 7 months ago
seeing a polyglot in action is always interesting, especially when tackled with a random langauge out of the blue.
labanp 7 months ago 15
ProfASAr, you are amazing!
ocergnairb 7 months ago
Listening to the Dutch was a wonderful surprise! Great, fun video Professor!
AnAmericanlinguist 7 months ago
wow that was awesome when you switched to dutch! i could actually understand most of the dutch conversation but im not sure if i could actually learn dutch without being a little frustrated..as the dutch love switching to english..i like how you didnt let them switch to english at 28:41 when they tried changing the language to english. hats off to you! great video :)
SchwarzerMannn 7 months ago 19
@SchwarzerMannn They were speaking Dutch also at that moment actually. ;)
ProductofWit 5 months ago
Have you noticed that while you were speaking Dutch, you were using your hands a lot more?
elvein1 7 months ago 2
@elvein1 the more one is in control of a language, the less he needs gestures to convey ideas i guess. look at how kids learn by listening to their parents and the people around them, and by noticing hand signs and emotions on people's faces. So i think it's only natural he used his hands more when he switched to Dutch since his spoken ability in it is less developed than in his native English.
AysarAburrub 7 months ago
@AysarAburrub It makes sense. Thank you for telling me this.
elvein1 7 months ago
I must say his Dutch sounds better than his English... (and I do understand Dutch so it's not as if it's just a few random sounds for me)
espukr 7 months ago
Loved your video! There hadn't been one in so long. I wondered if there'd ever be more!
sjheiss 7 months ago
This kgirl interviewing him did not know that Korean has an alphabet.
MattRodrig 7 months ago
Aaa, I live in Singapore and enjoy walking around in the Botanical Gardens. If I had known, I would have gone and asked for an autograph!
spl0uf 7 months ago
Epicness!
5Language 7 months ago
Oh, and those Dutch girls... really beautiful :D
MrBennosuke 7 months ago
OMG that was so awsome !
MrBennosuke 7 months ago
That was very impressive how you were able to instantly switch into Dutch at a moment's notice. Thank you for the great video!
shizfergus27 7 months ago
Before you finish your book (which I know you're searching for a publisher for) you should finish the Korean Modern Fiction Reader! And do more interviews!
lokijeong 7 months ago
@lokijeong I do indeed need to deliver the ms. of the Korean Fiction Reader within the next few months. I'll feel more fulfilled, though, when and if I ever finally get to publish my book detailing the kind of thing that I talk about here.
ProfASAr 6 months ago
Utterly fantastic. Your knowledge and especially humbleness is always inspiring.
philbyerm 7 months ago
I agree with @abstractshit, you authoring a book would really be an interesting read!
itsbrad212 7 months ago
Thank you soo much for the video Professor! I was hoping a video would be up sometime soon!
epsilon910 7 months ago
Echt goed Nederlands!
Liface 7 months ago
You should write a book Sir, really.
abstractshit 7 months ago 5
@abstractshit Thank you. I have written a manuscript about this kind of thing and I've posted information about it on my website for years now, but no publisher has ever shown any interest in bringing it out.
ProfASAr 6 months ago