The Faces of the Doctor

[Missy @missy]

@gamergirlavatar:

Have you written yet?

Missy

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@missy I haven’t written to David yet. For some reason I haven’t made the time and I just don’t know what to say. I stopped watching Doctor Who for years because of him and now I’m a huge fan. I’m going to start the letter tonight and just hope the words come to me. It seems weird to put this much thought into a fan letter but I do that. Hopefully it will turn out fine and I can mail it this week.

[Missy @missy]

@gamergirlavatar:

Of course it takes a lot of thought, you want to sound intelligent, and when writing to a sort of idol words can fail you.

Good luck and let us know if/when he answers you.

Missy

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@missy I’ll let you know what he says. I hope it won’t take to long to get a reply living in the states.

[10th Doctor Fan @ddoherty95]

@gamergirlavatar

oh, you live in the states? Tell old trumpet-face I said hi.

 

I haven’t had a reply YET but it’s probably gonna come soon. Good luck writing to David and I agree with @missy.

 

currently just finished “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS” fanbabidosy! Matt Smith is definitely one of the best doctors ever, but JUST beaten by David Tennant and Tom Baker

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@ddoherty95 “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS” is a great story. I love Matt’s doctor and really enjoyed the short time when Clara was his companion.

Well, just a few more days till a season 11 trailer is release. I can’t wait to see Jodie’s doctor and her companions. I thought I post my theories about the personality of this new doctor and this seemed like the thread to do so. I believe that Jodie is going to be an incredible doctor and she will move pass the darker tones of other doctors such number 12. I think she will be very cheerful and, like every doctor, view every planet and timeline as a natural beauty. I just think she’ll be expressing this aspect of The Doctor more than the others of the New Who times. However, there are always dangers when traveling with The Doctor so Jodie won’t be happy all the time. This might explain the new logo and its release trailer. The logo itself and the dark blues and sharp reds in the trailer, where we first see the logo, might be use enhance the darker side of Doctor Who and remain the drama of the show. I’m not saying Jodie is always going to be smiling and that show will change drastically, I just believe the approach to the character will become more lighthearted and keep The Doctor interesting to average viewers. To reinforce this theory I do have some evidence from the show. Not only does Jodie smile and compliment the universe’s wild card with the words “Oh brilliant”, but her previous self’s reaction to regeneration and refusal to live could of changed her personality. The Doctor regenerates because of his love ones and because many people need his help. If the only reason The Doctor lives was because he made a choice to stay and protect, he would only want to do good and decrease all possibilities of him doing harm. She might just want a reminder of what she wants to accomplish, not just in her general overview, but in the smallest moment when anything can happen. A brighter point of view can really open her eyes. I know this sounds more than a little dramatic. My theories can be that way. I’m sure if this were to happen, they wouldn’t have The Doctor talk about this. She would carry on and not dwell on what her previous self thought about regenerating. For a lesser theory, maybe The Doctor did choice this new female form because of his love ones. It was his companions that thought him to continue. Now there have been male companions, Steven, Ian, Nardole and Captain Jack, but most of the companions were female. From the love of his life River Song, his lovely granddaughter Susan and Rose Tyler whom helped him recover after his actions in The Time War. If he wanted a reminder of why to keep going and remember to love (again, sorry about the drama) than she would take a form that reminded her of these great woman. This is a lesser theory to me and it can only be implied if The Doctor did choice this form like the 12th doctor choose his. This was what first come to mind for me when I wondered why the doctor had to be female from the character’s point of view. Hope who every reads this enjoys it even if I am wrong.

[10th Doctor Fan @ddoherty95]

@gamergirlavatar

 

you sound like my English teacher.

I fully agree with the whole post. However, one thing makes me fearful, “…the short time when Clara was his companion”

 

WHY MATT? DONT GO!!

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@ddoherty95 Sorry about that line, I feel like I ruined your day. Thanks for agreeing with the post and for saying I sound like you English teacher. You are not the first person to make such a comment in my direction. I hope you enjoy the rest of Matt’s episodes you have to watch. They are all brilliant.

[10th Doctor Fan @ddoherty95]

@gamergirlavatar

No, no. I meant that as a compliment. You haven’t met my English teacher. Every now and again she jumps on a table and shouts.

English is interesting.

Incedently,  I moved on to Capaldi last night. I was sad to see Matt go. The first episode was strange, and I LOVED the end of Matt’s era.

And of course the three doctors ep was FANBABIDOSY

”Fish fingers and custard, anyone?”

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@ddoherty95 Sounding like your English teacher is a compliment. I didn’t take it as an insult, I’ve just heard that so many times. The comment made me laugh and I love your English teacher now. I started re-watching Capaldi’s era a few nights ago, you’re going to enjoy it. Matt leaving was really sad but he had a good ending. This is the first time I’ve heard (read) the term FANBABIDOSY and that is such the perfect word for the episode. The Day of the Doctor is such a great episode. Every time I go to my public library I check out that episode on DVD. I need to start giving other people the chance to watch it. Matt, David and John Hurt together made one of my favorite stories. I love those three doctors meeting, all the doctors joining together to save everyone and Tom Baker returning. Now I want to watch this episode again.

[10th Doctor Fan @ddoherty95]

@gamergirlavatar

I’m so sorry! I spelt it wrong!

Fan-dab-i-doe-sey

oops

don’t tell my English teacher!

 

 

YES YES YES TO EVERYTHING ABOVE

[janetteB @janetteb]

We are about as series ahead at the moment but I suspect you will both soon overtake us. Our viewing is rather sporadic. Last night we watched Under the Lake and Before the Flood.

I always enjoy watched the Day of the Doctor. IT was brilliantly done. We often follow it with The Five-ish Doctors Reboot which is delightful.

Cheers
Janette

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@ddoherty95 Fandabidoesey is a brilliant word, I love to say it. I won’t say a word to your English teacher.

@janetteb I just heard of the Five-ish Doctors this year and first watched it two months ago. It was hilarious and I had to recommend it to every fan of Doctor Who I know. After watching more of the classic series, I’ve got to see all of The Doctors and I’m a fan of all of them. I really enjoy both Colin Baker’s and Sylvester McCoy’s doctors and enjoyed seeing them with Peter Davison and Paul McGann. Now that I’ve started listing people I want to mention everyone that was in the film, The Doctors, the companions, the writers and the Daleks. I love the film and I’ve already seen it about five times. Oh well, as muti-doctor stories teach us, you can’t have too much of a good thing.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@gamergirlavatar Yes Five-ish Doctors was such a good will project, even getting the actors’ children and Peter Jackson involved. Loved RTD at the end. (I noticed that Peter Davison’s son is now acting in Poldark. I wonder if one day we will see him in Dr Who. Both of Troughton’s sons have had roles over the years,)

Cheers

Janette

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

UK viewers will be able to enjoy Colin Baker in ‘Celebrity 5 Go Caravanning‘ on Fridays starting on July 13th.

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@janetteb Oh, I didn’t know Peter Davison’s son was acting, I hope he can be on the show someday. That would be great. I knew one of Patrick Troughton’s sons was in Last Christmas, I didn’t know they were both on the show. I also love RTD appearing at the end, one of my favorite moments. Sorry it took me so long to reply to a conversation we were having two weeks ago.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Mrs Blenkinsop and I just re-watched “The 11th Hour.” Not only a wonderful episode by itself but a brilliant introduction to Matt Smith’s Doctor. It sets the bar really high for Chibnall’s introduction of a new Doctor.

But I am really looking forward to it!

[janetteB @janetteb]

@gamergirlavatar Two of Troughton’s sons are actors. David had one of his first acting jobs in Dr Who when his father was Doctor, The Enemy of the World) and went on to have a more prominent role in Curse of Peladon as Peladon. He was also in Midnight. (David Tennant) He is a fine actor. His son, Sam Troughton, is also an actor but has yet to make an appearance in Dr Who. I am sure it is only a matter of time. Harry Melling, (Dudley Dursley) is another grandson of Patrick Troughton and now he has thinned down the family likeness is showing more. They are quite an acting dynasty the Troughtons.

@blenkinsopthebrave The Eleventh Hour is always a pleasure to watch. One of those episodes I never tire of. We finished our AGWho rewatch a few months ago and are now running through BG Who. Currently watching the Keys of Time series with Romana I who is a far stronger character than I remembered.

Cheers

Janette,

 

[winston @winston]

@janetteb and @blenkinsopthebrave     I agree with you both about The Eleventh Hour being a terrific episode. It is an introduction to a new  Doctor that is hard to beat. I re-watched just the other day (when it was far too hot to go outside) and loved the 11th Doctor all over again. It was also a unique way to meet and quickly learn about the companion. In a few moments we see her grow up (with that crack in her wall) and we see how time travel can affect an ordinary girl. A few minutes for the Doctor are years for little Amelia. She grows up and he stays the same. Ah time travel and fish custard.

I hope you are ok out there Blenkinsop and that the smoke and fire is far away. Stay safe all my B.C. friends.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@winston

Totally agree with your interpretation of The 11th Hour.

Thanks for asking. Mainland British Columbia is having a terrible time. We are off the coast, so it is not so bad, but the upper island has already been affected. While we are is still protected, there is a constant haze in the sky. Hopefully there will be a change.

 

[janetteB @janetteb]

@blenkinsopthebrave I hope you are safe from fires. Not a problem you would really expect to have to deal with once leaving this sunburnt country. @winston I hope you are able to stay cool. My experience of living in cold climates is that houses are expertly heated but lack any form of cooling. (We are the opposite, really good at cooling, hopeless at heating. I feel the cold far more here than I did in Sweden, but felt the heat more there.)

Back to topic, the Introduction to the new Doctor stories have all been good. Eleventh Hour is perhaps the best but it is closely followed by Deep Breath, only the later is far darker in tone. I think I can quote almost ever line. “You’ve all developed a fault.” “Who frowned me this face?” “five foot and crying. You never stood a chance.”

I also enjoy RTD’s intro to David Tennant. All three actors did a wonderful job of establishing their characters within those first few, vital minutes. Here’s hoping that Jodie W. manages to pull off the same and the script does not let her down.

Cheers

Janette

[10th Doctor Fan @ddoherty95]

@winston @gamergirlavatar @blenkinsopthebrave

 

Wait, all you live in America?

Wow

Oh an keep away from those flames! If they get too close grab a few marshmallows!

😜

[winston @winston]

@blenkinsopthebrave  I am glad to hear you are safe and we all hope that the fires are out soon.My daughter who is on the west coast of the island says it is pretty hazy and then foggy out there. She can’t believe there is anything to burn after the last couple of years.We have had some big fires in Northern Ontario but they seem to be under control ,if not out ,thank goodness. We have had a few smaller fires around here due to stupid people but they are out also.

@janetteb  You are right about our freaky weather and it is very hot all over Canada right now.It was 31 C where I am today but it was 88% humidity so it felt  like 40C. So hard to get anything done but the gardens love it . Anyone want some cucumbers? You are right, the wood stove is pretty useless these days but so cozy in the winter.

All of the Doctor intros are favourites of mine and they have all been so good. I am sure 13s will be too.

@ddoherty95   I live in Ontario, Canada and Blenkinsop is in B.C.

 

[Missy @missy]

@janetteb

If you are a good enough actor /actress even a dodgy script shouldn’t deter you.

Missy

[Missy @missy]

@gamergirlavatar

Have you heard from DT yet? Or have I missed it?

Love your avatar. *Winks*

Missy

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@missy I have written the letter! I’ve even included a sketch of his doctor as a gift, but I haven’t sent it yet. Work is requiring me to relocate (my new reason for not being on the blog in awhile) and I don’t want to send a letter without my new address on it. The only fan letter I have ever written was to the BBC expressing my hopes for Torchwood to be brought back. It didn’t work but it still makes me sad because I was never able to hear back from them because I moved shortly after sending the letter. I won’t let it happen this time, so I need to wait, find my new place to live than put that address on the letter. However, I’ve decided to write a fan letter to all actors that have played The Doctor and send them all my first day in my new home. I’ve wanted to have some fun with this and since waiting to send the letter won’t be fun I needed to make the time fly. I almost have them all written and I’m containing a sketch in every one. I’m writing every actor from Tom Baker to Jodie Whittaker and I’ll post what they all have to say or if they replied at all. Wish me luck.
@ddoherty95 Thanks for the warning but the fires aren’t near me. Best wishes for everyone affected by them though. Thanks again for Tennant’s address by the way, this is going to be fun.

[10th Doctor Fan @ddoherty95]

@gamergirlavatar

 

Class idea, as we say in Ireland. I sent my letter to David in April but no response yet! I am ever hopeful! I sent a sketch of the tardis with my letter.

[Anonymous @]

Hello

I’m new to this forum. This thread is one of the ones I read before registering into this forum, I re4ad something about someone wanting to send fan mail to the Doctor actors and I have thought about this so many times but I always chicken out. I kinda would love to write to Peter Capaldi to express how much I love his Doctor and how much it means to me; and him as an actor but I’m so afraid to sound stupid. Well if any one of you have written fan mail some time, I’d love to hear your experiences. I’m not looking for autographs, only an oportunity to put words to paper and express what I feel

thanks

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@ddoherty95 Wow, I was listening to Irish music when I read your response to me. I didn’t know you were Irish, I though you were from England. I can almost hear the Tenth Doctor speak when I read your posts, I have a theory why. I love that you included a sketch of the TARDIS, I hope he replies back soon.
Hello there, @tempusfugit! It’s nice to have you on the forum. I’m a huge Peter Capaldi fan and his Doctor is my favorite as well. I understand the just wanting to put words to paper, I really hope to receive a letter back but I’m just happy to be sending the letters off. I’m just afraid I’ll be showing to much emotion for a fictional character. I would love to hear more of thoughts on the 12th Doctor and hope you have a great time talking with us.

[Anonymous @]

@gamergirlavatar thank you! I loved the 12th Doctor since the beginning, but I have recently rewatched and it’s when he became my Doctor. I got upset when he was casted and all those people hating on him for not being “young and handsome” (I personally find him a very handsome silver fox and his age it’s perfect for the Doctor). People don’t like him on series 8 because he’s grumpy but I loved the grumpiness and aliennes, he regenerated after 1000 years defending a town and didn’t suffer fools gladly. Then amazing character development on series 9 and 10,he got mellower but retaining that alienness and lack of social skills that made him so funny to watch. My heart literally broke on TOUAT because I so didn’t wanted him to go.

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

@tempusfugit I never understood the complaints about him not being handsome and young. When he was cast it made me worry about The Doctor’s personality changing and made me think he would be cruel instead of a hero. However after his first episode I suspected he became my favorite, everything I worried about being proved false, but I wanted to make sure since regeneration always affects the personality. By the second episode I knew. I never thought The Doctor needed to be handsome. I don’t really think of The Doctor based on his looks. The Doctor is also over 2,000 years old, saying a man in his 50’s is too old sounds so silly. Peter never seemed old to me but, I did think he was in his 40’s when I first saw him. I never found him to be grumpy either, I think I related to this Doctor more than I should based on our human standards. I was so sad to see him leave as well, his last episode broke my heart. I still haven’t re-watched it yet. I might not for a while but now that I’ve said that, it makes me want to re-watch it. Oh well, we have a great new Doctor and she’ll share some of the 12th Doctor’s personality. He’s not gone forever. I’m hoping 10 years from now Peter will return and meet the new Doctors that have taken over the show by than.

[Anonymous @]

<span class=”useratname”>@gamergirlavatar Oh, how I agree with you!! I liked him instantly, and I felt very sad when people were moaning and complaining about “how unlikable” he was on series 8, I liked the harshness and no-nonsense attitude. I also think the Doctor doesn’t need to be handsome, I happen to find Peter handsome, but that’s not the point. When David Tennant left a lot of shallow people said Doctor Who was ruined because he left. Now, I like the Tenth Doctor, but it seems that to some people the only thing that mattered was that he was “hot”. And about the age, yes, it’s ridiculous to say that a man in his 50s is “too old” to portray a 2000 year old alien, LOL
</span>

I’m soo looking forward to Peter to agree to do Big Finish, but I seem to recall he said in an interview that he didn’t want to return or do audios, maybe he will change his mind in a few years *fingers crossed*

[Missy @missy]

I found Peter to be more human than the first three Doctors, even though he has always insisted that the Doctor was <i>Alien.</i>

Missy.

[Anonymous @]

@missy  I find “alien” in the sense of human interaction: he doesn’t seem to grasp pop culture the same as Ten, he needs cue cards not to hurt people’s feelings (I found that scene hilarious btw),he took and instant dislike to Danny without reason,and polite social exchanges seems to matter little to him. And I love him for that. I am talking about him in series 8 (a series a lot of people disliked and seemed “put off” by him but I absolutely adored). In series 9 and 10 he became more caring for other people’s feelings

[janetteB @janetteb]

@gamergirlavatar A multi doctor story with Peter and Jodie. Now I want that to happen so much.

@tempusfugit I also loved his lack of social niceties. He is honest and naive. He was the most alien of all the new Doctors but the most “humanist”. It is because he is outside our culture, our world, that he can see humans for what we are. (thought I often think he is far too generous in his view.) The Doctor shows us what we can be, what we should be.

Cheers

Janette

 

[Anonymous @]

@janetteb totally agree. People disliked him initially because of that. People who were used to Ten and Eleven who were, in some eyes, “nicer” or less direct. But I found it refreshing

[ichabod @ichabod]

@missy  @janetteb  @tempusfugit  It was that brusqueness of Capaldi’s that made his Doctor so authentic, to me — if I were afflicted with a strong vein of idealism and went flying through this incredibly beautiful and incredibly harsh and treacherous universe for a couple of thousand years of very bruising adventure, I imagine I’d be pretty damned brusque myself.  Eccleston had some of that as well, and I liked him for it.  Both Tenant and Smith somehow didn’t seem truly connected with that backstory, to me.  Or maybe, as a matter of taste or whatever, what they did with the role sort of made no mark in my memory.

Capaldi’s Doctor, struggling with his own identity and with such long experience of tremendous exertion that in the end makes no difference at all to the universe (because it went right on being as ruthless and “unfair” as it is by its nature) but that he can’t let that stop him — well, that drove home for me.  I thought, that is who such a person would be, as an adult of feeling and perceptiveness.  So he’s been my Doctor since “Deep Breath” because to me he’s the most true portrayal of the creature that the Doctor is.

What JW will do to make a true Doctor of her own is something I’m very curious to see.

[Anonymous @]

@ichabod You put it beautifully. Nothing to add 🙂

[MissRori @missrori]

@tempusfugit @ichabod @janetteb I pretty strongly identified with and sympathized with Twelve’s grumpiness in Series 8 because I could see where it came from.  I am on the autism spectrum, and I understand what it is to have no interest in small talk, to be grumpy, brusque, and blunt in the heat of trying to get things done — being too focused on a task at hand to feel like being “nice”.  Go away humans!  😉  Twelve was a better man than he knew, full of empathy and kindness, but especially in Series 8 he did have to learn and relearn moving beyond gut reactions and showing his best self to others.  That can be hard work.  I always liked how his story so often went back to examining the difference between nice and kind, right up to the very end.

[Anonymous @]

@missrori yes. I’m rather asocial and I don’t enjoy small talk. I could identify with the feeling of wanting the job done. At the end he was super kind but a lot of people seem to forget that he’s an alien being, not defined by human standards of social interactions or pettyness. I loved the bluntness and direct approach

[ichabod @ichabod]

@tempusfugit  Thanks!  I wonder whether that’s the crux of the difference between being a kid (of whatever age) and being a “grown-up”: the kid sees, and admires, and longs to be, The Hero — an idol, a power, a victor against all odds.  A grown-up, though, is pushed past that.  A grown-up who has in fact grown up has come to recognize that same protagonist as a striver, an idealist, whose efforts and victories are bound to be transformed or even reversed by time — and eventually forgotten.  It’s myself that I see, of course: that’s me, fixing but failing to create fixes that stick, and underestimating the dumb obduracy of things-as-they-are enough so that taking action to try to change them seems worth it.

But that’s not the whole picture.  The relentless persistence of human effort — in spite of its long-range futility — can be as true and real as is the ephemeral nature of “success”.  That’s what we see in the Doctor and his companions: when all seems lost — nevertheless, they persist (and — usually — manage to succeed, or at least survive).  That refusal to give up in despair is what a grown-up can realistically emulate (although it’s a hell of a lot harder in our lived reality than it looks onscreen*).

*[The sane and the fair-minded among us achieved the goal of an intelligent black man as leader of the US, two terms’ worth.  Now, through a perfect storm of bad luck and deliberate thuggery, we have a senile Imp of the Perverse and his gang of scheming primitives at the helm, steering us rapidly backwards toward the 1950s.  Same old, same old, for decades to come if the spiteful fool completes stacking the Supreme Court with willfully blind and heartless reactionaries.]

[Anonymous @]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>@ichabod wow you have a way with words 🙂 English not being my mother language it’s difficult for me to form such well crafted sencences. Bravo sir</p>

[ichabod @ichabod]

@tempusfugit  Thanks, but I have a secret weapon that sometimes confers an advantage in that respect (not so much around here, in this den of eloquence): I’ve been a professional writer for most of my working life, fiction and everything else, so . . . you know; practice, practice, practice.  And you’re doing fine with English, by the way — one point, though, while we’re on the subject of English: the past tense of “to cast” isn’t “casted” but, confusingly, just “cast” again.  Mind you, I’ve seen “casted” showing up increasingly, so if you just wait a few years that will probably become correct in common usage, as has happened with “to dive” = “he dove” = “he dived”, along with several other such shifts over recent years.

American English is in an unusually chaotic state these days, what with spelling and grammar barely being dealt with in schools, and the loss of depth in literacy leading to an inability to figure out what a newly-encountered word means and how it might be used, using familiarity with its root parts from Latin or Greek etc.  Besides, we have to “make room” now for all sorts of clunky neologisms from politics, advertising, and technological change.

[ichabod @ichabod]

@missrory  I understand what it is to have no interest in small talk, to be grumpy, brusque, and blunt in the heat of trying to get things done

So do I, just from being the kind of introvert who prefers to read (or write) a book to going to a party (or, sometimes, even answering the phone).  And that’s far from uncommon among the SF fans I know.  There’s a truly wonderful book by a UK author, Jo Walton, about finding community among the strange and quirky mix of people who grow up burying their heads in SF and fantasy fiction — it’s a newish work of hers, “Among Others”, and a beautiful read, well worth seeking out.

[Anonymous @]

@ichabod thank you. I studied English at school, but it was the basics. I have improved a lot by reading books, listening to audios (Big Finish mainly) and participating in forums. Here in Spain the English level is appalling compared with other countries *sigh*

[MissRori @missrori]

@ichabod A while back I read Steve Silberman’s Neurotribes, which is effectively a history of autism in its being recognized, diagnosed, defined, etc.  It notes that early SF fandom and clubs in the 1920s or so seemed to attract a lot of people who, today, would likely be diagnosed as autistic.  In fact they seemed to be the people who helped organize groups. 🙂  I will keep your recommendation of the Walton book in mind.  😉

[ichabod @ichabod]

@tempusfugit  What do you think might account for the lack of English language proficiency in Spain?

@missrori  Jo Walton is an outstanding UK writer of SF.  “Among Others” seems to be at least partly autobiographical; the protagonist is a hyper-intelligent girl growing up in Wales, with a witch (a real one?  Maybe?) for a mother and an affliction that makes walking painful.  I’ve seen Jo at several US conventions (primarily East Coast ones).  She uses Canadian crutches to get around, and is definitely brilliant.  If she’s on a panel, I’ll do my best to attend.

SF fandom, the kind organized more around books and stories than movies and TV, still has a noticeably outsized  presence of people on the spectrum, and convention committees often go out of their way to accommodate them.  Just lately there’s often a “Quiet Room” for all those who need to withdraw for a while from the swirl and chatter in  the hotel halls — “No eating, sleeping, music playing, or talking allowed”, according to the Quiet Room rules I read at the WorldCon that I just attended in San Jose, California.  This is fairly new, as I understand it, and came about because of requests from enough attendees to make it an issue that got addressed, at least at the bigger conventions like WorldCon.

[Anonymous @]

@ichabod I really don’t know. Maybe it isn’t teached properly at schools? I don’t know why other countries like northern Europe are good at English and here people have such poor level :/

[Mudlark @mudlark]

@TempusFugit  @ichabod

I seem condemned to continue in linguistic/grammarian mode at the moment, so ‘wotthehell,  archie, wothehell  🙂

The English language stems from the same common Germanic root as most of the languages of northern Europe – German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian – so the latter start with an advantage when learning English. Spanish, French and Italian, being Romance languages derived directly from Latin, have much more in common with each other than they do with the Germanic strain, though both have Indo-European roots. Finnish stands apart, with closest affinities to Hungarian, and Basque is unique.

My youngest brother has lived in France for over 45 years, is now a French citizen, and has children and grandchildren who are wholly French, and I remember one of my nephews telling me that he found Spanish much easier to learn than English or German. I, on the other hand, felt more at home with German than with French, even though I studied German for only two years, as opposed to eight years of French, and even to today I have problems speaking French, despite being able to read the language with reasonable fluency and with my French family connection.  Some of that I attribute to the way we were taught, which put the emphasis on understanding and reading languages rather than speaking them*; but I think also that, because English is so widely spoken,  the English have become lazy in that respect.

@TempusFugit

Your English is excellent, with only the occasional error to betray the fact that it is not your first language, and the errors are mostly to do with irregular verbs, which isn’t surprising.  So, the verb ‘ to teach’ is irregular, and the past tense is taught, not teached – which doesn’t really make sense, but then languages develop by devious routes, and the end result doesn’t have to be logical 🙂

* and where French was concerned, we seemed to concentrate on 17th century literature, with occasional forays into the early 19th century, which doesn’t help much when you are dealing with modern, colloquial usage.

 

 

 

[Anonymous @]

@mudlark that’s right. I, as an Spanish speaker, would find much easier to learn Italian or French than German. In fact Italian has very similar words to Spanish and more with Catalan, which is my mother language (I’m bilingual in Catalan and Spanish). In the school and English academies we learn the basics, I have picked up a lot of expressions by writing and reading internet forums, reading books in English or listening to audio dramas. I know that some expressions are different in American English and British English

[Author]

Posts