I still can't spell anything, but I can bust out two-dollar words.
I was always, and I still am to a certain extent, one of those lazy people who spends a lot of time with Italian friends and yet constantly says I don't speak Italian. Things slow down when I start speaking Italian.
I would say, 'It's not very fa-her to the ca-her.' They would say, 'It's not very far to the car.' I just didn't hear it and it took me forever, but I finally did learn the variations in my tongue and how to make an American sound, and I feel confident with it now.
Sports just happen to be excellent for avoiding foreign-language stage fright and developing lasting friendships while still sounding like Tarzan.
I speak French with timidity, and not flowingly--except when excited. When using that language I have often noticed that I have hardly ever been mistaken for a Frenchman, except, perhaps, by horses; never, I believe, by people.
One must not be shy where language is concerned.
One of the benefits of being a mature well-educated woman is that you're not afraid of expletives. And you have no fear to put a fool in his place. That's the power of language and experience. You can learn a lot from Shakespeare.
I think you always feel braver in another language.
When I got to college I simply decided that I could speak French, because I just could not spend any more time in French classes. I went ahead and took courses on French literature, some of them even taught in French.
I know more English than Spanish, but I'm always a little embarrassed.
My vocabulary is vast and expert, and I don't think I overuse any word.
