Introduction: Benjamin / SomewhatGeekyPolyglot / SGP

meifeng wrote:

Wow, looks like I missed out on a bunch of stuff over the weekend. Welcome! That's quite an eclectic + exotic list of languages. Why Toki Pona? Where does one even learn that???

meifeng, thank you for the welcome. Yes, I also would like to ask why I am even learning toki pona. But still, I do know the answer :). It captured some of my interest because it is very minimalistic.

So there is a nice contrast. Some very big languages on the one hand, and TP on the other. Because it only has (approx.) 120 to 130 words, there is a great need of using them as building blocks. Y'know... making compound words.

Also, I somehow like TP because of another reason. It is one out of several tools to greatly reduce the probability of unnecessary misunderstandings. Of course we couldn't avoid all of them anyway. But in the case of toki pona, there is some built-in ambiguity. 

It is there by design, and it cannot be removed by further TP-only clarifications either. Because as long as one is speaking it, one only is able to use any of those very broad-scope words. Its designer (a linguist called Sonja Lang) intentionally decided against them providing too many details.

And where to learn it? Unlike other languages, I would simply read about it on (almost) any web site that includes more than just a brief introduction. This is because both the vocabulary and the grammar is very compact and surprisingly easy.

Hi Benjamin, welcome! :)

Reading your previous post (African/Carribean) was pretty fun. I was like rapping in my mind.  

SGP wrote:

edz.conde wrote:

Welcome to the community SGP! Nice to have you here. I'm foreseeing interesting discussions with you around with all your geekiness as a polyglot. :blush:

edz.conde, thank you for the welcome.

And do you know why the nickname starts with "Somewhat Geeky", rather than "Geek"? Because "somewhat" and "-y" are needed to express this description: "less than half of a geek, but still above zero" :wink:. Really.

As for the reason of this geekiness, it simply is about the brain's neurons. Some of them are slightly differently wired, just as those of maybe 5% to 10% of the population. Not at all ashamed to "admit" it, just as someone with the "very typical neuronal wiring" wouldn't be ashamed of it either.

And yes, I hope that there also will be some more interesting discussions in the future about a certain topic which captures the interest of all of us. For those who really wouldn't know what that might be (seriously?!), well, it is about words, phrases, grammar and related matters. Some people also simply call it languages.

really

Yeah, got that "somewhat" thing. Haha. Not just very particular with specific words really. Anyway congratulations for not being ashamed with having a brain neuron that is "slightly differently wired", it makes you actually a unique and special person because you belong to "maybe 5% to 10% of the population. " It also makes you talented. I hope during your younger years you did not go through the rough roads with this millenial thing they called "bullying". Because I got a classmate or two back in high school who was "somewhat geeky" and the other students really bullied thwn

Rose.Angelie wrote:

Hi Benjamin, welcome! :)
Reading your previous post (African/Carribean) was pretty fun. I was like rapping in my mind. :smile:

Rose.Angelie, tank yuh, too, fo di welcam.

Eh, how come gal? First she be laughing. Den it be yuh.

Yuh females be laughing all di time? # NotIntoGeneralizashons

And what is dat rapping ting all about? What does rapping even mean? If anyting, mi words be mo laik reggae. Mo precisely, similar to ragga or dancehall. But witout iny dancing. So mi go so den.

edz.conde wrote:

Anyway congratulations for not being ashamed with having a brain neuron that is "slightly differently wired",

Well, thanks, although I personally don't know any valid reason for being ashamed because of it anyway. Even if I used to think differently in the past. But still.

wrote:

it makes you actually a unique and special person because you belong to "maybe 5% to 10% of the population. " It also makes you talented.

I'd say that both types of neurons (the typical way and the diversical way) have their own strengths. After that, it is about what you make out of it.

And I have my own reasons for choosing a nickname hinting to it, in addition to also explaining it in a forum (and in my Soundcloud profile, too).

wrote:

I hope during your younger years you did not go through the rough roads with this millenial thing they called "bullying". Because I got a classmate or two back in high school who was "somewhat geeky" and the other students really bullied thwn

Nobody pity me now (simply not having the need of it).

There was more bullying than I can count. 

But it happened many, many years ago.

Also, even back then, there were more than enough persons who were clever enough not to do anything like that.

In German, we say "Milchmädchen-Rechnung" when someone jumps to premature and far-fetched conclusions. Literally it means "a milk girl's calculation". So there were also many people who didn't do anything like that. Instead, they were aware that "being different" isn't the same as "being mentally ill" or anything.

Nowadays it is entirely gone, for what I am very grateful. (I hope that it would be clear that being grateful isn't at all about thanking anyone for not bullying.)

There are too many stereotypes out there. Sounds like pointing out the obvious maybe. This is about many people thinking that differing from the majority's neuron wirings equals mental illness. But there are also others who have a different point of view. And some neurologists would also explicitly state in their diagnosis that this different way of being doesn't mean having lower intelligence than others. 

Now why could the above also matter to those who never (knowingly) met someone with some non-standard neuron wirings? Well, I would say that it does matter because "we" are there anyway, even if "you" wouldn't always recognize "us". What am I hinting to, using these quotation marks? I am not drawing any real line of distinction. There are people with this neuron wiring who have some behavior patterns of that, and also the other way around. I think that if we get to know more about each other, related to both of the similarities and the differences, a number of things in the lives of everyone could improve. Like avoiding some unnecessary misunderstandings, feelings of offense and so on. That is one out of several reasons why I started additionally learning about All Things Communication some time ago, and why I am still very into it.

Welcome here Ben (can I call you that? :D ) I hope you enjoy it (and enjoy us!) :D 

Enjoy your stay here! :)

Merci à toi für das Willkommen dragonsky et Michelle.

dragonsky wrote:

Welcome here Ben (can I call you that? :D ) I hope you enjoy it (and enjoy us!) :D

Yes you have got the ability to call me that ;). However, I prefer any of my (full) first name or SGP.

Send me your SoundCloud link :blush:you can private message if you prefer

Jade.Xuereb wrote:

Send me your SoundCloud link :blush:you can private message if you prefer

Could it be that the signature isn't being shown on some devices?

Because the link has been there for a while.

SGP wrote:

Oghenekevwe wrote:

Very funny. I was actually able to read through what you wrote. Usually it gives me a headache to read through this Jamaican way of speaking and writing. The 'aks' part got me laughing too.

Yes it is Jamaican, too, but "tink", "ting" etc. are also included in some variants of African English. Not telling you anything new.

But maybe you could tell me something new. Do you know in which country or countries they say "aks" instead of "ask"? I do know that it is being said like this, heard it more than once or twice. But not sure where it comes from.

Some people here in Nigeria say aks but it's mostly when we're speaking Pidgin English.

SGP wrote:

wrote:

Some people here in Nigeria say aks but it's mostly when we're speaking Pidgin English.

Now it is time for another German word. Schleichwerbung.

It literally means sneaking advertisement. As in: very subtle. Not sneaky.

One possible interpretation of her post would be: Because I already spoke about possibly making a log about Jamaican Patois/Patwa, she side-noted that there is a pidgin in Nigeria, too.

So maybe she secretly is advertising something. She could try to suggest that I should learn that pidgin instead, but she still wouldn't admit it.

Or I could just be giving you an innocent reply to the question you asked me. Not everyone has an agenda Benjamin.

wrote:

Or I could just be giving you an innocent reply to the question you asked me. Not everyone has an agenda Benjamin.

Yes, not wanting to advertise it has a really high probability.

But do you know the meaning of SCNR?

SGP wrote:

Jade.Xuereb wrote:

Send me your SoundCloud link :blush:you can private message if you prefer

Could it be that the signature isn't being shown on some devices?
Because the link has been there for a while.

Just had a little heureka moment.

While the link is included in the signature, maybe a (copyable) link could be of use to others than Jade, too.

Not everyone has a Computer Mouse Pet after all.

https://soundcloud.com/user-607679555/tracks

SGP wrote:

Also, there are some additional languages that I am learning (but currently not spending too much time on them). As long as they are below the A1 beginner's level even when it comes to reading/listening, I wouldn't include them in the list.

Anybody tell me how to enter a language in the "other:" field that some users have? Tried to do so in the "languages" section of "edit profile", but I didn't find it.

If this possibility still exists, I would like to include some of my pre-A1 languages.

Wouldn't want to add them to the main list, because the distinction between these and those could be a bit blurry for some.

But it still could be a good idea to tell others that one started to learn them. Maybe they did, too.

Just found out how to do so right after posting ;). However, not editing the previous one. Because it, nevertheless, contains some information on why I would add include something in the "other" list.

So adding something to the "other" field simply is being done by adding a language as usual, but not choosing any level like A1 or B2. So I added some.

As for a few others, I wasn't able to enter them in the "add a language" web form.

They are: 

- Jamaican Patois/Patwa (A1 to A2 speaking, B2 comprehension, so let's just say A2).

- Pre-A1 Wolof, Efe (a.k.a. Ewe), Akan and Ga.

By the way, (Jamaican) Patois greatly differs from pure Jamaican (Standard) English. And it also greatly differs from Jamaican English with a few Patois words added (which is found in many songs that are popular internationally, as opposed to locally only).

 So it is similar to the Pure Hawaiian Pidgin, which is considered a language on its own by some, including the US government (if a certain Non-Official Hawaiian YT Spokesperson wasn't wrong ;)). And that pidgin neither is Standard English (far³ from it), nor it is the Hawaiian Language of Aloha.

SGP wrote:

SGP wrote:

Also, there are some additional languages that I am learning (but currently not spending too much time on them). As long as they are below the A1 beginner's level even when it comes to reading/listening, I wouldn't include them in the list.

Anybody tell me how to enter a language in the "other:" field that some users have? Tried to do so in the "languages" section of "edit profile", but I didn't find it.

If this possibility still exists, I would like to include some of my pre-A1 languages.

Wouldn't want to add them to the main list, because the distinction between these and those could be a bit blurry for some.

But it still could be a good idea to tell others that one started to learn them. Maybe they did, too.

This should be redirected as a new post/thread in the technical section in the forum so that the same query/concern will not be repeated in the future. Also, the nature of the post pertains to the technical aspect of the site.

Hi there, jambo and hallo, it's-a me once again . During the past weeks, I have been very busy with some preparations towards a certain goal. Now they started to bear some fruits. There is a new Youtube channel about multiple topics. Including, but not limited to, learning tips and strategies, not-so-boring food recipes, improvisations, and so on. *Shameless plug for my non-commercial channel* . The languages I make the videos in are English and German for now. Planning to add some more later. 

And one more thing about the language learning tools and strategies: I am not trying to re-invent the wheel. But it is about Out of the Box Thinking, remixing some ideas of others, etc. And also about, sometimes, providing some drafts and blueprints only, that could be improved or remixed by whoever has got some interesting input.

If you want to Czech it Out, this is the International Spider Web Link for the Internet TV (a.k.a. Youtube) channel:

http://bitly.com/2TMvhGX