Miz & Woozie & others interested in space

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 16:14

Originally Posted by Woozie

I hate sign language D:

I have to take 5 semesters to get my BS in physics. In fact, this class is the only reason I'm not getting my BS in physics this semester (because clearly I can never be a great scientist unless I know sign language).

It would probably help if my tutor wasn't 4 years old (literally). But I learn better from her than from the actual professor since when I don't understand something, my tutor actually explains it in English, whereas my professor explains it with more signs, which adds to the confusion.

Also, if you read my posts on a regular basis you'll realize I have a hard time telling when someone is joking or not lol. I get whooshed a lot.

wow, it's required for you to take sign language? for physics?! that's insane. I figured it was a choice thing.

And I totally know what you mean, I find my French classes pretty hard sometimes because the teacher insists on explaining in French. Though to be fair my understanding of French isn't so bad, but I have a lot of trouble working out the grammar because she just says "well it's like first person pronouns dative past tense case in English" and expect me to know wtf is going on (idk about where you went to school but where I did they didn't teach us grammar beyond "subject object verb noun", I think the most difficult thing we had to learn was "adverb"). Of course as soon as she gives me an English example I know exactly what she means, but god... I mean today we were doing things like:

Jean gave Marie a cake.

and transforming it to:

Jean gave it to her.

And bloody hell that's annoying, especially when you start to move away from the simple example! But I challenge native English speakers to explain what the transformation is in grammatical terms, because there's a name for it but I can't remember what it is, and buggered if I ever learned it.

**Woozie** · 2010-03-23 16:27

ASL isn't specifically required, it just has to be some language. I have certain difficulties with language in general due to medical reasons, but the difficulties aren't enough to exempt me from having to take a foreign language. So my therapist suggested ASL because she thought it different than other languages.

Well, it's not easier than any other language afterall, but it just so happens that my professor has a son who has the same difficulties I have, so at least she's more lenient on me.

The good thing about Sign Language (as opposed to French) is that the order of the words is less important. A lot of sentences can be considered correct in different orders. American Sign Language actually came from the French Language (instead of English), so my professor typically wants us to order our words the way the French do. But we don't loose points if we don't. There are rules we have to follow, but it's not as strict as French or any other language would be in terms of sentence structure.

I thought you already had your PhD? Are you still in school? Or are you just taking French just because?

Also, you should find a four year old tutor. They're willing to explain stuff more than adults for some reason.

***Blarg*** · 2010-03-23 16:34

http://www.ninjavideo.net/video/60072

Ninja has eleventybillion science documentaries

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 16:37

Originally Posted by Woozie

ASL isn't specifically required, it just has to be some language. I have certain difficulties with language in general due to medical reasons, but the difficulties aren't enough to exempt me from having to take a foreign language. So my therapist suggested ASL because she thought it different than other languages.

Well, it's not easier than any other language afterall, but it just so happens that my professor has a son who has the same difficulties I have, so at least she's more lenient on me.

The good thing about Sign Language (as opposed to French) is that the order of the words is less important. A lot of sentences can be considered correct in different orders. American Sign Language actually came from the French Language (instead of English), so my professor typically wants us to order our words the way the French do. But we don't loose points if we don't. There are rules we have to follow, but it's not as strict as French or any other language would be in terms of sentence structure.

I thought you already had your PhD? Are you still in school? Or are you just taking French just because?

Also, you should find a four year old tutor. They're willing to explain stuff more than adults for some reason.

Yeah, I have my PhD -- just that moving to Belgium you kinda generally want to learn the local lingo so the university puts on free classes for researchers and postgrad students and ring-in professors who want to learn French (or you could learn Dutch too but that wouldn't be very useful for me). So it's by no means compulsory, but I enjoy learning languages (I speak passable German, though the French is quickly pushing what was left of my vocab out of my head now) and it seemed like a good opportunity

I have a 10 year old who is happy to chat to me in French! She loves telling me all about her dolls and toys, but I don't see her very often (sadly, I like her a lot!). And you're right, kids are often a lot more interesting to learn from, because they haven't that awkward feeling about correcting you when you're wrong

It's interesting that ASL comes from the French -- I guess that means that you have to talk about a walk excellent and a day hot! But I also know what you mean about being understood -- generally people here understand me if I can chuck a few words together and with context & a bit of interpretive dance we can generally work things out.

**Woozie** · 2010-03-23 16:51

Originally Posted by Linliel

It's interesting that ASL comes from the French -- I guess that means that you have to talk about a walk excellent and a day hot!

I'm still not completely used to this. I still keep putting the descriptions first, and I keep loosing points for it. Not only do we have to rearrange our sentences to be more similar to French structure, but our facial expressions have to match what we're saying or else we loose all credit (because facial expressions completely change the meaning of some sentences). I kept getting in trouble today for saying "yellow black banana" instead of "banana yellow black".

**Woozie** · 2010-03-23 16:53

Originally Posted by Zealot

One of my theater professors was also an ASL translator. Man, I wanted to do her.

Anyway, back to science.

I've just become much more motivated to learn ASL.

Actually I should be taking a language from middle or south america since the hottest chicks are hispanic/latino/etc.

**Mizango** · 2010-03-23 16:55

Lin I know you were joking, just giving you a hard time

**Mizango** · 2010-03-23 16:55

Headed home, ill bbl.

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 16:56

Originally Posted by Woozie

I'm still not completely used to this. I still keep putting the descriptions first, and I keep loosing points for it. Not only do we have to rearrange our sentences to be more similar to French structure, but our facial expressions have to match what we're saying or else we loose all credit (because facial expressions completely change the meaning of some sentences). I kept getting in trouble today for saying "yellow black banana" instead of "banana yellow black".

Yeah, this always gets me too, especially the exceptions like "next", "previous", "first" (and other ordinals), "last", "big", "small", "good" (in some cases), "bad" (in some cases)... makes me want to tear out my hair! Fortunately yeah noone in real life is that worried -- I make mistakes all the time and they just think it's cute. lol

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 16:57

Originally Posted by Linliel

Yeah, this always gets me too, especially the exceptions like "next", "previous", "first" (and other ordinals), "last", "big", "small", "good" (in some cases), "bad" (in some cases)... makes me want to tear out my hair! Fortunately yeah noone in real life is that worried -- I make mistakes all the time and they just think it's cute. lol

hah I just realised I did a Frenchism there in English... "tear out my hair" lolol

**Woozie** · 2010-03-23 16:58

It's cute when women do it. When guys butcher a language it's annoying and people make fun of us or don't talk to us.

**Conrad** · 2010-03-23 17:11

What kind of science makes kittyballs?

**Qalbert** · 2010-03-23 17:13

the best kind

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 17:15

I'm hoping Woozie's degree will allow him to make me one

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 17:16

Originally Posted by Woozie

It's cute when women do it. When guys butcher a language it's annoying and people make fun of us or don't talk to us.

idk, there's this Irish guy in my class that I know all the chicks swoon over and he butchers French like nothing else, lol

**Conrad** · 2010-03-23 17:20

Maybe he can start with non-floating kittyballs and work his way up to making the hover technology

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 17:21

Well, I'm hoping to bring in a biologist for the kitty part, wooz can focus on the anti-gravity hovering awesomeness

**Conrad** · 2010-03-23 17:22

You have to crawl before you can walk lin

**Linliel** · 2010-03-23 17:22

do I get to hover after I can walk? cos y'know, that's the good bit.

***Blarg*** · 2010-03-23 17:23

The hovering is caused by the static electricity build up in the cats fur which repels against the ground due to science

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