From: Gerry Reinhart-Waller
Message: 815
Date: 2000-01-09
>--
> >> >Gerry here: Perhaps Spanish isn't any easier to learn than English, but
> it certainly is easier to learn than Russian. Even for Russian natives!
>
> >> Dou you think so? I once read somewhere that declension (eg, German,
> Russian) is only fully mastered at the age of 7, but perhaps the same can be
> said about conjugation in languages without much declension? Marc
>
> >May I interfere in the discussion? Russian is my native language. To my
> mind Russian-speaking children usually have no problems with declension (6
> cases, 3 kinds of declension which don't coincide completely with genders, 2
> times). Moreover, it seems that they "feel" the language even better than
> adults. A typical thing is inventing new funny words or expressions by small
> children following the formal rules of word- and phrase-formation.
>
> At what age do Russian children completely master the declension? I may be
> wrong about 7 years, but I red somewhere that the declension is the last
> thing that has to be completed?
>
> (When I was 15, I had to learn German & English at school (1 hour every
> week -- until then I had had Dutch, French & Latin). German was easier to
> understand, to read, to pronounce & to write for me (Dutch speaking) than
> English, but I never completely learned the German declension.)
>
> >Much more difficult is to learn the Russian grammar at school even if you
> speak perfect. As to me, having graduated from an university and obtained a
> Ph.D. degree, I'm not sure that I would pass now an examination work for 7th
> form (for 13 years old children) without a single mistake. The main problems
> are spelling and punctuation in written Russian and sometimes correct stress
> in the colloquial language (too much non-standard but widely spread
> variants). Actually Russian declension is a problem only for our
> politics of the Prime Minister or President rank, not for ordinary people.
> Alexander
>
> Marc
>
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