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The wife had the same reaction to "lots", "somewhat" and "not much". Joel Send a noteboard - 21/08/2011 10:15:05 PM
I didn't tick boxes for those words which I recognized and which I would not stop and pause for when encountering them in context, but which I couldn't really define. I did tick the boxes if I could more or less define them, though only vaguely. So I dare say if I'd done it the same way as Camilla I'd have scored a good bit less than her, as well I might...

The non-native speakers get a rather extensive questionnaire about how they learned English, but I dare say they should've given a bit more range on their answering options than just "lots", "somewhat" and "not much". I've spent most days during the past ten years of my life reading/writing English one way or another for at least one hour a day and often more, what with this and other websites and the people I met here - and I'm not sure if they entirely realize how English-language music and movies have near-monopolies in a place like Flanders, either. It probably would've been more accurate to answer "absurdly much" to questions about how much English I practiced outside formal classes.

One of these days I've got to get her to pop back in here and tell ya'll these things herself, but she's never been much of a poster, mainly a chatter. But yeah, with the possible exceptions of France and Germany (can't say first hand, but I've heard tales the French have something of a nervous tic about speaking English ;)) I agree that they underestimated how ubiquitous English is in Western Europe. It's actually a barrier to learning Norwegian, in some ways; not only is it far easier for me to communicate in English with almost everyone I meet, it's usually much easier for THEM than listening to me mangle my way through a grasp of their language most natives surpass by the time they start school. Most of the television here is American or British programs (programmes in the latter case, I suppose :rolleyes: ), often on American cable channels or the local versions thereof. Turn on a television here and you're as likely to say an English show with Norwegian subtitles as one in Norwegian; is that "lots" or "somewhat"? :P
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Help out these researchers: test your English vocabulary - 21/08/2011 03:07:24 PM 748 Views
I tried to be very conservative - 21/08/2011 04:55:08 PM 532 Views
That was my thought as well - 21/08/2011 06:24:06 PM 567 Views
Indeed. If you read their explanation, however, there's a decent reason for that. - 21/08/2011 06:27:34 PM 506 Views
I did read it - 21/08/2011 06:32:28 PM 428 Views
28,300 words. - 21/08/2011 05:52:10 PM 473 Views
Hmm - 21/08/2011 06:07:36 PM 518 Views
I got 35700, but I was perhaps too generous in ticking boxes. - 21/08/2011 07:49:24 PM 584 Views
The wife had the same reaction to "lots", "somewhat" and "not much". - 21/08/2011 10:15:05 PM 547 Views
Yeah, she would. - 21/08/2011 10:54:20 PM 490 Views
That makes sense. - 22/08/2011 03:49:18 PM 550 Views
I'm going to hope I misinterpreted that, but... - 22/08/2011 07:24:04 PM 467 Views
Nah, you got it, and I didn't. - 22/08/2011 08:27:33 PM 526 Views
37700 *NM* - 21/08/2011 08:52:29 PM 184 Views
Bah, 35,000 *NM* - 21/08/2011 10:02:43 PM 208 Views
I'm only slightly above average - 22/08/2011 04:07:02 AM 455 Views
39,000. It seemed pretty heavy on the Latin derivations. *NM* - 22/08/2011 04:48:23 AM 214 Views
28,800 - 22/08/2011 01:43:36 PM 456 Views
Trollop! Trollop was on the list! Low- 22,800. *NM* - 22/08/2011 08:43:21 PM 199 Views

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