Yup, I edited my own posts, odiernod. I just saw no further point in trying to defend linguistics here. It’s a losing battle.
I’ve learned that this site, while it claims to be open concerning the sharing of opinions, it’s basically where anything but what Steve says in his youtube videos ‘comes to die’. If you have different ideas, don’t expect them to be heard, don’t expect your arguments to be taken into consideration. They will just keep arguing against you from their interpretations of what they think you believe and do.
But @Imyirtseshem, nobody here is knocking linguistics, or even field linguistics, as multiple people on this post have said. What we are knocking is this crazy character Chis Clugston who can’t respect that people can learn languages using documentation that exists for that language. All of those YT polyglots he hates have very good opinions on how to learn languages by taking advantage of audio recordings and written script. We are basically saying, “if we happen to be interested in learning documented languages, everything CC is railing at us about being unable to learn undocumented languages is not relevant”.
In this day and age, are we seriously talking about fighting each other to prove points? To satisfy our egos? Seriously? Or when we say fight do we mean get in a ring and spar? Either way, it all seems a bit primitive.
I’m not against the idea of a respectful challenge to test one’s martial skill, but it doesn’t have to be an egobooster nor should it be a fight to the death!
Odiernod, I find myself in a position where I deeply respect the YT polyglots and the field linguists equally. Both have great things to learn from each other.
Imyirtseshem, I want you to know that I also respect both YT polyglots and the field linguists (with a few notable exceptions on each side). After all, it was field linguists who gave us the documentation we as language learners use to be able to learn documented languages more efficiently.
I actually do enjoy watching his videos --IN THAT-- He provides some useful information, such as learning the IPA and stuff. I like some of the information he offers, but I can’t stand when he has to pause in his discussion and say “Sorry if you guys can’t understand me, but that’s how it goes in the linguistics world, it’s very technical.” I’m no linguist (in any definition, I’m fluent in my mother language, English, but when it comes to Russian, I’m still very slow.), but I understand concepts such as morphology, etymology and phonology. Don’t keep talking to us like we’re idiots!
I agree with Odiernod: I think most of us (perhaps apart from Steve?) have complete respect both for ‘Linguistics’ as an academic science and for trained ‘field linguists’.
However this respect doesn’t imply that we have to sit here like little schoolboys and be insulted by an arrogant phoney-baloney like Christophe Clugston! :-0
The guy has launched repeated gratuitous attacks against ‘linguists’ (in the sense of polyglots or language learners) in his Youtube videos, calling us all - basically - a bunch of complete ignorant fools who have no right to any opinions at all!
If he behaves this way, then obviously people are going to start fighting back at him, aren’t they?
Yeah, you could say it’s all a little childish - but HE is the one who started the rumble!
His name is Christopher. Not Christophe. Here is the real story…
He is a joke. He basically flunked out of ALL of his language courses and can’t speak any language (save for English).
quote from a poster on that site…
“Looks like he went to Ft. Sill for Basic (based on his point of entry, but it could have been Leonard Wood, the entry’s very blurry). From there he went to DLI, looks like he rocked out of Arabic, rolled back into Thai and from there was discharged. Doesn’t seem to say why. What’s been put out about his discharge?”
Another quote…
"I have been to 2 Clugston seminars. (Not because I am a fan of anything that he has done, I went because John Saylor was hosting them.) He told us about his linguist skills, how he could speak fluently in 10 languages. There were a couple of guys who spoke french at the seminar, when Clugston spoke to them it was usually in english, with only a spattering of french words mixed in. Having taken high school french I understood the words he was using to them, but he never put a full sentance together. I said a few things to him in spanish(another language he said he spoke fluently), his answers were not to the questions I asked, and a couple of times his syntax was off. Now, these small things that I noticed don’t mean that he is lying, but is a strong indication that he is not the “Boxing Linguist” that he calls himself. "
Odiernod, do you fancy a tag team match against him? although it probably wouldn’t last long…although interestingly I didn’t think I would get to 3rd dan in kyokushin and be teaching 500 people if I was just a ‘hobby martial artist’
Presenting the lovely professional response from our friend.
Quite a professional–no name, no photo. Wow, you are in how many magazines? How many companies invested in you because you have something to help others? How many testimonials world wide do you have? Or even how many pro fights have you had? Oh yeah, that’s right–no name and no photo: NO CREDIBILITY. And you have everythign to prove–you’re no authority in linguistics or martial arts.
The appeal to Credentials is a sign he has a weak argument. Those that can’t do teach or pay money to learn information that is outdated that you can be download for free (University in a nutshell).
