Oh, and by the way, it’s been the video on youtube, which had been linked here and my following watching of polyglot-videos on youtube which made me comment here - probably, I have been a little off-topic.
This whole polyglot-thing is just something that comes up here so often and always causes heated discussions. It seems as if there were sides to take and battles to fight. Maybe, I’m getting this wrong, but it’s my impression and I simply cannot understand that.
Of course, I don’t consider myself a polyglot in the youtube-polyglot-sense, given that I can only speak 5 languages at different conversational levels and am not having scheduled plans as to which level I want to reach in which time or how many more languages I want to study in the following years. I’m fine that I’m able to make myself understood to those that matter to me and can understand what I need to understand. And I’m happy to learn a little more over time.
I fully agree that we all find our own way, in fact that is one of my constant themes. Discussing different ways of learning, with some people advocating their favourite approach, is not only interesting to the participants, but stimulating to (some) others. I agree that it is ridiculous to claim that only one way works, however it is quite normal to be positive about what works for you and to want to share it. I also think that method matters.
@2tmp011007 “Ehm…are you by any chance Christophe Clugston…? :-0”
do not blow my cover!!!
@Imyirtseshem “Clugston is a worse troll… just. :D”
hey dude, play nice xD… btw, I’m way betta at trolling than he ever was and/or he could ever be. don’t make me post youtube videos to prove you wrong, hahahahaha
If anyone still wonders how Clugston can know about this (or the HTLAL) thread, anyone can access this forum without being a member. Even I was suddenly logged out when I went from page 2 (of this thread) to this page 3. I didn’t notice it until I was about to write this post.
Is Christophe Clugston or Benny a threat to LingQ? I don’t think so. I don’t even think the LWT person is. The real threat to LingQ is the brain drain when good members stop posting (for whatever reason) and no longer make podcasts, etc.
Polyglots can learn from other polyglots, but I don’t know what adult learners can glean from them. I am convinced that adults (including senior citizens) can learn languages, but they have to be motivated because the other activities of life sometimes take over their hobby time. People need a good method and if they have never studied a language, it is doubtful they can learn a language from scratch without some handholding.
I sometimes teach languages on the side and I can usually predict which students will do well. They are motivated (goal-oriented), not just taking the class because they feel they should learn a particular language.
I must say that I find tmp to be pithy, that is short but to the point, a keen observer and remarkably fluent in English, which apparently is not his native language. How that would make anyone think of Christophe is beyond me.
I don’t know where the idea of “threat to LingQ” comes from. Benny is prominent because of his personality, claims and challenges. Clugston is less prominent. They are sometimes discussed at our forum, and so are other personalities of the polyglot universe of the Internet.
LingQ is not threatened but recognizes the need to constantly strive to satisfy the various, and sometimes contradictory demands of users and potential users, and to anticipate their needs and demands.
They are not brought up as threats to LingQ. Yo are the first person I see refer to them as threats. People find them interesting, strange but interesting.
@Steve: “…I must say that I find tmp to be pithy, that is short but to the point, a keen observer and remarkably fluent in English, which apparently is not his native language. How that would make anyone think of Christophe is beyond me.”
Any implication on my part that this tmp-dude is Clugston undercover was meant to be a joke, Steve!
I think it is likely that the man from Planet-Clug does indeed read this forum (and other ones too.) But I doubt very much whether he actually has an account here.
He seems like a rather strange guy: some of what he says is not without genuine interest; but he seems to be driven along by a kind of weird nutty anger - and he has these sinister bulging eyes!
I can’t help wondering whether he (ab)uses steroids to stay in shape? (If he does, this would explain both the glaring look in his eyes and his cranky inner rage…)
Yeah, I think the “roid-rage” hypothesis is entirely serious. Clugston is a forty-something guy whose main business is teaching martial arts and who therefore needs to stay in A1 physical shape.
(And of course this stuff may be completely legal in Vietnam where he lives?)
