What is a foreign language?

Don’t confuse a foreign language with one which we do not know sufficiently well.  There are times when we cannot understand someone who speaks our native language.  We know all of the words, but we still cannot understand what the person is saying.

A foreign language is basically the same kind of language as the one which we speak.  The only difference is that we do not understand any of the words that we hear.  A true foreign language differs from a language that we simply do not speak in one very elementary way.

When we listen to people who are speaking in a foreign language, it seems that the conversation is an uninterrupted flow of incomprehensible sounds.  It is an insurmountable river of funny noises, and you cannot see its beginning or its end.

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and
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animal
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back
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bad
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bag
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bed
6 words of 119
before
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big
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blanket
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boat
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boiled
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bread
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car
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chicken
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child
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closed
17 words of 119
clothing
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coffee
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cold
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color
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dangerous
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day
23 words of 119
do
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doctor
25 words of 119
documents
26 words of 119
down
27 words of 119
drink
28 words of 119
drive
29 words of 119
eat
30 words of 119
egg
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far
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fire
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fish
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forward
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fried
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friend
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from
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fruit
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give
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go
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good
42 words of 119
goodbye
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hello
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help
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here
46 words of 119
hot
47 words of 119
hour
48 words of 119
house
49 words of 119
how
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how much
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hurry
52 words of 119
inside
54 words of 119
it
55 words of 119
know
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later
57 words of 119
less
58 words of 119
little
59 words of 119
look for
60 words of 119
man
61 words of 119
meat
62 words of 119
medicine
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milk
64 words of 119
money
65 words of 119
more
66 words of 119
my
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night
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no
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now
70 words of 119
one
71 words of 119
outside
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pain
73 words of 119
pasta
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phone
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please
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potato
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quickly
78 words of 119
relax
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rice
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salad
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shoes
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shop
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slowly
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sorry
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soup
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straight
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street
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sweet
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take
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talk
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tea
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thank you
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there
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ticket
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time
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to
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to the left
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to the right
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together
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toilet
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train
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two
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understand
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up
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vegetables
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wait
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wake
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want
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water
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when
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where
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who
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woman
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write
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yes
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you
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your
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and
y
animal
animal
back
atrás
bad
malo
bag
bolso
bed
cama
before
antes
big
grande
blanket
manta
boat
barca
boiled
hervido
bread
pan
bus
autobus
car
coche
chicken
pollo
child
niño
closed
cerrado
clothing
ropa
coffee
café
cold
frío
color
color
dangerous
peligroso
day
día
do
hacer
doctor
doctor
documents
documentos
down
abajo
drink
beber
drive
viajar
eat
comer
egg
huevo
far
lejos
fire
fuego
fish
pescado
forward
adelante
fried
frito
friend
amigo
from
de
fruit
fruta
give
dar
go
ir
good
bien
goodbye
adiós
hello
hola
help
ayudar
here
aquí
hot
caliente
hour
hora
house
casa
how
como
how much
cuanto
hurry
deprisa
I
yo
inside
dentro
it
esto
know
saber
later
màs tarde
less
menos
little
poco
look for
buscar
man
hombre
meat
carne
medicine
medicina
milk
leche
money
dinero
more
más
my
mi
night
noche
no
no
now
ahora
one
uno
outside
fuera
pain
dolor
pasta
pasta
phone
teléfono
please
por favor
potato
patata
quickly
rapidamente
relax
descansar
rice
arroz
room
habitación
salad
ensalada
shoes
calzado
shop
tienda
slowly
lento
sorry
perdón
soup
sopa
straight
recto
street
calle
sweet
dulce
take
coger
talk
hablar
tea
thank you
gracias
there
allí
ticket
billete
time
tiempo
to
a
to the left
a la izquierda
to the right
a la derecha
together
juntos
toilet
baño
train
tren
two
dos
understand
comprender
up
arriba
vegetables
verduras
wait
esperar
wake
despertar
want
querer
water
agua
when
cuando
where
donde
who
quien
woman
mujer
write
escribir
yes
you
your
tu

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A completely foreign language turns into one which we do not understand sufficiently well if we hear a few words in the flow of sound which we understand. 

We understand those words and can understand the topic – food, travel, sports, shopping, prices, the weather, etc.  That is all, however.  We cannot move beyond the overall topic that is being discussed.  Don’t fear, though – if you understand the general topic of discussion, then that means that you can identify the language that is being spoken – Spanish, French, Italian, etc.  This means that this is not a completely foreign language to you.  You simply do not understand it sufficiently well.

The next thing is this:  A language will turn from an incomprehensible into an understandable one only when you not only recognise the words that are spoken, but also understand the point to what is being said.

Sadly, some people who want to communicate in a foreign language in a comprehensible way must first learn to do so in their own language.  You have to remember a few things here.  If people talk to one another they only use words which the others will understand, and they use those words so that everyone understands the point to what is being said.

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