摘要註: |
"Some people are apparently very good at learning languages beyond the one(s) they acquire in infancy. The 19th century British explorer Sir Richard Burton claimed to have spoken more than 40 languages and dialects (Farwell, 1963). There are also 'linguistic savants', people who, despite a number of cognitive impairments, have a precocious ability to learn languages. Christopher, a linguistic savant studied by Smith and Tsimpli (1995), has a number of cognitive impairments that make it difficult for him to find his way around or deal with everyday tasks like doing up buttons or shaving. However 'he can read, write and communicate in any of fifteen to twenty languages' (1995: 1). In contrast to these examples, other people appear to be rather poor at language learning. In 2008, the Guardian newspaper reported the attempts of a French teacher at a London school to motivate a Vietnamese boy in his bottom French class, Tommy, for an upcoming French exam. In doing so he was presented with a challenge"--Provided by publisher |