Hi & welcome, Brian!  Recently you wrote in a message to Alexander Koryagin:

BK>  One of my first trips to Germany cost me a month of my
BK>  life.  It actually wasn't half bad.  When I heard for
BK>  the first time, "I have a stomach feeling," I had to
BK>  put it into context ("I have a gut feeling" or "I have
BK>  a strong feeling").


           One of the things I find intriguing about German is that it's almost understandable, with a bit of fuzzy logic, to a native speaker of English.  The grammar is something else... but I realize now that I am not alone because some very intelligent Fidonetters from northern Europe say they have difficulty with it too.  I was quite amused by a Peanuts cartoon I saw recently where Snoopy... in his role as a WWI flying ace... is shot down over Germany.  After consulting his phrase book, he recites a list of pronouns & prepositions.  Finally he says "I surrender!" as I did years ago when I was expected to learn 24 prepositions, taking three cases, in one lesson.  Others I know who have visited Germany seem to have picked up the language easily when nobody marked their grammar....  :-Q



BK>  Skype, it might be interesting to help out--a trial by
BK>  fire!  :)


           I figure you're in Colorado... meaning your pronunciation is +/- the same as my own, I guess, except for a couple of vowel sounds.  Alexander may be unsure how to respond if he doesn't know you or where you're living at present.

           Seems to me the trial by fire works in both directions.  Alexander & I have been corresponding for many years... we are comfortable enough with each other to understand what's meant whether he speaks with a perfect Oxford accent & graciously accepts mine, or whether as one who lives in a busy seaport I have learned to make allowances for certain variations.

           I am quite in awe of those who have to master an unfamiliar alphabet in order to communicate with me, while I'm still grappling with theirs....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+