In the film Charlotte says she's studying spanish and english when she's asked but then on another scene while they're talking about her trip to india she says 'i was three months in india' and she speaks with a really strong accent..
One mistake does not mean that her English is rubbish. "I was three months in India" is a typical mistake for Germans in English, because it is the direct translation of "Ich war drei Monate in Indien". I think this mistake adds a special touch to the film. The beauty of this mistake is that it shows that English, despite being the mother tongue of neither woman, is the common language, the international language of communication between the two lovers.
Similarly, had she had a perfect British or American accent, it would have seemed unnatural.
You seem to be very critical of her English, despite your own spelling mistakes. I'm guessing you're not a native speaker.
Well said, johnston-eleanor. It's pathetic that some people, like the OP, criticize "bad" (bag?? lol) English without putting it into context or realizing that, if it's not your mother tongue, it can take some time to speak it "perfectly".
"I did cramps the way Meryl Streep did accents" - Calliope (Middlesex)
(small spoiler warning)
actually, language and the use of language has many meanings in the movie. for instance, when the father and Necat (the prof) speak; one says something in turkish, the other replies in german or vice versa. language shows how 'disconnected' these people are to their 'own' cultures or native lands (remember the bookshop owner and what he said to Necat, and Necat's facial expressions and decision after that). also keep in mind that director Fatih Akin is a Turkish-German, and he also has this double-consciousness - belonging to both places.
or, when Lotte and her mother speak in themselves, they speak in german (well, naturally) but Ayten has no way of understanding it. so in short, language plays a crucial role in the film.
actually, language and the use of language has many meanings in the movie. for instance, when the father and Necat (the prof) speak; one says something in turkish, the other replies in german or vice versa.
going to see the movie this evening,
where is the mistake in "I was three months in India", I can't really think of any other way of saying it...
I also thought that this was a bit strange. She really has that "I learned English in a German high school-accent" (had it myself once). I guess Fatih Akin is to blame for hiring an actress with insufficient language skill for playing a language student.
The Movie was great though. Great Story and characters. IMO, Fatih Akin is one of the greatest European directors. I like all of his movies.
Theyre so... true
Maybe she didn't study for long. Perhaps only one or two semesters. And, having no real sense of purpose prior to Ayten's imprisonment, maybe she didn't try very hard at university.
"I was three month in India." is a strange sentence, of course. I, as a German with German high school english, would say: "I have been in India for three month."
To be more accurate she would have said "I spent three months in India".
That's English in the vernacular.
>>where is the mistake in "I was three months in India", I can't really think of any other way of saying it...
Most people in America would say, "I spent three months in India," or "I was in India for three months." It's a little thing though. Her English wasn't that bad. Better than my German.
Yeah, I have to say I don't understand what the problem was with her English. It sounded fine to me. I've studied in Germany for a year and I met a lot of German students of English. The language will never be perfect. The goal isn't to go unnoticed as a foreigner but rather to be able to communicate and understand each other. In that sense, I found it perfectly plausible that her character was a student of English.
Theres also more to being a student of English than just speaking the language.
it would be correct to say "I spent three months in India" or "I've stayed in India for three months". The best thing to make of her sentence would be "I was in India for three months". But "was" is a very passive word, it sounds like someone put her in India and she didn't know how to get away or how she got there. ;)
shareIMHO you are overly picky. This is not worth a mention.
Oh God, as a native speaker and a teacher of english, this is such a insignificant mistake that I can't believe that it is even being mentioned! I thought her english was fine for the role, and believe me, even students that graduate from language degrees after 3 years often don't have complete fluency, it depends on the course, student etc!! So really, this is a very silly argument about a very good film!!!!
shareI know people who speak foreign language perfectly but have the worst accents. Specially if you study a language, you can maybe improve your pronunciation a bit, but its hard to change the accent. You are more likely to catch the right accent if you live in a foreign country as a kid, surrounded by native speakers. But once youre an adult, its very difficult to sound natural.
And if its not your mother tongue you are likely to make mistakes while speaking, even if you theoretically know all the grammar rules.
Writting a test is different cause you actively think about what is right and wrong, but while speaking people often make small errors, its no big deal.
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we should notice the use of language in this movie, although I don't like some scenes like Lotte's mother and Aytin talking about Turkey becoming a EU country...
The language (in general meaning) is the only way to connect these people together, who cares if it's Turkish or German or English...
Her English was very good. True, 'I was three months in India' is gramatically incorrect (it should be 'I spent three months in India' or 'I was in India for three months').
However, you could argue that it would be unrealistic to have a STUDENT of English speaking perfectly, with no mistakes. If she's a student of the language, it goes without saying that she will make mistakes from time to time. Otherwise she would be a teacher of English, not a student!