The Lingo Kid

Look at what this kid has managed to learn from this one spot in the street, with no schooling, just out of sheer necessity (and then some)!

Here is another video with him younger and there are others as well:

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  • leonard

    neat

  • hs4mm

    Lots of chaps like this in India, since way back when.

  • leonard

    I like learning… :razz: 39 Steps [All Roads Lead To] Babylon [1988]
    …the new york dolls kick ass…

    :smile: good job, MARINA

    :smile:

  • hs4mm

    India itself has zillions of languages (not dialects/variations of a few, but many different). Tip: by bargaining, one need not pay the asking price.

  • http://hotforwords.se matsrg

    I agree, good job, Marina :grin:
    Best regards,

    MatsRG

  • wonkerine

    a remarkable mind…hopefully he has access to proper schooling…he seems to have immense potential.

  • pennsyltucky9

    That’s amazing! Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

    It just goes to show that adversity can be overcome by the will to succeed combined with imagination, perseverance, and a positive attitude. Very cool, Marina.

    BTW, the word “shear” should probably be replaced using its homonym, “sheer.” Since it’s modifying “necessity,” the idea of “steep and difficult” is probably preferable to the idea of “cut off or trim away.” Just my $0.02, of course. :smile:

  • originalistrick

    Wow!

  • hs4mm

    A Russian came to the bay area about 4 years ago; she went to an interview at a gym for a fitness instructor without knowing any English — and got the job because of her qualifications (and she maintains her own body very well; she is good looking too). She learnt English while conducting fitness classes and while instructing private clients. She now has a pretty good command of the English language.

  • http://www.youtube.com/CheVolay Che Volay

    Cool kid :cool:

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/Jeorney Jeorney

    I once learned a language BEFORE I knew any other to refer to – just out of sheer necessity!

    Oh, and you did too.

  • http://www.hotforwords.com Marina

    Good catch pennsyltucky9! I’m still trying to master this darn English!! :-)

  • stigmatasaurus

    Remarkable! But I’m afraid he sacrifices clarity for speed, like any good salesman.

  • greatestpotential

    :twisted: sure, til he hounds you on the street and starts asking you to buy one of his peacock feather fans :!:

  • hs4mm

    “… sacrifices clarity for speed … good salesman.” — so you would buy from a salesman you could not understand? Anyway, this guy is clear about what he is selling and the asking price; he is not selling the service of a tour-guide for the hanging gardens.

  • thegorn

    No thanks, I’ve already got an electric fan, now skat!

  • greatestpotential

    ha, kid, i’m busy. i gotta get somewhere quick, i’m a man on a mission…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNpaaPHENE&feature=related

  • stigmatasaurus

    …true, true. One wonders, though, why he isn’t already at a telephone order “Fulfillment Center.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LImhTTFu4b8

  • thegorn

    Let me get that for you sir…

    these kids will even sing jingle bells to make a buck.

  • greatestpotential

    “I can sell anything on the planet (even other planets).”~ Captain Jack

  • greatestpotential

    These parents need to start their children off in the right direction at an early age. Do the right thing- hire Slick Rick to do the storytelling for your kids :idea:

  • suprstock

    [blowing smoke up your a**]word/ phrase request please…

  • http://toastytech.com/guis/bobboot1.gif Bob

    Excellent point you make here.
    People say that they are too old to learn another language, but I reckon, if a kid of two years old can do it, anyone can.

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/bsomebody13 bsomebody

    This was a very good M’Lady. Thanks for sharing such a cool snapshot with us. (And I was worried that all of that Hollywood garbage might take away your edge.)

    :cool:

  • http://www.theendoftheinternet.com/ Chemikal

    We all are trying to master it…
    English really is the “darnest” thing.
    As Ravi said, “now for after bigger I’m English little, little, little… Hallo, you want, one dollar, one dollar?… Little, little, I start like this…” :-)

    It’s funny, because when I say the phrase “master English” it sounds just normal, but when you say “master English” I think of whips and latex suits. :D
    When will you make a video showing us how you’ve mastered English, in the sense described above?
    It’s worth asking, even though the chances of that ever happening are little, little, little.

    Are you a fan of fans? Indian air conditioning is cool. :-)

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/bsomebody13 bsomebody

    BTW, does anybody exactly where this was? I’m curious.

  • http://wired.reddit.com/sexygeeks_2008/?s=top pedanticKarl

     
    Hi bsomebody,
    The location of that video appears to be
    at the Hanging Gardens of Mumbai (formerly Bombay),
    in India also known as the Ferozeshah Mehta Gardens.
    One of the videos gives that location in the description.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Gardens_of_Mumbai

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/bsomebody13 bsomebody

    thanx :smile:

  • matalexwolf

    Incredible !!! When I visited Ankor Wat in Cambodia, there were so many kids and adults who could speak many languages as with this clever chap. Spent time teaching some of them English too because they were so keen to learn. They gave me Ankor history lessons in return, plus met all the family, friends and neighbours. Tried loads of yummy foods and tea, the whiskey looked, heavy so passed on that :)
    For three years now, I have sponsored a girl £10 per month. This has helped her to buy a bicycle, so no more walking eight miles to school!! Gives her paper, books and pens. She is saving up to go to the US to get her degree one day. Wants to be a doctor. I hear back from them occasionally, and she is doing really well, Geeking it!!!
    Worth a mention maybe, as a result of Land mines, £8 gives a child a prosthetic limb for six months (which enables them to walk!!) £16 gives an adult a prosthetic limb for life!!!! £1 goes a veeeeery long way, changes lives. So many bright people in need of assistance. Spending £3 on a pint of beer has not tasted as good since that tour!

    If you are feeling it, http://www.cambodiatrust.com/ – you really can change some ones life so DO IT!!!!! :grin:

  • stigmatasaurus

    “We have people here from every planet on Earth.” ~ Gov. Gray Davis (2003) :lol:

  • http://www.youtube.com/CheVolay Che Volay

    Know what you mean, had a guy follow me around in Ochos Rios, Jamaica all day trying to sell me a hand carved wooded sculpture, it was a decent piece of art work but heavy, I did not want to lug it back to CA.

    After a few hours the guy had lower the price down so much ($5.00) it was worth it for me to buy it just to get rid of the guy.

    It’s a representation of a guy bent over at the waste blowing himself, I called it “Auto Fellatio” :roll:

  • http://www.rockyfrisco.com hotrocky

    This kid is magnificent! Hope the CIA doesn’t recruit him and ruin his life!

  • http://www.rockyfrisco.com hotrocky

    By the way, thanks for the link. This looks like a very good place to donate to.

  • matalexwolf

    hey hotrocky :)
    Thanks for taking notice! This trust do amazing work, I saw some of what they did when travelling through Cambodia. Money is used to train locals so as to be able to support and provide for their own. The centres are a real mind opener. Seeing people, young and old, given the chance to walk again was a real tear jerker for me. The look on their faces was priceless. Never seen a little bit of money go such a long way before.

    The importance of languages becomes surreal when the young are able to do as with Lingo Kid, in order for them to survive. Puts me to shame with my pigeon French and tongue twisting Thai!

    Be well, M:)

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRtq2-gziI buzzword

    nice link. good cause. the world issue of land mines is a serious one. i’ve taught lots of kids who are immigrants to the u.s. cambodians being among them. the more people i meet from around the world the more complex my understanding of global politics become. i really respect your commitment to contributing to the well being of the girl you mentioned, good work.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRtq2-gziI buzzword

    i agree with you b. hmm… “edge” interesting word/phrase.

  • quiggles

    Dear Marina,

    Thanks so much for these great videos! Amazing people like this young linguistic wizard are one of the reasons I adore India and keep going back. The hanging gardens he mentions are probably those near Malabar Hills in Mumbai; a ritzy Bollywood enclave which makes the plight of children like your friend so heart breaking. That he has found such obvious joy in his talent for language is itself a miracle.

    Namaste, Q :smile:

    p.s. Enjoy the Laker game!

  • leonard

    Good Day HotForWords…

    [colony] like alaska was :cool:
    :shock: Legal Definition
    United States Federal statute is probably the best legalistic definition of colonia, particularly for a discussion of US colonias. The code defines a colonia as a community that (1) is in the state of Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas; (2) is within 150 miles (240 km) of the U.S.-Mexico border, except for any metropolitan area exceeding one million people; (3) on the basis of objective criteria, lacks adequate sewage systems and lacks decent, safe, and sanitary housing; and (4) was in existence as a colonia before November 28, 1990. [10]

    [edit] Federal agencies
    It is unclear how the federal statue influences federal agencies’ definition of colonia. Each interested agency seems to define the concept for itself in spite of commonalities between definitions.
    :oops:

    :wink: :razz: :roll:

    [escort] or [EsKimo] of 3 continents :smile: :mrgreen:

  • leonard

    above from wiki…this

    Quote :razz: of HotForWords website

    “Everything has been figured out, except how to live.” – Jean-Paul Sartre 1905-1980

  • hs4mm

    Good observation. I did not mention the following earlier because I did not want to dampen people’s admiration for this kid (Ravi) by drawing attention to negative things.

    The grandmother has been doing the same thing for over 45 years; and if one goes back to the Hanging Gardens 40 years from now, there is a good chance they will see this kid still doing the same thing. Why?

    I make some a general statements below; there always are exceptions.

    An American sees himself as an independent being who is free to define, seek and achieve his own happiness. This knowledge is a precondition for initiative and growth.

    An Englishman thinks his life belongs to the King; and if he achieves success by his own efforts, that is not good; success is only when something is given to him by the King (such as a knighthood). An Indian doesn’t even know that he has a life he can live on this earth — he sees himself as a pawn of the Gods, with nothing to do on earth except to pray to his God for boons.

    People living in Bombay can communicate orally in multiple languages from among Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, English, Farsi etc. Indians rarely interact with each other as equals — in most interactions, one person is the master and the other is the slave, and the language used is that preferred by the master. (A guy might be the master in one interaction and the slave in another — that’s why he would need to be able to converse in multiple languages.)

    (Speaking of stagnation, I once saw a TV show (maybe by National Geographic) in which they showed places in Africa where people engaged in agriculture using methods of biblical times!)

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/CantwrCymreig Evan Owen

    Fantastique! Increíble! Wunderbar! Ardderchog! Amazing! :grin:

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/CantwrCymreig Evan Owen

    Англиский — это очень трудно язык! :wink:

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/CantwrCymreig Evan Owen

    Although I swear languages HAVE become harder as I’ve aged. At age 12, I soaked up Spanish like a sponge. Four years later, I couldn’t get the hang of Russian. Japanese at age 40 didn’t stick, either. :sad:

    On the other hand, learning Welsh has always felt like I’m merely being reminded of what the words are. But then again, the language WAS spoken in my childhood church… :smile:

  • gfexplorer27

    OK, I’ll bite, I would like to know the word [peacock].

  • okay4now

    Respecting everyone, is a good starting point for this world of ours.

  • http://tour-russia.com dsfoto

    Simply Remarkable Thank You Teacher your avid student loves and respects you :smile:

  • matalexwolf

    Hey BW,
    Thanks for your kind words :smile: Wish I could give more money and sponsor more children however my leap of faith is causing many cash-stration issues!!! One day, it will be possible to help more.
    You sound like you do amazing work helping so many, I admire that a greatly. Must be very rewarding for you.
    Having travelled, I too feel perplexed by global politics (or is that global religious politics?). It’s all fear and power where ever you go. Some countries have no real value for people at all. The UK govt. littered Cambodia with land mines which are still causing death or injury to so many. What I did notice most of all when with those effected, they only want to be given the opportunity not a short term charity hand out, so as to better them selves and others. The opportunity to walk again, read, study to get an education that can change their lives dramatically. They are all the same as you and me, just want independence and a better life. If more westerners did sponsor these children, the minimal costs invested ‘will’ be priceless in seeing what you have done in helping someone to change for the better.

    Be well M:)

  • http://vkontakte.ru/id25408688 leonard

    How has Jeorney been?…Suzi Q bro mike quatro and ted nugent…peace out :cool:

  • http://www.hotforwords.com/members/rohmansah/ rohman

    nice article…………
    Poptropica

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Not your typical philologist! Putting the LOL in PhiLOLogy :-)