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Thread: Do you read any other languages?

  1. #1
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    Do you read any other languages?

    Can you read books in any language other than English? C. S Lewis read literature in the original Anglo Saxon, Old Norse, Middle English, Latin, Greek, Medieval French, Modern French, Italian and German! He also got by in things like Medieval Welsh (while at Oxford John Betjamen was his student and disliked him so much that he chose Medieval Welsh as his special language just to annoy him).

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    Registered User Saphira's Avatar
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    I am Swedish and 12 years old, so I am still learning more English and I've just started to study Spanish and I am working on learning French at home. I'd like to learn Latin too. I usually read more English books than Swedish books right now. And Swedish is similar to Norway and Danish, so I can read books in those languages too.

    /Saphira
    What does it do if you win the world but loose your soul

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    Quote Originally Posted by Saphira View Post
    I am Swedish and 12 years old, so I am still learning more English and I've just started to study Spanish and I am working on learning French at home. I'd like to learn Latin too. I usually read more English books than Swedish books right now. And Swedish is similar to Norway and Danish, so I can read books in those languages too.

    /Saphira
    My god Saphira, that is extremely good English for a 12 year old! If you can write so well in another language at just 12 I'm sure you will be fluent in no time. In fact, though I live in Britain, I am rather depresssed to say that you write better English than many British adults I know. When I was 12 I spent most of my time watching TV and eating crisps (actually, I still do)- you make me feel rather inadequate

  4. #4
    Yes we British are WAY behind our European counterparts on the issue of languages, so much so it is shameful. I tried to learn French a few years ago, hopeless! such things need to be done much earlier. I am trying to introduce languages to my kids though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Neely View Post
    Yes we British are WAY behind our European counterparts on the issue of languages, so much so it is shameful. I tried to learn French a few years ago, hopeless! such things need to be done much earlier. I am trying to introduce languages to my kids though.
    It staggers me sometimes when I see French or Dutch football managers interviewed in the UK. They almost always (and I really mean this) speak better English than the the majority of British players.

    Though that probably says more about our terrible education system than anything else!

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by WICKES View Post
    It staggers me sometimes when I see French or Dutch football managers interviewed in the UK. They almost always (and I really mean this) speak better English than the the majority of British players.

    Though that probably says more about our terrible education system than anything else!
    Oh god yes. I work in education and it is a very sorry sight indeed. The National Curriculum seems to be a rule book used in order to batter a child's enthusiasm out of their head, and that is not the worst of it.

    The thing is Wickes, at least we realise this and are personally trying to improve our own personal knowledge, while the vast majority of the British public hungrily devour the latest episode of East Enders.

    No, it seems that the British tradition of learning languages (speaking loudly and slowly) is unfortunately here to stay.

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    Registered User cipherdecoy's Avatar
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    Chinese. But only when I'm forced to read my textbooks
    Despite the snow,
    Despite the falling snow.

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    Bibliophile JBI's Avatar
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    Easy Italian children's stories and simple prose, and some Hebrew, though less now than before. At one point I was reading Anglo-Saxon, but I seem to have forgotten the little I knew.

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    King of Dreams MorpheusSandman's Avatar
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    No, though I'd love to learn Greek, Latin, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and maybe French and Russian.
    "As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being." --Carl Gustav Jung

    "To absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists; and may each and every one of us always give the devil his due." --Neil Gaiman; The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists

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    Registered User jgweed's Avatar
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    As long as the question is limited to reading a language and not speaking or writing it, and if the reading is with the help of a dictionary, I can get through a text in French, Spanish, Latin,German and Greek (more or less in order of ability).
    Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.

  11. #11
    tea-timing book queen bouquin's Avatar
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    Yes, in French and in Pilipino.
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    Tu le connais, lecteur... Kafka's Crow's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neely View Post
    Oh god yes. I work in education and it is a very sorry sight indeed. The National Curriculum seems to be a rule book used in order to batter a child's enthusiasm out of their head, and that is not the worst of it.

    The thing is Wickes, at least we realise this and are personally trying to improve our own personal knowledge, while the vast majority of the British public hungrily devour the latest episode of East Enders.

    No, it seems that the British tradition of learning languages (speaking loudly and slowly) is unfortunately here to stay.

    I was watching a Stephen Fry interview the other day and he tried to point out some major differences between our (British) and American character. I have always noticed these things but he put it across so eloquently: We British are utilitarian, skeptical of anything that can not be proven rationally, are more concrete and do not believe in much that is not concrete. On the other hand American society has a strict but invisible hierarchy based on financial prowess. It is invisible but still strictly adhered to without any questioning. Americans have faith. We don't believe in fairy-tales. I think this main difference makes us avoid things that do not have immediate utilitarian value. The most obvious example is our attitudes towards languages. Britons hate learning languages and consider it a wastage of time: "I know English, why should I learn another language." Tax-payers in the streets resented the money spent on Rushdie's protection during those dark fatwa years. There is a marked prejudice, even hatred towards people who can not speak English even if they are fluent in all Romance Languages and Latin. I do not see this situation improving in near future. I met quite a few Scandinavian students during my time at the University of London. They speak good English almost worthy of a native speaker. The only difference is their larger and better vocabulary. I think the worst problems with our society are two things called 'snobbery' and 'reverse-snobbery' or what Jane Austen called Pride and Prejudice. I did not see much reverse-snobbery in America. People don't hate finer things in life just because at some time in history they were the prerogative of the upper classes only. As Stephen Fry points out in The Ode Less Traveled, we all do different activities in our spare time. People create music, do painting etc and tell their friends about it, tell someone that you write poetry in your spare time and then notice that person's reaction! If you are very, very lucky, they would leave you with an 'Oh!' otherwise they will make you feel that you are a snob and a misfit. Same goes with learning languages as well. Unfortunately learning languages is considered to be an activity for people with too much 'spare' time at their disposal. Even the worst redneck American would not look down upon this fine activity. He would look at you as if saying, "Good luck to you, if that's what you want, buddy!" but he would not make you feel small about investing your time in a seemingly non-utilitarian activity. I would love Britain if only somebody could take away reverse-snobbery, the ugliest, the most uncouth thing I have ever come across in my life.

    Stephen Fry is the quintessential modern Englishman for me, and yes he knows different languages. He is erudite, he is highly educated, a novelist, a poet, a supreme actor (one of the 21st century "University Wits" along with Hugh Laurie and Emma Thomson). These are the links to the interview I am talking about:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weycaui6Do0
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL_8a...eature=related
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0wL4...eature=related

    As far as the original topic is concerned, I can read and understand English, French, Persian, Urdu, Arabic. I can not speak Arabic but I do understand when I read it as reading is always easier than speaking because you can take your time with the words. My Persian needs a lot of brushing up but many many years ago I was fluent in this language and I am sure I can learn it again very easily.
    "The farther he goes the more good it does me. I don’t want philosophies, tracts, dogmas, creeds, ways out, truths, answers, nothing from the bargain basement. He is the most courageous, remorseless writer going and the more he grinds my nose in the sh1t the more I am grateful to him..."
    -- Harold Pinter on Samuel Beckett

  13. #13
    I think you make some excellent points there Kafka, I agree with them totally. I am a big fan of Stephen Fry too, though most people find him a snob, which of course is far from the truth. If people would actually bother reading his words and listening to what he says maybe they would see otherwise, though I doubt it, such would require independent thought, and that is seriously frowned upon.

    I will check out the links, thanks for posting them.

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    [QUOTE=Kafka's Crow;615691]
    We British are utilitarian, skeptical of anything that can not be proven rationally, are more concrete and do not believe in much that is not concrete. On the other hand American society has a strict but invisible hierarchy based on financial prowess. It is invisible but still strictly adhered to without any questioning. Americans have faith. We don't believe in fairy-tales.
    Maybe that is one of the reasons the British are so much less religious than Americans. The British love to give religion a kicking- in fact, a prospective Prime Minister who proclaimed he was an atheist would probably find it an advantage. In the USA it would be political suicide. Very strange. It is one of THE biggest differences between Britain and the USA and one that is very difficult to explain. You have only to look at Blair and Bush. Both are committed christians, but Blair more or less had to keep it secret while he was Prime Minister for fear of being thought a weirdo. Bush's christianity, by contrast, was one of the reasons he was elected.

    Quote Originally Posted by jgweed View Post
    As long as the question is limited to reading a language and not speaking or writing it, and if the reading is with the help of a dictionary, I can get through a text in French, Spanish, Latin,German and Greek (more or less in order of ability).
    How difficult is Greek? I'd love to learn to read Greek or Latin.

    I can sort of get by (with a dictionary) in French. As far as speaking goes I stumble through in French, German and pigeon Italian

    Quote Originally Posted by Kafka's Crow View Post
    I would love Britain if only somebody could take away reverse-snobbery, the ugliest, the most uncouth thing I have ever come across in my life..
    I agree. What I hate even more though is the lack of respect or enthusiasm for the incredible cultural heritage of this island. The sneering, self hatred and contempt for Britain that SO many Brits are encouraged to feel is dreadful. There is a general attitude that to take pride in living on the island that has produced Chaucer, Shakespeare, Donne, Dickens, Milton, Keats, Byron, Shelley, Wordsworth Newton, Darwin, John Locke etc, that played a big part in establishing modern, liberal parliamentary democracy, modern science, the industrial revolution and secular humanism is somehow racist or jingoistic. At times I feel as if many people believe only self loathing is appropriate. I don't know if they think this is the way to make multiculturalism work or what, but it is horrible and unnatural. I'm not advocating nationalism or arrogance of course, but Americans have more respect for our culture than we do ourselves. I have heard tourists comment on this self loathing- in fact Bill Bryson, in his book on Britain, says it bewilders him too (he's an American).

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    malkavian manolia's Avatar
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    I can read in greek, english, french and german. But i am afraid that my german is a bit rusty lately..
    Through the darkness of future past
    the magician longs to see
    one chance out between two worlds
    'Fire walk with me.'


    Twin Peaks

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