Are you into foreign languages?

[Jtolj]

I am sort of. It's fascinating to see the different ways people speak (and all the ways in which I am thankful for the simplicity of English). I am also a speaker of Spanish and hope to attain a great deal more by the end of this year after I finish the dictionary. Are you into linguistics and which languages do you speak?

[cuppajoe_9]

I speak a little bit of French and am studying Icelandic. Beautiful languages both.

[Jtolj]

I speak a little bit of French and am studying Icelandic. Beautiful languages both. Spanish is rather boring with simplified and repitive phonetics, but I like to cross my accent with Italian and Mexican so it has more variety and is pleasent to listen to.

[mir]

i LOVE languages. i only know english, and some Latin, the language i take in school; but i really want to learn more. i'm hoping to go somewhere with a different launguage on a student-exchange program next year . . .

hey, anyone here from a different country want to teach me a new language? penpals? :)

[Jtolj]

I created a fully functional language that is nearly complete called Etij, if anyone cares to read about it. (blatant advertising) It's design is really ingenious and it will be easy to learn.

[Jtolj]

Linguistics is actually very simple. A language only needs to be fully functionally the presence of the equivalent of adverbs, adjectives, conjuctions, prepositions, verbs, and nouns and a present, past, and conditional perfect tense (I would have done). Once you have all those, you can create a language that is capable of complete expression.

[Shalot]

You sound super smart. I tried to major in Spanish but I didn't want to study. But I should have because I live in the Southern U.S. and we have a growing population of people who speak Spanish and English. However, I don't know if I could communicate with the people who speak it as I would only know the text book version.

Also, the last time I went to church, the prayer book was in Spanish and English and I sat there and tried to read the Spanish part. I know that I can write and read Spanish more than I could ever speak it but that is because I am a visual learner (also I am not the churchy time so it's not like I actually knew the English equivalent of what I was reading).

In short, I am probably not sharp enough to pick up a second language. If I had been exposed to many Spanish speakers (or submerged in the language) at a young age, perhaps I could have learned it the written part of it later.

What is the best way to learn a language --- should you be submerged in it (so to speak) or should you be presented with a list of nouns of verbs that pertain to a specific subject such as barnyard animals with flashcards to go with the words? (I am speaking of my Spanish classes...)?

[Jtolj]

You sound super smart. I tried to major in Spanish but I didn't want to study. But I should have because I live in the Southern U.S. and we have a growing population of people who speak Spanish and English. However, I don't know if I could communicate with the people who speak it as I would only know the text book version.

Also, the last time I went to church, the prayer book was in Spanish and English and I sat there and tried to read the Spanish part. I know that I can write and read Spanish more than I could ever speak it but that is because I am a visual learner (also I am not the churchy time so it's not like I actually knew the English equivalent of what I was reading).

In short, I am probably not sharp enough to pick up a second language. If I had been exposed to many Spanish speakers (or submerged in the language) at a young age, perhaps I could have learned it the written part of it later.

What is the best way to learn a language --- should you be submerged in it (so to speak) or should you be presented with a list of nouns of verbs that pertain to a specific subject such as barnyard animals with flashcards to go with the words? (I am speaking of my Spanish classes...)?

What I reccomend you do is study the grammar, the irregulars, and a large amount of vocab and then submerse yourself in the culture.

Submersion is in vain without the proper background of grammar and necessary words.

[Shannanigan]

I am determined to learn Spanish before I graduate colloge in a year and a half, I've already taken a few years of it and I'm hoping to go on a trip to Spain for 5 weeks this summer with other Spanish students. I'm studying to be an English teacher but here we are very close to Puerto Rico so it is beneficial for a teacher to know Spanish because that is the first language for many students. If I don't teach here, I will be in Los Angeles, my hometown, and Lord knows that there's probably more Spanish-speakers there than English...

I'm also very interested in learning French, because I am half French, and also sign language, because I have friends in Deaf Studies programs and it just seems like a useful language to know...

Linguistics fascinates me, though I am only a rookie when it comes to studying them. Still, I look forward to linguistics classes and I enjoyed my "History of the English Language" last year...

[amanda_isabel]

mother tongue is english, second comes filipino, and then local dialects that my tongue just can't seem to embrace. filipino was patterened after spanish, so i think learning it would be a bit easier i guess than other languages.. i do want to learn frnch, however, but just seem to lack the passion for it--there is passsion, but it's not enough to make me throw myself into french.. i'll get there one day.

[Bookworm89]

Obviously, my primary language is English, but I'm taking high school Spanish. I'd love to do a lot of studying and become fluent in Spanish, Greek, and Latin.

[OZEED]

I speak zulu, and I cannot wait for January when I start French, I think it's such a passionate language.

[platinum]

Wanna know Russian?

[muhsin]

A Hausa speaker here. Who has ever come to knowing this language before. It's a simple, nice lanuage that now has a very wider speakers in west Africa almost than any other language.

[thevintagepiper]

I speak English, obviously, and conversational Arabic....I spoke Arabic fluently as a kid and my parents still do, but I don't remember a whole lot.
I did two years of high school Latin, and for next year I'm trying to decide between Dutch, Swedish, and Africans. I'm really leaning toward Dutch. What draws me to a language is simply how it sounds, and though I love the sound of all three of those languages, Dutch is just so cool! A friend of mine from Holland said that you pretty much had to grow up with it to have a chance at it, but I think I'll try. I'm good with pronunication and can usually pick things up quickly.
Recently I've been obsessed with Swedish techno, which is where the interest in that language came from. It's got a really nice sound to it as well.

I enjoy hearing other languages and singing in them, but I wouldn't say I'm really into linguistics as a whole.

[Pensive]

As being in love with literature and travelling, it is my dream to learn as many languages as possible, especially, French and Russian. So, I could read the literature in those languages instead of the translated versions. And so, I could meet different people in the world and see/discover their culture and way of living.

But it seems like that the dream will be left a dream, as I am not getting a way how to learn French. I found some guides online but it is not helping much...But again, one has to struggle to achieve something....

[Aiko]

I speak Japanese, as my mother tongue. I have learnt English at school, but also by traveling to the US, Ireland and England. I am currently improving my French, living in Belgium. I understand Spanish but have difficulties speaking.

I love studying languages, it really is a reflection of its country and culture. Plus, it allows people from different origins to get to know each other and learn from each other.

[Themis]

I am sort of. It's fascinating to see the different ways people speak (and all the ways in which I am thankful for the simplicity of English). I am also a speaker of Spanish and hope to attain a great deal more by the end of this year after I finish the dictionary. Are you into linguistics and which languages do you speak?

I am a speaker of German (alright, it is my mother tongue but still... I hear people have difficulties with it ;) ), English and French. Though, as for french ... let's not say "I speak it", let's say "I stutter and write it".

But on the whole, I enjoy languages very much. I loved Latin (and English and French) very much when I attended it at school and would have given anything to learn Greek as well.

I'm hoping to learn Portuguese some day and Chinese. And basically any language I come across. ;) A few words here and there would be nice in any language. But mostly languages interest me that other family members haven't covered.

[vheissu]

I speak English, Greek and Italian fluently...don't know which one is supposed to be my mother tongue (a heated debate between my two flatmates who do linguistics!) but I do manage to get confused sometimes and "forget" words in 1 language but not in the other two. Very weird.
I also did Spanish last year, very easy because of the Italian...but haven't practised it so that's slipping! Started French this year: I've always loved the language and finally I get to learn it. Yay!!
Does Latin count? Can't say I know it really. We did 4 years at school but in the end I felt I was left with a bunch of grammar rules and a mode of pronouncing Latin which may very well be incorrect! And I didn't like it one bit..
I'd also like to learn Portugese and Arabic...but maybe later on!!

[SleepyWitch]

Spanish is rather boring with simplified and repitive phonetics

simplified? from what?
nope, languages don't need a past tense, I'm afraid.
(Yesterday I go to fast food place--> you can express the idea of past time without a past tense)

I speak German, English and took Latin and Classical Greek at school (for 7 and 3 years respectively). I used to take a Russian course but I quit because it was cr*p, will take it up again at some stage, though. I also know some bits of Norwegian because I took a course for half a year...

(ah, Themis, you're Austrian right? What's a Kindsverzahrer? Does it mean Kindesentführer? cf. Natascha Kampusch's interview? for the benefit of those who don't know German: I'm talking about the guy who abducted that Austrian girl and kept her in his carshed for 8 years. there seem to be different words for this kind of person in German and Austrian)

[Themis]

(ah, Themis, you're Austrian right? What's a Kindsverzahrer? Does it mean Kindesentführer? cf. Natascha Kampusch's interview? for the benefit of those who don't know German: I'm talking about the guy who abducted that Austrian girl and kept her in his carshed for 8 years. there seem to be different words for this kind of person in German and Austrian)

Actually, the word is "Kinderverzahrer" and it's not exactly the same as Kindesentführer, its possible means also include [sexual] abuse.

[Jtolj]

simplified? from what?
nope, languages don't need a past tense, I'm afraid.
(Yesterday I go to fast food place--> you can express the idea of past time without a past tense)

I speak German, English and took Latin and Classical Greek in school (for 7 and 3 years respectively). I used to take a Russian course but I quit because it was cr*p, will take it up again at some stage, though. I also know some bits of Norwegian because I took a course for half a year...

(ah, Themis, you're Austrian right? What's a Kindsverzahrer? Does it mean Kindesentführer? cf. Natascha Kampusch's interview? for the benefit of those who don't know German: I'm talking about the guy who abducted that Austrian girl and kept her in his carshed for 8 years. there seem to be different words for this kind of person in German and Austrian)

Phonetic is as pertaining to the sound of the language.

[SleepyWitch]

I know jtol, I'm a linguist myself (and I mean a real one, as in someone who studies linguistics at univ. Sorry to brag :) )
my question was: what do you mean by simplified phonetics? If Spanish has 'simplified' phonetics then there most me some phonetically more complex language you compare it to?

[Taliesin]

Well, it has always seemed to us that the phonetics of irish and french, for example, are complicated. In our mother tongue(estonian), you read a word how it is written, but in some languages it pronounces completely differently. Of course, since we are not very versed in the area of specific linguistic terms in English we might be talking total nonsense.

But yes, we like foreign tongues.
Know:
English
German (arguably)

Am studying french.
Have tasted irish, russian and italian. Plan to learn them more one day.

[Jtolj]

I know jtol, I'm a linguist myself (and I mean a real one, as in someone who studies linguistics at univ. Sorry to brag :) )
my question was: what do you mean by simplified phonetics? If Spanish has 'simplified' phonetics then there most me some phonetically more complex language you compare it to?
English. Stuff that has lot's of vowel sounds. Spanish has five vowel sounds. If you were to consider certain clusters, English has upwards of 15. A variety of vowel sounds, preferably what would be consider English short vowel sounds, sounds a lot better. That's why almost all the other Romance Languages sound better, in my opinion, for they've shorter vowel sounds and variety.

[Laindessiel]

I speak a little bit of Italian, some Spanish, a few words in German and basics in Korean. Chinese and Japanese languages are better to learn, my mom reckons. Good for business dealings, she says. :)

[SummerSolstice]

I adore languages... all of them. I would positively love to learn Latin for the sake of the knowledge, and German for the sake of the sounds. I've heard it called the "coughing, spitting language." Pooh. I think it's gorgeous. It's so guttural and bubbly. Unfortunately, I'm stuck fighting my way through Spanish, instead. More useful than either, and I've got a head start from high school Spanish. (I've got to take twelve credit hours of a foreign language to get my B.A.)

Languages of all kinds come easy to me, and I'm sure some day I'm going to regret not learning a handful while I was young. I can't imagine learning English as a second language. I'm deeply in love with the English, but it's such a convoluted language. (But? I think I meant to say, "because"!)

[Themis]

I adore languages... all of them. I would positively love to learn Latin for the sake of the knowledge, and German for the sake of the sounds. I've heard it called the "coughing, spitting language." Pooh. I think it's gorgeous. It's so guttural and bubbly.

Eh? I do wonder how some people cough and spit. I can see no similarity at all.


. I can't imagine learning English as a second language. I'm deeply in love with the English, but it's such a convoluted language. (But? I think I meant to say, "because"!)

I can relate to that. Only regarding German. ;)

[SummerSolstice]

Eh? I do wonder how some people cough and spit. I can see no similarity at all.


I think the guy who said it was thinking of the people who try to speak German. ^_^ A lot of the sounds in it--I don't know any german at all, so I'll use the sound at the end of the interjection "Ach" as an example, whatever language that's originally from--are ones that conversational English is entirely devoid of, so it sound harsher or they say it harsher than it really is. Kind of like people imitating a Spanish accent who way overtrill their 'r's.

[mir]

yay! so many people here like Latin!!!

i love it. but possibly because it's my only other language. but it stil rocks. :)

[SummerSolstice]

It's funny... I know a lot of basic Latin vocabulary, but that's just because I know English so well! So that's kind of why I want to learn it--I feel like it would help me know English even better.

I've actually got a story-less character (meant for online roleplaying, but I've never found one for her) who knows Latin almost better than English, to the point where she'll lapse into it if she's talking to herself or under stress. Unfortunately, I have to rely on an online translator if I want to write with her!! She's one of my favorite characters I've made, though. Latin is so elegant!

[Themis]

@mir, SummerSoltice: I adore it too. It's a great language and was one of my favourite subjects back at school. I know I loved it so much, I once tried to write an essay in it. Well, accidently actually. But I really thought we were required to and I wouldn't object. ;)

[underground]

i'm highly interested in foreign languages, but i'm afraid my ability to acquire new languages is deteriorating with time. my english grammar used to be good (english is my second language), but lately i screw it up all the time. i wonder if i'd better improve my english before i start trying to learn other languages.

also, i'll never know how to roll my tongue for the french r.

[mir]

i can't roll my tongue either. :D

actually, Summer, our Latin teacher makes us learn the way the grammar works in english before she'll teach us anything new in Latin!!

[SummerSolstice]

Hm! That's funny. My Spanish was pretty much the opposite. We talked in present tense the entire way through Spanish 1! :lol:

[~Maude~]

I took a little spanish in high school and french in college, I start a german class tomorrow. I love listening to other languages but I'm not very good at speaking them.

[Bookworm Cris]

My mother tongue is Portuguese, and I can read, write and speak English. As many brazilians, I can understand Spanish, although I don´t know the grammar and most of the vocabulary; we call it "Portunhol", when someone speaks what he thinks ís Spanish, but it´s neither portuguese nor spanish; many known people do this in public (shame!...); anyway, I prefer to listen Spanish than speaking it...
As portuguese is derived from Latin, it´s easy to understand some French either... (and some latin words).

To those who said it´s difficult to learn English as a second language: it´s not; english grammar is too much easier than portuguese. But to those who want to learn portuguese: don´t give up; it´s a beautiful language...

[Arguendo]

Mother tongue: Norwegian. I understand Danish, Swedish and a fair chunk of written Dutch, and speak and write English. I also learned French and German in school, and have acquired snippets of Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Russian, Latin and Esperanto. And exactly one Slovakian word.

I'll brush up my French come spring. It's currently very, very rudimentary.

Literature and linguistics walk hand in hand, I think. A genuine interest in literature entails an interest in language.

If I had the time, I'd learn Old Norse (properly, I know a bit) and Japanese. As so many people I'm terribly fascinated by everything Japanese, and I'd love to read the sagas in the original language.

[Arguendo]

PS - I always thought English was grammatically wonderfully easy to learn. No genders, for instance, determining prepositions and verbs and whatnot...

[SleepyWitch]

English. Stuff that has lot's of vowel sounds. Spanish has five vowel sounds. If you were to consider certain clusters, English has upwards of 15. A variety of vowel sounds, preferably what would be consider English short vowel sounds, sounds a lot better. That's why almost all the other Romance Languages sound better, in my opinion, for they've shorter vowel sounds and variety.

British or American English? For British English it should be something like 20, including diphtongs but not counting triphthongs.
As for short vowels, British English has the ones in cat, bed, bit, but, foot, pot plus the schwa-sound. That should be roughly the same number of short vowels as in Romance languages. Seeing as Spanish does not distinguish between short and long vowels, how can Spanish have more variety than English? Errrr, sorry, I 'm just not sure I get what you mean.

Heehee, the longer I study English, the more I can see why so many Brits refuse to learn foreign languages... I mean, why would I want to learn a difficult foreign language like Russian or German if people all over the world have to learn my native language anyway?
I don't think English is easier than other foreign languages in all respects (plus it really depends on what your native language is), but I think you can communicate in English after a relatively short time, whereas with Russian or German you need to study for ever to be able to say simple everyday things. This is because as soon as you open your mouth to speak, you need to know three different cases, even to express stupid things like "I like books".

[Sad Guy]

hey guys , I adore languages but I don't know a lot of them :bawling:
I'm Arabic and I know so much English , and I have a desire to learn French but the problem is that I still learning English :D
I hope I can learn French one day :)

[Circe]

Hi people! I've rediscovered this site today:) I love languages, so much so that I studied translation at college, and here I am today a Spanish<>English translator! I'm Argentine, so my mother tongue is Spanish (which I love because it is so rich and expressive),but when I was 10 I started learning English, and I just fell in love with it! I read English literature all the time, and I never get tired of hearing native speakers talking, I love the way English sounds, I can´t explain why, but I do! Besides, I've studied some French too, another beautiful language. It's incredible how much in common it has with Spanish and English, being from different language families (Eng and Fr). Another language I would like to learn is Greek, but modern Greek so that I can be understood if I go visiting the Greek islands!
Well, nice thread this one! (I'm going through an awful moment in my life, but this was a good distraction to stop my mind from thinking!)

[mir]

hope it gets better, Circe . . .

Cris, Portugese is actually one of the languages i was most thinking about learning!! i visited Portugal a while back, and thought it was one of the most beautiful, friendly, and wonderful places i'd ever been (though also one of the easiest to get lost in! :D).

[Themis]

But to those who want to learn portuguese: don&#180;t give up; it&#180;s a beautiful language...

Yes it is. I love Portugal and portuguese. I've been there about ten times so far and am absolutely in love with both the country and its people. Especially the North.

[Taliesin]

We also know a bit of Pascal.
Would like to learn C++ or Java. ANd HTML.

[SolaceInReading]

My native tongue is Tagalog, which i can't speak any more. I also understand but cannot speak about 5 or 6 other philippine dialects. I am currently learning French, Japanese, and how to speak Tagalog again. I hope to take a Latin course next year, and to learn Italian, Mandarin, and Korean one day.

Oh, and i speak English too :D

[Eva Marina]

English is my native language, but I'd love to learn French, Spanish, German, and Italian, as well as some more Eastern languages. I'm on my way to becoming fluent (as fluent as one can be) in Latin and Attic Greek, with a bit of Homeric Greek mixed in, but I'd really love to study some of the other old languages.

[blacksheep]

Chinese was my first language, but I'm more fluent in English than chinese. i've forgotten a lot of chinese since all the chinese people i know speak to me in english - including my dad who has horrible english. i'd really like to remember but its such a difficult language to learn. i can read semi fluently but i can write at only a 4th grade level. :(
i speak english, obviously, and i speak spanish well enough to get my point across most of the time. (AKA not fluently at all)

i've been trying to teach myself latin for 2 years now and havent really gotten anywhere. i found a nice textbook online last week so I'll start again.
btw, do programming languages count? lol.

i wish i can speak russian and sign language. and basque.

[underground]

My native tongue is Tagalog, which i can't speak any more. I also understand but cannot speak about 5 or 6 other philippine dialects. I am currently learning French, Japanese, and how to speak Tagalog again. I hope to take a Latin course next year, and to learn Italian, Mandarin, and Korean one day.

Oh, and i speak English too :D

whoa. when did you come here? i still speak my native tongue a lot better than i do english. :D
can't write so well, though, cause my spoken dialect is significantly different from the national dialect. :(

[higley]

Ummm pig latin? :D

I took four years of German in highschool. I'm by no means fluent, but I know enough to get around and follow a conversation. I need to take a crash course in Chinese, as it seems that I'll be studying abroad there in two years...

[Arethusa]

Though born in the U.S., my parents are from Mexico so I learned Spanish first. When I went to Kindergarten, I only knew how to swear in English. Now, 30 years later, I can actually interject the occasional coherent thought into my swearing. I speak a bit of Portuguese, Italian and French, enough to get to the bathroom and order something to eat. I took four years of Latin in college so I could read Martial without the prudish censoring of Shackleton Bailey. I'm a very shallow multi-linguist.

[Lily Adams]

I am a native speaker of English, and I am learning Spanish, even though I don't really want to. I would love to learn French, Latin, German, Celtic, or Russian. Or all of those!

[Taliesin]

German is quite an easy tongue. A person who knows latin and can decline, will learn it quickly - and the German teachers agree with that.
One begins with learning der, die, das, dem, den et cetera and everything else follows logically. Pure simplicity! To demonstrate it, we shall give an example:
One has just to buy a german book, for example, a wonderful leather-clad book that is printed in Dortmund and talks about the life of Hottentots (in german Hottentotten) and their customs. The book describes how kangaroos (Beutelratten) are captured and put in a cage (Kotter) that is covered with cloth (Lattengitter) to protect against the weather. These cages are in german calles cages called with cloth (Lattengitterkotter) and a kangaroo in the cage is called Lattengitterkotterbeutelratten.
Once the Hottentots arrested an assassin (Attentater) who was blamed in killing the mother (Hottentottenmutter) of a stupid and stuttering Hotentot (Stottertrottel). That mother is Hottentottenstottertrottelmutter in german and the assassin is Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterattentater.
The police captured the assassin and put him in the kangaroo cage (Beutelrattenlattengitterkotter) but the assassin escaped.
The recapturing started immediately and soon one of the guards came and shouted: "I captured the assassin! (Attentater)"
"Yes? Which one?" the boss asked?
"The Lattengitterkotterbeutelratterattentater"
"What? The murderer in the cloth-covered kangaroo cage?" the boss asked.
"No, the Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterattentater" (the murderer of the mother of the stupid and stuttering hotentot) the guard said.
"Oh, you should have said at once that you captured the Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterlattengitter- kotterbeutelrattenattentater!"

As one can see, German is an easy language. One just needs a bit of interest against the tongue.

[Basil]

Well, people should not be putting other people in cloth-covered cages that were originally designed for kangaroos. I've been saying that for years.

[Serenata]

Rightly so. I am currently trying to learn Italian. I have a friend who is a foreign exchange student from Torino. I love Italian. I sing in Italian, but it hadn't really occured to me to learn to speak it.

[Taliesin]

Well, people should not be putting other people in cloth-covered cages that were originally designed for kangaroos. I've been saying that for years.

Well, yes.
But isn't questioning taboos and depicting ghastly things that should not be one of the purposes of literature? Like "Clockwork Orange" or something?

[Koa]

As one can see, German is an easy language. One just needs a bit of interest against the tongue.

I hated German, I even had less troubles with Russian... but I really disliked German so that why.

So, am I into languages, let's see... I have a degree in English and Russian (though my Russian is nowhere as good as my English and will probably never be :(), I did also French and German at school (and Latin but I don't consider that a language and I erased all of it from my mind), I can understand Spanish but speak very little, I'm occasionally digging into Hungarian and I can understand a little bit of Ukrainian... I am also attending a course of Greek but I don't have much time to study it and I find myself not too motivated...

So no, I don't give a damn about languages and I'm not into them at all :lol:

I never know how to define my level but besides English, I am able to hold a conversation (somehow) in French and Russian as well. For the others, I'm afraid I can't really have a real conversation, although I can have short/basic ones (except Greek and Ukrainian, still too basic)