How many languages do you speak?

[Strat]

I am always impressed with people that speak multiple languages. I only speak English. I can generally understand Spanish, meaning I can get by. I can order food and ask where places/things are like the bathroom or whatever. I have an app called Duolingo which helps teach languages.

I think my ability to learn the language is capped so to speak. I need to speak the language with others to really become fluent. I sometimes do business with Spanish speakers so I can practice to some extent with them but not too much. They are running a business after all and don't have time for small talk.

So what about you? How many languages do you speak? This thread is partly inspired by this youtube channel. This man's hobby is learning languages. He records himself going around and practising with strangers, he's incredible. You can see people's faces light up when they meet a stranger speaking their native tongue with them. It's a great way to break the ice:
IoilM0qqSx4

[Brigantia]

Languages were the only subjects that held my interest at school, I was completely bored with the rest!

I can hold a decent conversation in French and Italian; my most fluent proficiency is in Italian as I've spent more time there. I also have a basic knowledge of German, Dutch, Welsh, Greek and Spanish (which I can read easily as it's so similar to Italian, more so than French). I also learnt Latin at school.

The best linguists that I've known personally have grown up bilingual; young children seem to pick up languages very easily and switch effortlessly between the two. I knew a girl who was bilingual in English and French at age 4, but in Britain we didn't start languages until age 11.

[Lunesoleil]

https://www.gifsanimes.com/data/media/938/amerique-image-animee-0205.gif
I speak only in French, for English I use a translator, Ok I'm going out

Je parle uniquement en Français, pour l'anglais j'utilise un traducteur, Ok je sors
https://www.gifsanimes.com/data/media/1206/France-image-animee-0001.gif

:becky:

[ExomatrixTV]

Dutch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBbQW1KzWQA) 100%, English ±99,9% - German Speak: ±90% Reading: ±99% - Limburgs Dialect: ±85% - Flemish (Belgium): ±85%


I was born in 1966 very close to the German Border and the Dutch Province Dialect (Limburgs) is ±70% German like. In the 1970s & 1980s where you only had TV Channels from the Ether using an TV antenna on the roof. I could see ARD (https://www.ard.de/), WDR (https://www.wdr.de/) & ZDF (https://www.zdf.de/) (no "cable tv" was available back then).

When I was young I watched (almost) all "Die Sendung mit der Maus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Sendung_mit_der_Maus)" high quality educational programs for German school-children. No Dutch subtitles no English ... just raw German :)
fytHXOIj7b8

Last 30 years I was fortunate to understand 100s German Documentaries no matter what (controversial) topic. Also red (studied) several German UFO Books.

As a Dutch man I have worked in amongst others: Kassel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassel), Dresden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden), München (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich)

Been many many times in Germany during holidays they have the best quality food and is always 30 to 50% cheaper than Holland.

cheers,
John

rBbQW1KzWQA

[Strat]

I can hold a decent conversation in French and Italian; my most fluent proficiency is in Italian as I've spent more time there. I also have a basic knowledge of German, Dutch, Welsh, Greek and Spanish (which I can read easily as it's so similar to Italian, more so than French). I also learnt Latin at school.
So I can't lie, the reality is I probably won't learn many languages. So when I say languages I'd like to learn or get to, the reality is it's probably not going to happen. Maybe I'm being too negative?

I'd like to eventually get to Italian. I am half Italian, my grandmothers first job (at 14yrs old) was a translator because her father was a general contractor who spoke solely Italian. The reason I didn't start with the language is because Spanish is very useful to know in my area. I work for a contractor as well and often run into Spanish speakers so it's handy to know the basics. I've reached a point though where I want to be able to hold a decent conversation. Spanish is very prevalent in general in Florida. I love Latin culture, so you can see why it's a good idea for someone like myself to become proficient with the language.

I've heard a saying, "You learn 2 and you get the 3rd for free." So if you know Spanish and Portuguese then Italian is simple. I've asked this of several people and they generally agree. A friend of mine was practising Italian with a gal a long time ago and she downright asked him what village he was from! I was jealous.

I would like to learn Latin, it's just such a beautiful language but frankly it's not very useful in my area.

A friend of mine took Arabic in college and when she graduated was offered a job by the CIA which she turned down. This annoyed me to no end!



Last 30 years I was fortunate to understand 100s German Documentaries no matter what (controversial) topic.
Now that is cool. I've said for a while I'd like to see a German, Russian and Japanese WW2 docs. Ya know, something other than, "And then the mighty Americans came in and saved the world." I love my country but I don't play that bs.

EDIT: Something I noticed in Italy that I thought was interesting was a gal working at a gelato shop who didn't understand English was singing along to Joan Jet. She had the lyrics down perfect and zero accent whatsoever.

[Brigantia]

Italian is easy to learn because once you've mastered its pronunciation, it's spoken as it is written; they say that this is the reason why dyslexia is hardly known in Italy. I found the informal and formal way to address someone the trickiest part to master in real life, remembering whether to use 'tu' (family and friends) or 'lei' (strangers and slight acquaintances) but Italians are usually very polite and make allowances!

It's such a beautiful, musical language too, I love it.

[Marbelo]

Portuguese which is my native language, English and Spanish.
Here in Brazil we have several English courses and I started studying at 6 years old.
I have traveled to Portugal, Spain, Chile and Argentina. I learned Spanish in Chile. In Portugal I saw the difference between the Portuguese of Brazil and that of our colonizers.
Just for the record, Chile is a fantastic country, if you can, visit the city of Pucón and the Villarrica volcano!

[Savannah]

The Tower of Babble was our down fall. Language trains and manipulates the mind. I look forward to telepathy again, but I may not live that long.

[Strat]

In Portugal I saw the difference between the Portuguese of Brazil and that of our colonizers.

From what I understand Spain and Mexico have this same dynamic. Is this true or am I wrong?

[ExomatrixTV]

What if any language limits our true universal language which is beyond the use of labels.

Label: "hot & cold" is not needed to know if something is hot or cold ... so there IS always awareness BEFORE language.

I also know that The German language has more words to describe things than Holland & England ... but that does not mean they are better. It means they are more controlled HOW to "assume" things ;)

Maybe (some) Aliens do not use any language they use pure transfer of unfiltered awareness. I wonder if Quantum A.I. (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?102409-A.I.-is-Progressing-Faster-Than-You-Think-) will (soon) be used to build a bridge between genuine (alien) awareness & "machine intelligence".

cheers,
John Kuhles

[Bluegreen]

Three. English, music, and love. I know a little math, but not too good.
Also, I can say "Where is the bathroom?" in six languages.

:bowing:


The Tower of Babble was our down fall. Language trains and manipulates the mind. I look forward to telepathy again, but I may not live that long.

This

[Marbelo]

EDITED- Layer, im sorry! I didn't actually answer you directly. :( I'm new here in the avalon. Should i use reply with quote?

The pronunciation doesn’t differ that much in Portugal and Brazil, in fact they use other words for things I know, not many, but some! As i don't really know this difference in depth I found this little text here :o

Due to geographical separation, the consequential cultural divergence, and the influence of indigenous languages in the Americas, the Spanish spoken in most of Spain (called “Iberian/European”) differs in several key ways from the language spoken in Latin America. What’s more, dialects differ between the countries and/or regions within both of these areas. For example, if you visit Uruguay or Argentina, you will find that “ll” is pronounced not as /ʝ/ (“y” as in “yes”), as in most dialects of Spanish, but as /ʃ/ (“sh”) instead. Therefore, you would need to alter your pronunciation of the introduction “me llamo…” from “me yamo…” to “me shamo…” in order not to stand out as a foreigner. Of course, most likely you will still be understood, as the pronunciation doesn’t differ that much.

The bottom line? Language is fluid, dynamic, and region-specific (otherwise the United States wouldn’t have been able to contribute essential words such as “hangry” and “bingeable” to the English lexicon in 2018 – you’re welcome, world).

Though different varieties of Spanish are mutually intelligible for the most part, you do run the risk of miscommunication (and in some cases, accidental disrespect) if you’re not prepared. As varieties of Spanish are numerous, we’re focusing on Mexican Spanish (spoken by 103 million people) and Iberian/European Spanish (spoken in northern and central Spain) to get your journey started.

SOURCE
https://lingvist.com/blog/spain-spanish-vs-mexican-spanish/

[Wind]

I can only speak Finnish and English fluently, I'd like to understand Spanish too as I like the language. I'm always amazed when people speak more than two languages well, especially if it's four or more. I studied French as a kid, but I remember almost nothing of it. Swedish is the second language here, but I barely understand it. Also Laoshu is great, I've been watching his videos for a few years now.

[Maknocktomb]

I am trilingual; I speak English, Dog and Cat. I wish I could speak more dialects in all seriousness. I am always amazed by polyglots.

https://www.mosalingua.com/en/famous-polyglots/

[Strat]

EDITED- Layer, im sorry! I didn't actually answer you directly. :( I'm new here in the avalon. Should i use reply with quote?


Don't worry, your reply was very informative, thanks! Using the 'reply with quote' is handy because I will get a notification that you are addressing me specifically. It's ok though my friend! It may take a bit of time to get used to the forum but you'll get used to it. If you have any questions feel free to ask me or one of the Guides (members whose name is green in color), they're a great help.

And welcome to Avalon!

[Old Student]

Three. English, music, and love. I know a little math, but not too good.
Also, I can say "Where is the bathroom?" in six languages.

Is math being counted as a language?

I speak English natively. I can speak Chinese (standard mandarin), and some French. I once studied (mostly forget) Russian, Japanese. I am still trying to learn Hindi.

I do speak math if that's a language.

[Anka]

From what I know, most Europeans know a language or two, and we generally understand each other, especially in direct contact with the interlocutor, indeed, as you said Strat, "something" is triggered and you can at least understand what you are told, more , you hear yourself having a conversation in that language. I think it's fun and natural.:happythumbsup:

I worked in Europe and learned several languages.
Latin has a certain scientific-cultural-linguistic importance and is a good root for study in general.
In school, I learned French and Russian, then because of jobs in the European community, I had to learn German in a maximum of two weeks and it was not easy, but I learned 2000 words and 400 expressions, doing just that in each day, thinking I could do this with any language ... less complicated.
For example, I understand everything in Spanish, but I couldn't bring "the words into speech", at least not immediately. I probably can't learn some languages.

Italian (being close to my native language) I had to speak it without studying it. I must admit, that Italians are very happy to speak, so I left home in the evening speaking my native language and arrived in Italy in the morning where a a group of people asked me questions in Italian and especially those related to medicine, and I still don't know how I managed to get used to it more and more with every minute passed. I think that when "you're there in the field, alone" with speakers of foreign languages, intonation, gestures and human nature of contact, matter a lot for everything is a kind of "chain reaction" that you have to learn "hard quickly".

A fun thing about what you said Strat: "You learn two and you get the third", I suffered too. For example, in Vienna (Austria, Europe) German is not spoken at all, and in such a small country they have as many different dialects as there are counties.

If you know German, you have to hear how Austrian is spoken, it's really a blast to be able to adapt, but my luck was that they still understand German, it took me 18 days to learn the dialect just so I could fully understand.
In short, with all due respect to their history, I can say that in a country like Austria, communication is not the problem, rather the dialect which together with the tonality used, "detonated" my intuition, but, intending to work again in the near future there, I am glad that all citizens are actually learning the German Language in schools...
So, personally, I'm happy for that, especially since I used google translate to write this :)

And Strat, I'm sorry, I can't help...:blushing: but I send you something I always laugh at :) ( 22 seconds):

I Know a Little German

FkWePyPs1e0

[ExomatrixTV]

Maybe you can ask everybody which new language would you want to learn if you had the time and why ....

My new language would be Mandarin Chinese ... not because I "love CCP (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party)" (I don't) nor worship their Orwellian Dystopian style of government but for many other reasons!

QOpQf3fi2N4


Learn to read Chinese ... with ease! | ShaoLan

troxvPRmZm8


ShaoLan's Chineasy: Lesson 1

T5FNvW19GbA

I always felt there will be something very special coming out of China NOT from the "government" nor from any big corporation but from the people who want to be free!

cheers,
John

[Marbelo]

And Strat, I'm sorry, I can't help...:blushing: but I send you something I always laugh at :) ( 22 seconds):

I Know a Little German



Speaking in languages ​​and what anka said I have a scene that always makes me laugh a lot from Inglourious Basterds. :bigsmile: It reminds me of Marlon Brando in The Godfather.

zs2hcQBKSNA

[Kryztian]

English 90% - my first language, the language I have used 97% of my life. I don't think anyone every masters any language and everyday I learn more, so I just can't say 100%. I know I can always look forward to learning new words, new expressions, new meanings of words and more subtleties of this 500 year old language.


German 70% - My mother's tongue and a language I studied for 6 years and have read numerous novels in. However, I seldom use it now and when I have a conversation, I need to keep a dictionary nearby.


Spanish 50% - I only took one semester of Spanish in college, but have done some traveling in Latin America and Spain and now live in a town with a large Spanish speaking population.


Mandarin Chinese 1% - I took two semesters of Chinese, but it isn't an Indo european language, and learning to write Chinese characters is such a complex skill. If a genii in a bottle gave me three wishes, one would be to instantly understand and speak this language.


Italian & French 30% - Most of my knowledge of these languages comes from music. I studied classical singing (art songs, opera arias) and sang in opera choruses. Of course, in addition to memorizing all those words, you have to know what they mean to do it with feeling, so you have to learn a bit of the language. Also, I spent a lot of time reading opera librettos which have the original language text side by side with English translation, so I am really good at having dramatic outbursts in these languages.


Romanian, Esperanto, Portuguese, Afrikaans, Dutch 25% - I never studied any of these, but when I look at texts in the languages, I can usually figure out much based on other Romance and Germanic languages I know.

[Maknocktomb]

Reading and playing music is also a language. Mathematics is a language.

[palehorse]

In Portugal I saw the difference between the Portuguese of Brazil and that of our colonizers.

From what I understand Spain and Mexico have this same dynamic. Is this true or am I wrong?


They are different, by the way Spanish from Paraguay is the weirdest one I ever heard. I myself speak/read/write English, Portuguese and Spanish and speak Thai but I also have a good understand of Italian (closest language to Portuguese).

In Lisbon for example the Portuguese are not the same as in Sao Paulo but it is possible to hold a descent conversation, I lived in Brazil and my Portuguese from Lisbon was more than enough, there is difference but nothing that you can't deal with (except Slang or unique local terms). I learned my Spanish in Spain when I was a kid (still remember despite not speaking much nowadays), when I went to south America I found out that it is very very different from places like Bolivia and Peru.

The Portuguese in Mozambique and other African countries are also different from the Portuguese in Portugal, Taiwan (once called Ilha Formosa) also has Portuguese speakers, and they speak great Portuguese, ask for directions for any taxi driver and you will be amazed how skilled these people are in terms of language.

I also learn at basic level to speak Portuguese Creole (Portugues Crioulo), which is spoken in parts of Africa like Guine Bissau, São Tomé, Congo also there are pockets of speakers in India and Sri Lanka (indo-Portuguese), there is also pockets in Macau, Hong Kong and China mainland, in Malaysia there is what they call Kristang which is a mixture of Portuguese Crioulo and Malay and they still speaking this languages in the Mallaca region (Portugues di Melaka), believe me or not they speak this sort of Portuguese in west Australia-Perth and Singapore (small communities of old natives - the entire community of Kristang world wide may be about 2.000 speakers and decreasing).

In Africa there is French and English based creole languages as well, in my point of view they are all compounded and derived from the original languages and the first records of these creoules languages start in the 15/16/17th centuries, but only in the 19th century they had real evidence of the written language.

English in Asia is not the same as English in Europe or North America. All languages change their phonetics depending on the region and people speaking it.

The entire world has so many languages and dialects that it is very hard to count if not impossible, if I remember it is something like 7.000 documented languages, my grand mother-in-law she was from a country that do not exist anymore, it was called Kingdom of Mon (Myanmar today), even in the time the British colonialism in Burma throughout the nationalist period, Japanese occupation and the modern era (formation of the Union of Myanmar - post second war) all Mon people still Mon speakers and most of them immigrated to the time called Siam (Thailand) and other areas like Laos and Khmer (today Camboja), they even went far away and end up in US, they were been executed by the "government" and forced to live Burma, but the culture survived as the language, I know quite a few Mon people, my wife is half Mon and half Thai and she speaks a little bit of Mon, my kid is 25% Mon :)

Languages are a very interesting subject to explore, I myself do not feel like I am a good learner in terms of language, I speak 3 languages because it was necessary to learn them, it was never a hobby or just desire to learn, today I am learning "slowly" the Thai language because it is necessary in order to have a better quality of life in the country I am living as guest.

Thanks for the thread. :)

[Iancorgi]

I speak Thai, French and English fluently (Speaking Reading Writing). I have a decent command of German. Basic Japanese and Northern Thai Lanna dialect.

[palehorse]

I speak Thai, French and English fluently (Speaking Reading Writing). I have a decent command of German. Basic Japanese and Northern Thai Lanna dialect.

Hi lancorgi sabaidee mai? This is very nice, I still struggling to learn Thai, but I am not really engaged on it, not yet. For the next year I will look to improve my Thai skills if time allow me. Sometimes I feel if I could speak more or even read some Thai, life quality would improve, since I live surrounded by Thais at some point I will be forced to at least speak it fluently.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you become fluently in Thai?

:thumbsup:

[Iancorgi]

I speak Thai, French and English fluently (Speaking Reading Writing). I have a decent command of German. Basic Japanese and Northern Thai Lanna dialect.

Hi lancorgi sabaidee mai? This is very nice, I still struggling to learn Thai, but I am not really engaged on it, not yet. For the next year I will look to improve my Thai skills if time allow me. Sometimes I feel if I could speak more or even read some Thai, life quality would improve, since I live surrounded by Thais at some point I will be forced to at least speak it fluently.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you become fluently in Thai?

:thumbsup:


Sawadi Krap Khun Palehorse,

I first visited Thailand in 1992 and after living a few years in Japan I finally decided to settle in Bangkok and then Chiangmai for good.

I quickly learned a few words and a some commonly used sentences so i could have basic interactions with the locals in my daily life. After about five years of this routine I became quite conversational but the tipping point to become fully fluent has been learning the alphabet, reading and writing a diary....it took a good six months of daily practice (2hours) to be able to read the newspaper and write a simple email. So far it's been the most intellectually challenging thing I have ever done in my life so it really takes a lot of motivation.

I have a Thai family (wife, children...) and we communicate almost exclusively in Thai so it a lot easier to learn a language this way (total immersion)

I see a lot of long term expats farangs who can't speak much Thai but they are hanging out with other farangs and not really trying hard enough to master the language but as you said if you don't speak Thai you'll never fully understand the culture.

My advice would be to start from a blank slate. Do not try to rely much on your native language in your studies, the "grammar" and syntax are almost completley different from western languages it's almost like learning an alien language. Also, start by learning the alphabet it's hard but in the long run it will make everything much easier.

I found these traditionnal children books to be very useful in my studies and they also help you learning about the Thai culture. First you have to learn the alphabet and then you can start reading the first booklet (Thai language for Grade 1) of the collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p2hk4vj5a0z41dv/AADoWU7ezTNZgxMkqZGqY_J2a?dl=0&preview=manee-mana-1-1.pdf


โชคดี ครับ

[Deborah (ahamkara)]

To those who can fluently speak multiple languages- does your perspective shift depending on the language?

[scotslad]

I speak 3 - English, Scottish & Rubbish ;)

[Kryztian]

To those who can fluently speak multiple languages- does your perspective shift depending on the language?

Many years ago I took an Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Class. I was told that the people who were most successful in the class were monolingual - they didn't really speak another language, and the least successful knew four or more languages well.

I guess one could have a lot of theoretical explanations for this. Mine is that language is connected to your neural processes. Change the language you are thinking in and you have to start thinking differently. Your brain has to function in different ways. Because monolingual people have just that one process, they really excel at it and pick up the speed.

Which reminds me, yes, I have another language - music. It really is a neural process too - like language, you listen to it, you read it, you "speak" it (in my case, through my fingers on a keyboard.)

[TargeT]

I can barely manage the one accurately... no way I'm taking on more!

[palehorse]

I speak Thai, French and English fluently (Speaking Reading Writing). I have a decent command of German. Basic Japanese and Northern Thai Lanna dialect.

Hi lancorgi sabaidee mai? This is very nice, I still struggling to learn Thai, but I am not really engaged on it, not yet. For the next year I will look to improve my Thai skills if time allow me. Sometimes I feel if I could speak more or even read some Thai, life quality would improve, since I live surrounded by Thais at some point I will be forced to at least speak it fluently.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you become fluently in Thai?

:thumbsup:


Sawadi Krap Khun Palehorse,

I first visited Thailand in 1992 and after living a few years in Japan I finally decided to settle in Bangkok and then Chiangmai for good.

I quickly learned a few words and a some commonly used sentences so i could have basic interactions with the locals in my daily life. After about five years of this routine I became quite conversational but the tipping point to become fully fluent has been learning the alphabet, reading and writing a diary....it took a good six months of daily practice (2hours) to be able to read the newspaper and write a simple email. So far it's been the most intellectually challenging thing I have ever done in my life so it really takes a lot of motivation.

I have a Thai family (wife, children...) and we communicate almost exclusively in Thai so it a lot easier to learn a language this way (total immersion)

I see a lot of long term expats farangs who can't speak much Thai but they are hanging out with other farangs and not really trying hard enough to master the language but as you said if you don't speak Thai you'll never fully understand the culture.

My advice would be to start from a blank slate. Do not try to rely much on your native language in your studies, the "grammar" and syntax are almost completley different from western languages it's almost like learning an alien language. Also, start by learning the alphabet it's hard but in the long run it will make everything much easier.

I found these traditionnal children books to be very useful in my studies and they also help you learning about the Thai culture. First you have to learn the alphabet and then you can start reading the first booklet (Thai language for Grade 1) of the collection:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p2hk4vj5a0z41dv/AADoWU7ezTNZgxMkqZGqY_J2a?dl=0&preview=manee-mana-1-1.pdf


โชคดี ครับ

Thank you Lancorgi for all the tips and the book, I wish my wife speak more Thai with me, but we both, actually we are in 3 and we speak mostly English and Portuguese most part of the time.
I agree it is almost an Alien language, my first attempt many years ago I learned the basics and since then I've been surviving with what I got, but now is time for an serious upgrade, thank you again for the book, I realized that you're right about that, I started it all wrong trying to speak right away without knowing the grammar.

Sawadee Krap Khun.

[Karen (Geophyz)]

To those who can fluently speak multiple languages- does your perspective shift depending on the language?

Yes, most definitely! For me it also shifts depending on the country I am in.

I speak English, Spanish and Italian. Learning some Chinese.

[Open Minded Dude]

When I was young I watched (almost) all "Die Sendung mit der Maus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Sendung_mit_der_Maus)" high quality educational programs for German school-children. No Dutch subtitles no English ... just raw German :)
fytHXOIj7b8
I loved watching the "Maus" too. Brings back nice memories. :happythumbsup:

(Yeah, not surprising this comes from a man with a Cat avatar, I know :wink: )

Next to German I of course do English, Spanish (mediocre in speaking but very good in reading) and remember some rudimentary French from my school days.

[Deneon]

I speak Dutch, English, German and a little bit of French.

I believe learning a new language is one of the more gratifying things you can do for yourself. However it's so much harder now compared to when I was a little bit younger. I've tried Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Arabic at different points in the past few years (depending on travels), but I would say that I don't even have the basics covered in any of those.

[Old Student]

To those who can fluently speak multiple languages- does your perspective shift depending on the language?

Sort of. Especially with Chinese, there are words for things in Chinese that there aren't in English and vice-versa.

There are two things related to this that are interesting:
1) When I was on exchange (in those days American college students could not go to China so I was in Taiwan), I remember having dreams in a language I did not speak (Taiwanese) but heard all the time during the day. I related the things said in the dreams and they were real Taiwanese, so your brain learns even when you aren't trying.

2) When I relate a story of something that happened in one language to someone in the other, all the conversations get translated effortlessly, probably because they aren't stored in the mind in any particular language. So I'll relate about when the Zhaoguan (military officer for the college dorm hall, the country was under martial law) showed up early Saturday morning and said, "Get dressed and come downstairs right away!" He didn't say that, he said 穿衣，馬上下來！but if I'm speaking English telling the story, I don't notice that, it just comes out in English.

[Deborah (ahamkara)]

Thank you to all of those who are posting here. As a retired teacher I was always puzzled by the refusal of public schools to effectively teach a second language to the majority of American students. I feel they purposefully kept most monolingual to more easily program and control their thought processes.

[Hym]

Learning a second language before puberty increases grade point average in succeeding schooling and provides a higher earned income average after schooling. When puberty arrives the brain switches to one predominant side, making the conceptual imagery and the coordination of vocalizing more difficult.

I was assigned a solo project in the summer between junior and senior high school years during my summer employment stints for a school district I attended. I went thru elementary and junior high grades for every school and found that those who spoke a second language proficiently, averaged a full one and one half grade higher than the average. This also applied to the children whose parents moved often for their careers, as in the military.

Those unending, long, wide, paper printouts of green and white stripes were the most mind numbing exercises in patience I ever endured, but I somehow adapted and presented a report that the district took heed of. I was told the proofs helped the district implement teaching a second language in SoCal elementary schools. It was too late for me, but my younger brothers and sisters are fluent in at least 2, and in some cases 3, languages as they were taught the 2nd language in elementary school. It also made it easier for 3 of them to learn a 3rd language in early adulthood.

Though I love language and created a phonetic transliteration method for sacred languages some years ago, I would have benefitted greatly if the learning had been there earlier.

[Nikola Tesla]

I speak fluently German, Croatian, English, Swabian (German dialect), Bosnian, Serbian (cyrillic alphabet) and understand god other Slavic people , Slovenian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Cech- Slovakian, Polish, Russian and a little bit of Italian and Spanish.

[muxfolder]

Finnish, English, Swedish, some German and little bit of French. I've been lately thinking of learning Spanish or more French, which I only took one course and that was 20 years ago.

[I am B]

I speak catalan and spanish as mother tongues (which i don't remember learning), french, english, chinese and some basic russian.

I think that being brought up learning languages exponentially makes the learning of the rest easier, which is even more amplified if its done at a young age. Specially if they belong to the same root. I learnt french through speaking catalan (which is preety similar) to my french and belge friends during holidays.

A language does give you great insight into the mindset of different cultures, making it way way easier to understand it, breaking some "prejudices" or false impressions you may get (for good or ill), and does also show the same of your own culture when you stop to compare. ^^

[Karen (Geophyz)]

From what I know, most Europeans know a language or two, and we generally understand each other, especially in direct contact with the interlocutor, indeed, as you said Strat, "something" is triggered and you can at least understand what you are told, more , you hear yourself having a conversation in that language. I think it's fun and natural.:happythumbsup:

I worked in Europe and learned several languages.
Latin has a certain scientific-cultural-linguistic importance and is a good root for study in general.
In school, I learned French and Russian, then because of jobs in the European community, I had to learn German in a maximum of two weeks and it was not easy, but I learned 2000 words and 400 expressions, doing just that in each day, thinking I could do this with any language ... less complicated.
For example, I understand everything in Spanish, but I couldn't bring "the words into speech", at least not immediately. I probably can't learn some languages.

Italian (being close to my native language) I had to speak it without studying it. I must admit, that Italians are very happy to speak, so I left home in the evening speaking my native language and arrived in Italy in the morning where a a group of people asked me questions in Italian and especially those related to medicine, and I still don't know how I managed to get used to it more and more with every minute passed. I think that when "you're there in the field, alone" with speakers of foreign languages, intonation, gestures and human nature of contact, matter a lot for everything is a kind of "chain reaction" that you have to learn "hard quickly".

A fun thing about what you said Strat: "You learn two and you get the third", I suffered too. For example, in Vienna (Austria, Europe) German is not spoken at all, and in such a small country they have as many different dialects as there are counties.

If you know German, you have to hear how Austrian is spoken, it's really a blast to be able to adapt, but my luck was that they still understand German, it took me 18 days to learn the dialect just so I could fully understand.
In short, with all due respect to their history, I can say that in a country like Austria, communication is not the problem, rather the dialect which together with the tonality used, "detonated" my intuition, but, intending to work again in the near future there, I am glad that all citizens are actually learning the German Language in schools...
So, personally, I'm happy for that, especially since I used google translate to write this :)

And Strat, I'm sorry, I can't help...:blushing: but I send you something I always laugh at :) ( 22 seconds):

I Know a Little German

FkWePyPs1e0

I try to think in Italian! I have no one close to speak it with, but I do call my brother regularly and we speak in Italian. One should never let their native language be forgotten.

[Perdido]

Southern only.

[Feritciva]

let's see... turkish (i may be the only one on the forum), english, italian (mi piace italiano!), a quarter of german.

also i can easily survive in greece, thanks to watching a lot greek tv when i was a child :)

[Strat]

Out of curiosity, would someone be willing to be my study buddy for Spanish? Frankly I'm not sure I want to do this because I value my privacy/anonymity but I wanted to go ahead and ask. Shoot me a PM if you're willing. Thanks in advance.

I found others on the Duolingo app that want to be study buddys but frankly 1 they're strangers and 2 I think they're teens and I'd feel weird communicating with them.

[Strat]

So, I figure when I go about my daily activities I'm going to do my best to 'think' in Spanish. This should help determine what areas I need to work on. I've been practising as much as I can in person but that's a bit rare, about a sentence here and there once per week. I'm working on the language as much as possible, it's a lot of fun but it takes a long time.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

[sijohn]

OK I can no longer resist, I have been watching this thread for a while now trying not to make a frivolous post , BUT here goes , I speak 3 languages, English my mother tongue, French adequately, but I am fluent in bollocks!

A very old joke but I just could not resist , sorry, but on a serious note learning French, was probably the most difficult thing I attempted in my life, My wife is French and I have lived here for 20 years and it is still a challenge, my advice for any one wa tinb to be multilingual is to start very young with multilingual parents

¤=[Post Update]=¤

OK I can no longer resist, I have been watching this thread for a while now trying not to make a frivolous post , BUT here goes , I speak 3 languages, English my mother tongue, French adequately, but I am fluent in bollocks!

A very old joke but I just could not resist , sorry, but on a serious note learning French, was probably the most difficult thing I attempted in my life, My wife is French and I have lived here for 20 years and it is still a challenge, my advice for any one wanting to be multilingual is to start very young with multilingual parents

[I am B]

So, I figure when I go about my daily activities I'm going to do my best to 'think' in Spanish. This should help determine what areas I need to work on. I've been practising as much as I can in person but that's a bit rare, about a sentence here and there once per week. I'm working on the language as much as possible, it's a lot of fun but it takes a long time.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

There are some (preety much all of them) quality dubbed films in spanish amigo ^^ I'd advise to watch or even play them on the background if you feel like so. The more you know the film the better, since you can relate the meaning to the words directly. And no subs!

[Strat]

There are some (preety much all of them) quality dubbed films in spanish amigo ^^ I'd advise to watch or even play them on the background if you feel like so. The more you know the film the better, since you can relate the meaning to the words directly. And no subs!

Ahh, good advice. Jurassic Park en espanol here I come!

I've discovered reading Spanish isn't too difficult, it is slow going but I can decipher it so to speak. When I try speaking with native Speakers it's very challenging. I enjoy it though. I love culture, food, art (also, women) and all that. I've found that when you speak the language you get the VIP entrance so to speak.

I don't mean to bump this thread too much but can you check this out for me, I'm trying to work on ordering food. I used to say yo quiero but that's a bit rude. How do I use puedo properly?:
Puedo tiene un empanada de pollo? I used to say Yo quiero un empanada de pollo but apparently that's kinda rude. Fortunately I'm friendly and haven't stepped on any toes (yet). I'm pretty good at putting smiles on faces.

[Mashika]

There are some (preety much all of them) quality dubbed films in spanish amigo ^^ I'd advise to watch or even play them on the background if you feel like so. The more you know the film the better, since you can relate the meaning to the words directly. And no subs!

Ahh, good advice. Jurassic Park en espanol here I come!

I've discovered reading Spanish isn't too difficult, it is slow going but I can decipher it so to speak. When I try speaking with native Speakers it's very challenging. I enjoy it though. I love culture, food, art (also, women) and all that. I've found that when you speak the language you get the VIP entrance so to speak.

I don't mean to bump this thread too much but can you check this out for me, I'm trying to work on ordering food. I used to say yo quiero but that's a bit rude. How do I use puedo properly?:
Puedo tiene un empanada de pollo? I used to say Yo quiero un empanada de pollo but apparently that's kinda rude. Fortunately I'm friendly and haven't stepped on any toes (yet). I'm pretty good at putting smiles on faces.

You could say "me preparas una empanada de pollo por favor? Or "Hola, podrias preparame una empanada de pollo?

But if you know the person working there i dont see much wrong in saying "hola, tienes empanadas d pollo? Me das una por favor?"

But most of my friends simply say "me das una empanada de pollo por favor" and then once it's delivered they just say "gracias"

So instead of "quiero 5 tacos" they say "me preparas 5 tacos por favor" or "me das 5 tacos" and once prepared then "gracias" and then you eat them in 5 seconds and ask for 5 more...

[I am B]

Exactly! And you could use the conditional like you would in english too: "I'd like to take 69 tacos please" - "Me gustaría tomar 69 tacos por favor" , or with can/could, "Could you serve me 666 tacos please? " - "Podria servirme/ponerme 666 tacos por favor? "

Otherwise "yo quiero una empanada" its not specially rude if you say por favor at the end of it ^^ i'd say its the most natural of them all.

Finally in spain's spanish (not 100% sure the rest do) we say "pongame" (put me) as a polite way to say "give me/serve me"

Keep the learning up! And don't get too lost on grammar and technicisms, practice will be what makes you learn.

[Strat]

once prepared then "gracias" and then you eat them in 5 seconds and ask for 5 more...
Lol, there's something we have in common.


Exactly! And you could use the conditional like you would in english too: "I'd like to take 69 tacos please" - "Me gustaría tomar 69 tacos por favor" , or with can/could, "Could you serve me 666 tacos please? " - "Podria servirme/ponerme 666 tacos por favor? "


Food truly brings all cultures together.

I have some confusion about the usage of mi as apposed to yo... I'll just keep practising. Here's some fun pics for you guys.

Este es la comida Mexicana yo comprar:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50977214981_644eac0e60_z.jpg
Dos tacos para mi y dos para mi madre. She's visited Mexico in the past and she says they taste the same so she loves them.

However, I've moved on from tacos and now I devour tortas. I cannot articulate how amazingly delicious this sandwich is. Yes, I also got empenadas because I mean why not and also Saturday is my 'cheat day' which means I ignore my diet that day.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50976519403_2038418ab9_z.jpg

[Ratszinger]

English, and bad English, Latin, and bad Latin, French and bad French so what is that? Six!? HA!!!

[gs_powered]

Portuguese and English :)

Was lucky that the school I attended made English lessons available to young kids and that my parents thought it would be something good for me.

As well as John, I also believe there is knowledge that is kept from being understood due to the languages barrier, sadly.

[Karen (Geophyz)]

When I was learning Chinese in college, I sang happy birthday in Chinese to a dear friend. When he got done laughing he told me I had offered oral sex.....Chinese is hard!

[lizhekb]

Maybe you can ask everybody which new language would you want to learn if you had the time and why ....

My new language would be Mandarin Chinese ... not because I "love CCP (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party)" (I don't) nor worship their Orwellian Dystopian style of government but for many other reasons!

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Learn to read Chinese ... with ease! | ShaoLan

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ShaoLan's Chineasy: Lesson 1

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I always felt there will be something very special coming out of China NOT from the "government" nor from any big corporation but from the people who want to be free!

cheers,
John

I was born in China and yes I am still learning the language.

I met many foreingers who are fluent in Mandarin, much better than the average Chinese do. They inspire me to study more.

BTW, I think music is beyond any words.

[Ankle Biter]

Greek and, English.. plus, I've spent some time around speakers of Mandarin and can catch some words and even sometimes phrases, 2 times out of 10 will know how the conversation is going. It's very hard to learn. However, I can order a cold beer, some hot pot or beef noodles and figured it was enough.

[xidaijena]

Oh, to me, I only can speak Chinese and some simple English.

I once learnt some simple Japanese phrases.

But I still love English more.

Chinese is very very difficult for me to totally understand though I am a Chinese.

[s7e6e]

Just because the shortest message cannot be less than 10 characters: 4

[BoR]

Native language = Dutch (100% fluent (of course)), Second language = English (100% fluent), then French which has unfortunately become a little rusty now, since I only used it while in France, the French part of Belgium and Quebec (when I was there for a month). Last time I was in France was in 2018, and unfortunately it looks like I won’t come there for a while, if ever, let alone in Quebec, since we are now in full blown armageddon and all… although… I might flee to France if the people’s revolution turns out to be succesfull over there (I have no idea what will happen here if the government goes completely tyrannical).

But back on topic, I love the French language a lot, and I still expose myself to it in a way because I like to listen to French music.

After French comes Spanish, which has sunk a lot deeper since I never really used it. I’ve never been in any Spanish speaking country in my life, but I learned the language in college, by choice, because it’s a world language and I thought I would use it…

Then comes German, I studied that language a lot less than Spanish, but because it has many similarities with Dutch, I understand German much better, so I actually should have mentioned German before Spanish.

And last comes….Danish! I kind of fell in love with the language when I was in France (yes, the last time I was there in 2018), do you still follow me? Yes, you read that correctly, I fell in love with the Danish language when I was in France. I was waiting in line at a car rental service and before me, there were some Danish people. I heard them speak and in the first few seconds I thought they were Dutch, but… I couldn’t decipher what they said. Then I recognized they were speaking Danish and while listening I just loved the sounds and the melody of the sentences. So I started learning the language through some apps, I went to Kopenhagen for a few days, but when the covid situation hit, my incentive to get on with it was gone. Though I am now picking it up again. Learning to pronounce Danish is a challenge, because the way the words are written and pronounced can be confusing when you’re starting to learn, because of the silent consonants. But I love the way Danish sounds, and I really like the Danish people. So much that if Denmark was further south instead of north, I might even have considered moving there. But maybe I will after all, because right now it seems they have lifted all covid restrictions, although I do fear (with no fear) that is only temporary…