How many languages...

[evearael]

How many languages do you speak? Which ones? Why did you choose to study that particular language, or is it traditional in your culture?

Currently I'm learning Arabic-yay! It's really fun to write: lots of pretty squiggly lines. I want to be able to read the Koran in its native tongue and be conversant.

I've also studied the following languages, and forgotten most of them because I've had no one to talk to (sob!):
Japanese - Because I was fascinated by Asian culture (and anime)...
Chinese - Asian culture. Learning Chinese (Mandarin) really helped my Japanese.
French - Because it was supposed to be difficult.
Hebrew - So I could read the Torah. I really want to pick it back up, now, since I know people moving there. Learning Hebrew is really helping my Arabic.
German - Because it was supposed to be difficult. I had more trouble with this one than any of the others.

 

[jewscout]

i can speak American, German, and i can read Hebrew ok...it's coming slow though

but hey i'll have a whole lifetime to learn it!

 

[SoyLeche]

I speek English and Spanish. I started learing Spanish in Junior High, because it was the thing to do. I really learned Spanish while I lived in Peru for 2 years as a missionary.

 

[standing_alone]

How many languages do you speak?

I guess I could claim two, but one of them, I speak not so well - basically since I haven't really spoken it regularly enough for about two or three years.

Which ones?

Well, I am fluent in English , and well, I'm losing more and more of my German everyday.

Why did you choose to study that particular language

I decided to study German because I am of mostly German and Austrian descent and wanted to go to Germany someday. Now that I've seen Germany and Austria, I guess I don't really need to remember it as much. Actually, I plan to study it some more on my own, but we'll see how that goes.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I can speak in English and gibberish, some Spanish

I can read Greek, German, French, Hebrew, some Latin, and a little Hebrew

 

[Ormiston]

English. I studied German all through high school because I just thought it was cooler than Spanish or French. I can read and write a little, but can't speak much of any (German that is). I ain't got no problems with my English though.

 

[Bishka]

I speak English just as well as the next AmeriKan!
I also took American Sign Language for a year in high school and I sign a bit. I know bits and pieces of Spanish but not well enough to read or speak it.

 

[michel]

I can still remember a couple of phrases in Kiswahili (my first lamguage), followed by French (in which I am fluent but with a restricted vocabulary - because I don't often get the chance to use it), conversational Spanish,oops, I forgot English........a smattering of Italian.

I don't know why , but I have always wanted to learn Hebrew. (To be fair though, that is typical of me; If I am going to do something, iI always look for some really difficult task)

 

[jeffrey]

I got a little more then half the English language nailed down. My wife says it's less then that, her being a Brit and all and that us Americans bloody torture the English language.

 

[Bishka]

Like Michel said,

I've actually always wanted to learn Hebrew as well, I also want to learn Gaelic and Welsh.

 

[jeffrey]

My wife and daughter know a little Welsh. They lived in North Wales for a spell. I believe they teach it in their schools, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Nehustan]

As I was brought up Christian I delved into Hebrew in a rather superficial way to try and get a correct slant on the texts, tho' it did have a deep effect, when I read the Bible equipped with a Hebrew perspective...I quickly became Muslim, in fact the Hebrew Judaic oral tradition was one of the main reason for my reversion to Islam other than the Aqeedah (Creed) of the religion itself.

I struggle with Arabic, and as a European I of course have a knowledge of French given it was so often the 'court' language in Latin Kingdoms with Old French being effectively Latin.

 

[robtex]

I speak German and use to be able to write it well but after 15 years of non-practice I am skeptical of my current abilites to write it. As Nate said,

I can speak in English and gibberish, some Spanish

It is impossible to live in Texas for any length of time and not speak some spanish. I can converse on common conversationial pieces but I cannot write nor can I speak on technical matters.

I took one semester of Japanese in college and can shoot off a score or more of memorized sentences but not enough to converse with a Japanese person.

 

[Buttons*]

American

I know bits and pieces of things:
Spanish (took from 2nd grade - 11th...but its not worth remembering)
German (i only know a few phrases... Ich leibe Dich, Danke Chatze!)
Romanian (only a little.... Te ubesque *hugs* ...prolly not spelled right... but oh well!)
... from there, i only know fragments of fragments of phrases in French, Italian, and Russian... nothing impressive though.


I'd really like to learn Romanian... that seems like fun....Norook!

 

[Buttons*]

Oh... and I speak Ivan

....pm me if ya wanna know... but i doubt you do

 

[d.]

swedish is really the only language i feel i know to a satisfactory extent. i can communicate in english, sure, but my fluidity and vocabulary is frustratingly limited.

i used to know quite a bit german but years of non-practice has made me forget all but the most common phrases - german can be really beatiful, especially the older variants, but the language that is spoken in germany today...to my ears, it's horrible.

i regret i haven't learned more languages though, since it's usually easy for me to learn them, and not least because it's fun. this summer i plan to learn some rudimentary french and hopefully some mandarin too, if i have the time.

 

[Nehustan]

I speak English, Canadian, American and some Ebonics, and a bit of French, although my French speaking friends INSIST I speak English, LOL.

I have always wanted to learn Sanskrit... and perhaps Classical Egyptian, though I doubt I ever will.

They say that English is 50% French...think the Nun in Chaucer's Cantebury Tales. I recently bought Beowulf in both lanuages, Old and modern English. You should have seen my Arabic wife's face when I showed her Old English...LOL. Interestingly the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom has the 'mottos' written in.....Old French. So you can smile next time they try and say English and French are different languages. As a person who has tried to learn Semitic Languages, let me tell you they may as well be the same.

 

[d.]

They say that English is 50% French...think the Nun in Chaucer's Cantebury Tales. I recently bought Beowulf in both lanuages, Old and modern English. You should have seen my Arabic wife's face when I showed her Old English...LOL.

seems like most of europe could understand each other pretty well in ancient times. old norse, old english, gaelic/celtic, old german...all the indo-european languages seems to have been pretty much the same gibberish in the olden days.

 

[dawny0826]

Well, fluently of course...I speak English. But I do know a fair amount of French and German, especially French.

 

[Scuba Pete]

American English, 1ntrnt, Russian (my major, though I am losing it), a little German, a tiny bit of French, and baby Spanish (I was born in Columbia).

Oh yeah... I speak Scuba the best!