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What Languages Do You Know?

Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
I know Arabic and English (as a second language). I'm hoping to learn at least one more language at some point.

What about you?
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
English and French. I speak some German and a little italian. A few words of Russian and Japanise and can order food (badly) in Greek, Thai and Chinese
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Revoltistanian, which is remarkably similar to English.
I know enuf...
- German to ask some basic tourist questions.
- Chinese to say that I don't understand it.
- Russian to offend someone.
 

MikeF

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I have enough trouble expressing myself clearly in my native tongue, English. Absent a need to continually use another language, I see no practical reason to try. For whatever reason, language just does not come easily to me. High School and College grade points suffered from mandatory foreign language requirements. On top of that, which second language to choose? If my native tongue was a language other than English, I would certainly learn English since it seems to be the most widely adopted international language.

I do enjoy learning a few phrases of other languages while traveling abroad. Most are indulgent in my limited use in greetings and shopping/dining.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I have enough trouble expressing myself clearly in my native tongue, English. Absent a need to continually use another language, I see no practical reason to try. For whatever reason, language just does not come easily to me. High School and College grade points suffered from mandatory foreign language requirements. On top of that, which second language to choose? If my native tongue was a language other than English, I would certainly learn English since it seems to be the most widely adopted international language.

I do enjoy learning a few phrases of other languages while traveling abroad. Most are indulgent in my limited use in greetings and shopping/dining.
It's hard to motivate oneself to learn a foreign language
here when there's so little opportunity to use it. Some
ferriners dis us for monolinguality (neologism there),
but they fail to appreciate how much easier it is for them.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
I can order food in any foreign language. You just have to talk loudly. Seems to work for Americans anyway :D

I sometimes have fun on a Saturday morning enjoying a coffee overlooking Sarlat market.

Watching an American negotiate louder and louder is a great pastime. Particularly when the American storms off muttering loudly in a broad texan accent "why can't these ??????? froggies speak English"
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
I know Arabic and English (as a second language). I'm hoping to learn at least one more language at some point.

What about you?

English, some Spanish phrases. Sarcasm.

I'd like to learn Old English, and maybe a Celtic language. My wife is learning Scots Gaelic.
 

Secret Chief

nirvana is samsara
I sometimes have fun on a Saturday morning enjoying a coffee overlooking Sarlat market.

Watching an American negotiate louder and louder is a great pastime. Particularly when the American storms off muttering loudly in a broad texan accent "why can't these ??????? froggies speak English"
Oh dear. Sounds like something out of a bad comedy.
 

Exaltist Ethan

Bridging the Gap Between Believers and Skeptics
Just English.

I would like to pick up a second language however what I want even more is to expand my English vocabulary so I can sound smart and spiffy. English seems to be pretty universal and will probably end up being the language taught world wide one day.

For its utility I would try to learn Spanish but my favorite language is actually Latin. I know Spanish would be easier to pick up and be more useful. I don't care enough however to take the time to remember either language.

Latin is a cool language that should be revived. It's even on DuoLingo for anyone who wants to study it.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
I used to be bilingual in English and Greek, as a child

But I stoped being able to speak Greek at the age of four or five :(

I now speak a little Esperanto

Even though there is no such place as Esperantoland
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Oh dear. Sounds like something out of a bad comedy.
Sounds like fiction to me too.
BTW, I notice that you're fuent in Revoltistanian.
How did you arrive at that?

I'm close enuf to Canuckistan that I learned
a little of their lingo...enuf to get by.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
English, some Spanish phrases. Sarcasm.

I'd like to learn Old English, and maybe a Celtic language. My wife is learning Scots Gaelic.

I watched a documentary some years ago. A professor of ancient English travelled around northern Europe speaking to speakers of their own countries ancient language. In every country, although there were differences the languages were so similar that they were able to understand each other and they could hold quite complex conversations.

I have learned that even in modern language there are over 40,000 french words that are the same or similar in English.
 
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