Languages

[Humodour]

What languages do you guy know or want to know?

 

What do you think are the most useful languages to know?

[Gorth]

My native language is Danish. My second language is German and I can usually make myself understood in English too. I often wondered how hard it would be to pick up a "Latin" (Italian or Spanish) language when I was younger. Ended up learning French instead. Since I've forgotten most of my French skills, I sometimes wonder how hard it would be to learn an "East Asian" language, but the sheer workload is intimidating. New alphabet and mindset. Syntax and vocabulary is only part of the toolset, you also need to understand the culture and mindset of the language(s) you are trying to communicate with people in.

[Gorgon]

English, Japanese (mostly I read I don't get a lot of oppertunity to talk), Danish. German, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese is next on the wishlist. I don't particularly think German is useful, but I'll probably find it easier, all Danes speak some version of pidgin German.

[Rosbjerg]

Danish, English, German and some French (lost my fluency some years ago), now I'm learning Arabic.. and it's actually not so difficult.

 

(your 3 resident Danes are not a typical representation - most only speak 1 or 2 languages)

[Oner]

Hungarian, English, German. Would like latin, russian and some others I can't recall right now.

[Nepenthe]

Finnish, English, French, Swedish, Spanish and Greek. Studied German in junior high, dropped it, have regretted it since, so German would be pretty high on the list of languages I'd like to learn.

[Pidesco]

Portuguese and English fluently. Spanish and Swedish roughly.

[Morgoth]

German and English. Used to know semi-fluent French.

 

Not wasting time learning more languages, instead learning hard skills.

[Janmanden]

Danish (native), Denglish (English, with danish accent).. No point in listing French or German, because even though I had a stunning pronounciation of French I never got the hang of the language itself, and well I was a bit lost in German grammar as well.. Now I am trying to learn Russian/Ukrainian, but it's only my gf that understands me, but I think she's just being polite.. I tried talking with her mother, but she understood absolutely nothing, which made two of us.

[Gorgon]

German and English. Used to know semi-fluent French.

 

Not wasting time learning more languages, instead learning hard skills.

 

I actually like the process, so you could say I'm doing it for its own sake. Plus it's good for you. As mental calisthenics there is edivdence that it can delay dementia and early onset alzheimer's.

[Morgoth]

As mental calisthenics there is edivdence that it can delay dementia and early onset alzheimer's.

Whatever floats your boat.

 

Not sure though learning more languages is gonna prevent you from getting dementia. I've seen cases where incredibly smart and educated people got Alzheimer with 50 already.

 

Most importantly, you have to have fun with whatever you do. If that's learning another language, okay. If that's learning a friggin' software package and reading 2k page thick manuals, why not.

[Tigranes]

English, Korean. My French is in lamentable neglect, and I wish I had the discipline to stick with it properly when younger, and my Ancient Greek is hardly there anymore.

 

I think recovering those two would be on my list, though I'd also be really interested in Arabic.

[Tale]

My German is terribly rusty. Beyond that it's English and bad English.

[Orogun01]

Spanish, English and a bit of Italian. Would like to become fluent in Italian and probly pick German and Japanese or Chinese or Korean. Damn, gaming industry and their languages

Edited February 19, 2012 by Orogun01

[Zoraptor]

My french is reasonable. I never got the hang of thinking in it though so I was always better at understanding it than speaking it. As a consequence (and from the latin) I can generally get the idea of what is being said in any romance language with a bit of concentration and if it isn't said too quickly.

My german is enough to tourist, no more.

My latin is rusty. It was probably my favourite language, even if it is of limited practical use.

Everything else consists of being able to say 'hello' 'goodbye' 'thanks' random things that amuse me and stuck in my mind (japanese for hot dog, ice cream) and fairly random maori phrases- though I do have good pronunciation at least.

[Blarghagh]

I speak Dutch and English fluently, I can understand German if written down or spoken slowly enough - I can not write or speak it.

 

I'm interested in learning Chinese because of China's rising status as a global superpower, but I don't think I'll learn it.

[Humodour]

Awesome! Great to see so many bilinguals. Or maybe it's the norm in the non-English speaking world. Aussies are sadly by and large monolingual. And Gorgon is right - learning languages has been linked to delaying the onset of various brain rots. Bilingual patients with Alzheimer's get their Alzheimer's on average 5 years later than monolinguals. That's an extra 5 years of my life I'm willing to work for considering the high risk of everybody on this board getting Alzheimer's at some point in their life.

 

In fact, a body of works has come out recently reaffirming the concept of the brain as a muscle (examining computer gamers, taxi drivers, etc). Gamers had increased situational awareness, taxi drivers had increased spatial thinking, etc. The brain areas were actually physically larger due to the increased neuronal density. So use it or lose it. And if you chose to lose it, that doesn't bode well for when you get old.

 

Other things I like to do (or want to do) to exercise my brain are learn an instrument (I've bought the instrument and fiddled with it... just need to get some music theory lessons. Heh), computer programming, and physical exercise (exercise is, apart from "enriched environments", the only known way to increase neurogenesis, or new brain cell creation - another thing which helps ward of Alzheimer's).

[Humodour]

I speak Spanish poorly, read Spanish far better. It's improving. I've been learning German this year.

 

On my list after I've cemented these ones in are Portuguese (Brazil!), Dutch (I want to learn the closest language to my mother tongue, and it gives me access to Indonesian and Afrikaans), Swedish (Scandinavia!), Indonesian (it's an Australian thing). I'll probably pick up Dutch and Indonesian first (Indo grammar is trivially easy and half the vocab is Dutch).

 

But Spanish is my first love. My goal is to read Don Quixote natively. I bought a Spanish copy in Costa Rica. Just got to build up the vocab. Massive respect to anybody who fluently knows more than one language. I envy you.

[Gfted1]

I only know English. And if I know whats good for me I'd better learn Spanish.

[Malcador]

Know a very tiny amount of French, 8 years of it in school and lost it all. Do want to learn German or Dutch.

[Blarghagh]

Know a very tiny amount of French, 8 years of it in school and lost it all. Do want to learn German or Dutch.

Why

 

Why Dutch? As a native Dutch speaker, I can tell you it's a terrible language. Half of the grammar is unneccesary and it has all the personality of a hospital. I sometimes go around pretending to be a tourist just so I can avoid speaking it.

 

P.S. Eddie Izzard quote for the occasion: "Two languages in the same head? No one can live at that speed!"

[Malcador]

Well, mainly so I can understand their football TV coverage as I watch their streams mostly. Shame I didn't bother to learn other languages earlier in life though.

[Walsingham]

Well, mainly so I can understand their football TV coverage as I watch their streams mostly. Shame I didn't bother to learn other languages earlier in life though.

 

I thought you hated football? Or is it just footballers? Or do you just really love commentary - any commentary?

[Rostere]

I know Swedish, English and Spanish. I have some understanding of Italian and German - I could probably read most news articles and perhaps novels in these languages if they don't use too many unfamiliar words.

[Malcador]

I thought you hated football? Or is it just footballers? Or do you just really love commentary - any commentary?

 

No, just football fans and pundits. Granted I look at Dutch, Romanian and Russian streams simply that I can ignore the commentators with greater ease. My team always gets the same yarn from them - need British steel, not won anything in 7 years, player X will leave, too many foreigners, etc.