Other languages? 3

[rjoubert]

It seems to me that most of the people that frequent this forum have a firm command of the English language, whether they be from across the pond or here in the US. I'm just curious as to what other languages you all know.

I took 4 years of French in high school, and I took a year-long course in Korean while I was in the Army. While I was taking the course in Korean, it seemed that all of knowledge of French slowly leaked out the other side of my brain. Apparently, there's only room for two languages in my head. I am so amazed by people who know several languages. One of my Korean instructors, a sweet 60+ year old Korean lady, was fluent in 5 or 6 different languages!

 

[ncotton]

I am reasonably competant in German, having lived there for a year, but was never pushed most of the time to use it cause I was working in IT, everyone has to speak English, as the IT industry is pushed by the American standard.

Neil J Cotton
Technical Consultant
Anix Group Ltd

 

[rjoubert]

Additional note - A few years after learning "textbook" Korean, I was sent over to Korea for a year where I learned how they really used the language.

 

[SantaMufasa]

I can carry on conversations in Spanish. I can greet people and make them feel at ease in Hindi, Tongan, Samoan, French, German, Portuguese, and Farsi. (...strange combination, I know, but that's the way it goes sometimes.)

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[KenCunningham]

I know passable French, German and Spanish. The only language I've so far failed to grasp at all is Female.

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[Welshbird]

Good answer Ken.

I can just about get by in Welsh (you forget so quickly!) and my English is the only other thing I know...

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[kjv1611]

Yeah, Female has got to be the toughest of them all!

I know a little German (2 years in highschool - or was it 3?) and 3 years in college. My German knowledge/ability seemed to decrease after my first year in college - change in professor - school politics caused me to have 3 different professors in 3 years. They fired the good one after my first year, unfortunately.

Pig Latin - airlyfay adequate.

Some VB. [snickering grin]

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[Rofeu]

Hi,

well, being Dutch, it does come in handy to speak the language. Besides that, my English is not too shabby.

Other than that, I can hold my own in Spanish, German, Portuguese and French.

Cheers,

Roel

 

[Welshbird]

I'm so jealous of people who can converse happily in other languages.

I remember a quote from a poem - I forget the author now - maybe someone else might know?
Twas something along the lines of

We were separated by something our mothers taught us

Steve somebody I think.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[Stella740pl]

While I was taking the course in Korean, it seemed that all of knowledge of French slowly leaked out the other side of my brain. Apparently, there's only room for two languages in my head.

I am with you here.
I am from Ukraine, my native language is Russian, but I used to be just as fluent in Ukrainian, and I also studied English as a foreign language in school.

Now that I live in USA, English effectively became my second language and pushed Ukrainian "out the other side of my brain", at least the conversational part. After only one year in USA, I was horribly struggling for words when I had a chance to practice my Ukrainian with visiting people. I can still easily read and understand spoken language, though. I have never spoken Byelorussian, but I can also read and understand spoken Byelorussian, due to the fact that it is close to both, Russian and Ukrainian

So it makes it three and a half languages in a "good standing".

Besides that, I know bits and pieces of several other languages, and can understand (not that easily and not everything, though) some written Slavic languages other than mentioned above.

My husband knows one more, so it is four and a half languages (also always trying to push each other out) plus some bits and pieces, and my older daughter has Russian and English, took two other languages in school, and is now occasionally attends classes for one more.

 

[rjoubert]

My wife is from the Philippines, so I've learned some Tagolog and some of her regional dialect, which is totally different from Tagolog. Of course, she's only taught me the GOOD words.

 

[SantaMufasa]

RJoubert,

I'm heading to the Philippines a week tomorrow (3 Aug). I will be visiting Tacloban, Leyte during week 1; and Boracay during week 2. In Tacloban, they speak Waray and Cebuano; in Boracay, they speak English but knowing some Akeanon would be useful.

Although English is the most common language across the Philippines, I would like to know a few phrases of greeting in Tagalog and the other dialects if you or your wife could help me out.

Thanks,

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[rjoubert]

My wife speaks Cebuano...I'm sure I could get you some helpful words and phrases in both Cebuano and Tagalog. Are you going there for business or pleasure?

I just did a quick search and found some Tagalog phrases on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_language

And here's the wikipedia page for Cebuano...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebuano_language

If you can think of any phrases or words you would like in either dialect that are not included on these pages, let me know and I'll ask the wife.

 

[KornGeek]

I know a little German...

Is anybody else having flashbacks to the movie Top Secret?


To paraphrase some movie (I can't remember which one, but I'm thinking the line was spoken by Bruce Willis):

I only speak two languages: English and Bad English

 

[thekl0wn]

I took three years of Spanish in high school... I can now go to Mexico and order up to ten beers at a time.

 

[rjoubert]

I can now go to Mexico and order up to ten beers at a time.

After drinking those ten beers, can you still order in Spanish?

 

[mjldba]

Four years of French in high school and the only thing I can say with any certainty that it will be understood is "I do not speak French, I speak English".

Something like "je n'ai parlez-pas francais, je parle englais".

 

[rjoubert]

While I was learning Korean in the Army, a good friend of mine was learning Mandarin Chinese. The only thing I remember learning from him was probably the most useful Chinese phrase I could learn.

"Woh boo jer dow" which means "I don't know

 

[kjv1611]

Well, I know my wife likes Mandarin Oranges. Does that count?

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[GlenJohnson]

Took a year in German here in the states, then the militay sent me to Germany for a couple of years. Now, I'm lucky if I can understand the kids here in the states. Gehen sie nach zue housen is about all I can remember, and Ine beer bitten. (Don't hold me to the spelling.)\


Glen A. Johnson
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