Languages - Do you Triumph or Faiiiil?

[Fierce_LiNk]

I've got a lot of spare time on my hands now, so I'm going to make a bigger effort to get more acquainted with the language of people from Belgiumland. More specifically, Dutch or Flemish.

 

I've always found languages really interesting, and as a kid I knew quite a fair bit of Punjabi and Urdu, but sadly I'm nowhere near as sharp on them these days. I was also pretty decent at reading Arabic, but these were three tough languages. During my young days, I was a big fan of the Rocky films (I still am) and after watching Rocky IV, I decided I wanted to learn Russian, haha. I listened to the National Anthem that plays during the film and played it back repeatedly to try and get it right word for word. I failed.

 

To those of you out there, are you particularly skilled with languages? I know Uncle Supergrunch loves his linguistics, but are there any of you out there who can speak another language, or who want to?

 

So, I'm really going to make more of an effort to get better with Dutch, although it is very hard. Ine teaches me words and sentences here and there, but my pronunciation is pretty damn awful, haha.

 

I may also try to brushen up on Welsh and Urdu. Although, it is years since I even used these languages. I was crap at Welsh in School, but I feel that it may be an advantage now being back here, particularly if end up working for a School in the Valleys or something.

[Febee]

I've always really liked languages, and I find them interesting. I have so much respect for my friends who can speak several languages

But myself, I'm really terrible at learning them :/

When I used to do German at school, at best I could get a B, for some reason grammar never stuck in my head

and then I just completely failed Latin haha

I do plan, one day, to actually get good and learn another language, it's a goal for the future I spose.

[Raining_again]

I've always really liked languages, and I find them interesting. I have so much respect for my friends who can speak several languages

But myself, I'm really terrible at learning them :/

When I used to do German at school, at best I could get a B, for some reason grammar never stuck in my head

and then I just completely failed Latin haha

I do plan, one day, to actually get good and learn another language, it's a goal for the future I spose.

 

Gotta say pretty much the same for me, except I didn't fail any language courses cause I didn't take them at all

 

Lucky I can converse in this language! My English teacher (MBAMs mum! ) wasn't best fond of my failure!

[chairdriver]

I got an A band 1 in Higher French, but can't actually speak it at all...

 

I'm quite nifty at Latin though.

[Coolness Bears]

SNELL NAAR DE APPEL GROT!

 

Other than that...

 

I was okay at languages at school. It's something I'd have to consistantly practise though otherwise it all just floats away. I got B's in French and Spanish at GCSE but I can't understand much now!

[Raining_again]

SNELL NAAR DE APPEL GROT!

 

Other than that...

 

I was okay at languages at school. It's something I'd have to consistantly practise though otherwise it all just floats away. I got B's in French and Spanish at GCSE but I can't understand much now!

 

Don't worry cbears, I think most people are like that. Even when you are fluent in a language and don't use it you still get rusty!

[Fierce_LiNk]

I got an A band 1 in Higher French, but can't actually speak it at all...

 

I'm quite nifty at Latin though.

 

You know, I did ok at A Level French, but I just didn't take any of it in. It was all past and future tenses, and construction, but it's all gone now. Annoyingly, I wanted to do Spanish, but my School didn't do it for A Level.

[Coolness Bears]

Don't worry cbears, I think most people are like that. Even when you are fluent in a language and don't use it you still get rusty!

 

True. I wish I'd been adopted a tad later so I could have picked up some spanish Lingo!

 

Spanish is a sexy language and it would have added to my already alluring package.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

I love languages!

 

As it is hopefully apparent, I'm quite fluent in English, and I also speak some German (and, of course, Danish). But my real passion lies with the classical languages: Latin and Ancient Greek. Those are the subjects I study, and those are the subjects I want to study further and eventually become a teacher of.

[Paj!]

I've had speech problems in English, so was never that good at languages. I like studying the inticacies of languages though, and have a decent grasp of words, and can sometimes work out what stuff means based on brief knowledge etc.

[Fierce_LiNk]

True. I wish I'd been adopted a tad later so I could have picked up some spanish Lingo!

 

Spanish is a sexy language and it would have added to my already alluring package.

 

Haha, Spanish is a very, very sexy language. Maybe we could learn together, and then venture off to some exotic Spanish speaking country - like Spain! We could sell drinks by the beach. First you sell the drinks. Then, you get the women.

[Ashley]

First you sell the drinks. Then, you get the women.

 

 

I've never been too eager to learn Spanish. Possibly because my grandad kept telling me to and you know, one of those.

 

I did French up until GCSE but never particularly excelled. I wish I had tried harder but at the time it felt so boringly mandatory. I've learnt smackings of Japanese and Italian and I keep meaning to try harder but yeah...

 

Still, I find languages interesting. Particularly when you start exploring languages that originate from Latin and the "oh, that's logical!" realisation of certain words.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I love languages!

 

As it is hopefully apparent, I'm quite fluent in English, and I also speak some German (and, of course, Danish). But my real passion lies with the classical languages: Latin and Ancient Greek. Those are the subjects I study, and those are the subjects I want to study further and eventually become a teacher of.

 

It is pretty shocking you, Ine, The Portuguese Mafia et others have brilliant English. I feel a bit inferior when I meet someone who has English as a second or third language to find that they probably speak it better than I do. No fair.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Still, I find languages interesting. Particularly when you start exploring languages that originate from Latin and the "oh, that's logical!" realisation of certain words.

This. This is what sparked my interest for languages and their origins.

 

It is pretty shocking you, Ine, The Portuguese Mafia et others have brilliant English. I feel a bit inferior when I meet someone who has English as a second or third language to find that they probably speak it better than I do. No fair.

I dunno. I think there's a huge difference between speaking it as your natural language and learning it from education. It's two different processes of learning. But I don't know if that affects one's skills with the language.

[triforcemario]

I'm alright at languages, I suppose. I speak Spanish pretty much fluently (due to the fact that I've lived in Spain for a good 8 years now), and I used to be pretty decent at French, before I gave it up to do I.T at school xDD

[Fierce_LiNk]

I dunno. I think there's a huge difference between speaking it as your natural language and learning it from education. It's two different processes of learning. But I don't know if that affects one's skills with the language.

 

There's definitely going to be a difference, but it is pretty cool listening to other people and hearing them switching between two different languages with relative ease. I haven't reached that level of understanding with a language yet where I can flitter between them. It makes me wonder if I even can.

[Ashley]

Question for the folks; do you feel the UK education system (or the general frame of mind prevalent within society) discourages (to a degree) the need to study a second language. There certainly seems to be this arrogance that "well English is a universal language" (I know its not the most spoken but you know what I mean). I think I felt that when I was younger and regret it now.

 

Closest I've come to being multi-lingual is when I got off my flight back from Japan. Three attendants said goodbye to me and I replied to one in English, one in French and one in Japanese but that was mostly because I was tired and confused

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

There's definitely going to be a difference, but it is pretty cool listening to other people and hearing them switching between two different languages with relative ease. I haven't reached that level of understanding with a language yet where I can flitter between them. It makes me wonder if I even can.

Heh, I often think in English simply out of habit. I also often use expressions from English when speaking Danish and the other way around because I cannot find a satisfying equivalent in the language in question.

 

It's funny, we're talking about dialects in my English class at the moment, and I have come to the conclusion that my English is a lovely hybrid of British and American English. That's what you get when you're heavily influenced by both dialects on a daily basis.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Question for the folks; do you feel the UK education system (or the general frame of mind prevalent within society) discourages (to a degree) the need to study a second language. There certainly seems to be this arrogance that "well English is a universal language" (I know its not the most spoken but you know what I mean). I think I felt that when I was younger and regret it now.

 

 

Yes. It also feels a bit patronising how you are only taught tourist French. How to ask for a room in a hotel, and a kilo of apples. And the directions to the beach.

 

French from the start of High School up the GCSE age is so samey. You learn and then re-learn the same things over and over, again.

[Ashley]

Heh, I often think in English simply out of habit. I also often use expressions from English when speaking Danish and the other way around because I cannot find a satisfying equivalent in the language in question.

 

It's funny, we're talking about dialects in my English class at the moment, and I have come to the conclusion that my English is a lovely hybrid of British and American English. That's what you get when you're heavily influenced by both dialects on a daily basis.

 

Actually a Dutch guy in Nagasaki did tell me that he found it hard to understand me because I spoke "proper" English whereas he was more used to strongly dialectual. Do you have similar things, hearing different accents and such?

 

Yes. It also feels a bit patronising how you are only taught tourist French. How to ask for a room in a hotel, and a kilo of apples. And the directions to the beach.

 

French from the start of High School up the GCSE age is so samey. You learn and then re-learn the same things over and over, again.

 

Mhm you learn crappy stuff like "I have Geography on a Wednesday" and "the post office is on the second left" which is stuff I've never used in English yet alone French

[Cube]

I'm utterly useless at learning languages, I ditched both Welsh and French (half the school was taught French, the other half Spanish) at GCSE.

 

Although I do see the point of learning other languages, I personally don't see myself spending much time in non-English-speaking places, plus there were other subjects I wanted to do instead. Although I really wish that Welsh wasn't rammed down our throats. All it does is cost the Welsh government a lot of money and makes most school kids hate the language.

[Raining_again]

je voudrais un café au lait!

 

ou est le stade?

 

tournez au droit!!

 

we used to sit repeating the same old shit over and over and it meant nothing to us in school..

[Febee]

Reading this thread had made me sad i don't know another language. and I reaallyy want to learn one now.

It's also made me miss my Latin lessons.

Although I failed it terribly, I did find it really interesting, albeit hard :/

Looking at the literature was good too; although I don't think i'll ever be able to get Catullus out of my head. Those romans could be romantic (and dirty) when they wanted to <3

[Cube]

I'm sure I learnt 1-10 and days/months about fifty times in French and Welsh.

 

Un, Dai, Tri, Pedwar, Pimp. Chwerch, Saith, Ewyth, Naw, Deg or something like that.

[Fierce_LiNk]

je voudrais un café au lait!

 

ou est le stade?

 

tournez au droit!!

 

we used to sit repeating the same old shit over and over and it meant nothing to us in school..

 

Ou es le stade?

 

Ohhh! Tournez a gauche. La premiere Rue at droit. Continuez!

 

Reading this thread had made me sad i don't know another language. and I reaallyy want to learn one now.

It's also made me miss my Latin lessons.

Although I failed it terribly, I did find it really interesting, albeit hard :/

Looking at the literature was good too; although I don't think i'll ever be able to get Catullus out of my head. Those romans could be romantic (and dirty) when they wanted to <3

 

Everything about you is to do with filth. *shakes head*

 

I wish I was better at languages now. Now, I've got a fever. And the only prescription, is more languages.

 

I'm sure I learnt 1-10 and days/months about fifty times in French and Welsh.

 

Un, Dai, Tri, Pedwar, Pimp. Chwerch, Saith, Ewyth, Naw, Deg or something like that.

 

Hahahaha. Dude, numbers in Welsh is piss easy.

 

11 = un deg un

un deg dau onwards.

 

20 = dau deg.

 

So simple.