Thread: What languages do you speak?

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

Ok, I have to ask- how was Mandarin? What part of the US are you from and did you find being tonal difficult?

Some people find it remarkably difficult, and others find it fairly easy. I'm from Minnesota and found it easy, but I had also done a lot of singing, voice impersonations, and stuff. Tones aren't particularly difficult in Mandarin, which is one of the simpler Chinese dialects on that level (Taiwanese has 8-9 tones with a much more complex tonal sandhi).

I also went to a very difficult and prestigious school for Chinese before they cracked open and lowered their standards in order to appease more wallets. Granted, the school didn't really provide us with the language, but the motivation to study it and the drive and desire to use it in class to a fraction of the teachers' expectations.

If you start from the beginning parroting sounds, rather than just trying to "read" Hanyu Pinyin in your native language's accent, you'll be much more successful at the pronunciation game. I'm confused for Chinese quite frequently, even though I'm white.

Originally Posted by Kees

I am afraid the same applies to English as it is spoken in a lot of movies and tv series: no pause at all! It took me 2 years living in the UK understanding native English speakers speaking to one another. If people would speak to me there were pauses and understanding them became a lot easier. I have noticed that since I returned from the UK 10 years ago I lost some fluency in both active and passive use of English, American English being even more difficult to understand sometimes.

Just to be clear, I meant it applies to all languages. You always here people saying I can't understand them because they talk so fast --- but really your brain hasn't been trained yet to recognize the separations between words or the implied pauses. I don't know how English is heard but for example in French , with much emphasis put on liaison , it takes a while to discern individual words and phrases.

As far as English being a Germanic language, I realize that it has been influenced by numerous languages as nothing is really pure. But if you take a sentence like : The grass is green and change it to Mhe drass bis dreen , -- well that sounds Germanic .

Justin

Dutch and Swedish are my native languages (although after moving back to the Netherlands from Sweden, my written Dutch hasn't really gotten back to a "native speaker" level), and I think I can say I'm fluent in English. I can get by in German, Danish and Norwegian. My French is sorely lacking though, and I feel like I should do something about that.

Originally Posted by w12code3

Well if that is the definition you are using then I speak German fairly well and Spanish just barely.

Its funy; German is a language that I love to try and speak but rarely ever get to and Spanish is a language I hate to try to communicate in and I am bombarded by it every day. 'Su licencia por favor""Manos arriba!" blah blah blah

I gather sir, you too, are in the law enforcement profession. One of my fellow officers told me once....if you hate Spanish, that's fine....but learn just enough to save your life.

My wife is from South Korea, I don't speak Korean other than being fluent with all the Korean foul words and phrases

LIMIT

Originally Posted by iron maiden

I gather sir, you too, are in the law enforcement profession. One of my fellow officers told me once....if you hate Spanish, that's fine....but learn just enough to save your life.

Duh!! Where's the forehead-slapping smilie? I read w12code3's post too, and all I could think was, "What, he lives in a Spanish-speaking country where the police stop him all the time and he's always getting robbed?"

~~Rich, but just call me Great Staring Eedjit--in any language ...

Originally Posted by iron maiden

I gather sir, you too, are in the law enforcement profession. One of my fellow officers told me once....if you hate Spanish, that's fine....but learn just enough to save your life.

Oh, I completely agree. I am sure that I would not have the adverse reaction to Spanish if I had not felt forced into learning what little of it I know to preserve my own safety... I started out by memorizing a list of danger words and phrases and now I can communicate in a very rudimentary way on several issues, but most of them are related to work... I can order a beer as was the requirement.

Originally Posted by rastewart

Duh!! Where's the forehead-slapping smilie? I read w12code3's post too, and all I could think was, "What, he lives in a Spanish-speaking country where the police stop him all the time and he's always getting robbed?"

LOL< well, that was a fairly reasonable assumption based on the information contained in my post... that would be a hell of an existence!

A little German, French, Spanish and a few words of Dutch. Mostly just picked up when I was in Holland for a month a few years back. In Den Bosch, southern holland with a friend.
The German, French from school and Spanish from my 2 friends.
Very little of each if im honest. Prob most confident with german.

Native: Swedish
Second: English
Third: Mongolian
Forgotten: German. Could get by since I understand quite a bit.
Could survive in Norway and Denmark, close enough to Swedish
Can order beer in Spanish, maybe in Russian as well.

Originally Posted by poona

A little German, French, Spanish and a few words of Dutch. Mostly just picked up when I was in Holland for a month a few years back. In Den Bosch, southern holland with a friend.
The German, French from school and Spanish from my 2 friends.
Very little of each if im honest. Prob most confident with german.

I'm soooo close to that city. My wife and brother go to school there and our churchward is there as well.