I have been thinking of learning a foreign lanquage (for leisure), but can't make up my mind. I like Italian food, but France is our closest neighbour (I'm English).
One thing that has put me off in the past is the accent, and thinking I have to be perfect, but as I try and remind myself, do we object to their accents when they speak English. Do they mind an anglicised pronunciation, as long as we try?
I am retired and looking to achieve something diferent this year, and maybe travel in the future.
2007-01-28 02:21:59 · 36 answers · asked by Florence-Anna 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
hi florence
i'm going to add my little pebble to the mountain of advice you've already got there.
being french, i thank my lucky stars that i was born there, because french is such a hard language to learn!
i think that it all depends how commited you are, and how fast you want to be able to communicate.
i don't know any italian (wish i did), but if you want to get fast results, you might want to start with that, it sounds a lot easier to pronounce for an englishwoman.
then once you've got a good level of italian, you could maybe try your hand at french? the two are quite similar, so you'd probably find french relatively easy after italian.
i wouldn't worry about the whole pronunciation thing, people do appreciate when you make the effort to talk to them in their own language; and anyone who gets snotty about an english accent is stupid in the first place anyway.
my english boyfriend's got atrocious french and still gets on with my family! :)
2007-01-29 21:18:23 · answer #1 · answered by misspimousse 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of French and Italian I would definitely recommend Italian for ease of pronunciation. Plus once you've reached a decent level, French is much easier to learn.
French is of course more widely spoken than Italian so you might find it more useful while travelling etc, but if that's your main consideration then I would go with Spanish as some people have suggested, as it's the most widely spoken romance language, and again, it'll help you if you later decide to learn Italian.
Having said all that, I'm going to shamelessly plug Italian over the other two as it's just so beautiful!!
2007-02-01 08:59:21 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why don't you learn the two?
They are both very similar and at GCSE level it's really easy.
If you are looking for the most useful go for French as most Italians speak a bit of French but not all French speak Italian.
I speak the two and but I can say that when travelling I have used alot more my French than Italian
Good luck, learning another language and putting into practise always gives alot of pleasure.
Go on you will be proud next year when sitting in the south of France sipping your Pastis you can say Santé and know that this is not the only word you can say apart from Merci or Bonjour.
Bonne Chance
2007-01-31 10:02:36 · answer #3 · answered by EVA 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
None of the above. You should learn Portuguese!! It's a beautiful language, widely spoken in New Jersey and Miami (and let's not forget Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique etc). I know for a fact that Portuguese speakers love the anglicized accent of Americans and Brits ....and are really thankful when a gringo tries to speak their language.
But then again, that's the language I speak, so I'm kinda biased.
If I had to choose between French and Italian I would go for French because you'll have a better chance of practicing it, since more people speak it. I think in Quebec they would be delighted to see you trying to speak their language.
Contrary to popular belief, Italians are way more anti-American than the French. And more snooty too.
2007-01-28 02:38:28 · answer #4 · answered by amaya m 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Italian is a beautiful and complex language. Maybe I shouldn't be the one to say that, because I'm a mother-tongue speaker, but Italian is the language of art, of beauty, of culture. Besides, it has a very easy pronounciation system, since the way a word is written that's also the way it's pronounced and the other way round. On the other hand, it has got a very rich grammar, richer than the English one, namely its verbs. Unlike English, Italian nouns have got gender (masculine/feminine), and unlike English again, Italian adjectives have got both gender and number.
I cannot advise you as far as French goes, though. I remember that when I was at high school I had to take a French class, and I terribly sucked at it!
2007-01-28 07:15:17 · answer #5 · answered by saavik73 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Why don't you try a taster of each. Say a get by type of course on CD/cassette and then decide which you like best.
Personally, my instinct would be to say Italian as I have lived in Italy for over 9 yrs now and am pretty much fluent. Learning any foreign language isn't easy, but it is very rewarding. I have studied both languages and I think Italian is more systematic (especially with pronunciation patterns) that you get to a 'get by' level fairly easily.
One thing after you choose going to evening classes is much better than tapes in my opinion. Great for getting a feel and inspiring motivation.
2007-01-28 04:27:44 · answer #6 · answered by vrbitta 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I recommend Italian. I've heard from friends who have been to France (or who have lived in France or who ARE French, lol), that the French are very particular about the pronunciation of their language and are often rude if you don't speak right.
On the other hand, Italians are very outgoing and LOVE it when you try to speak their language, even if you speak horribly! Most Italians will try to help you out and encourage you to speak more.
I love and study languages, and I just started learning Italian. I love it and I'd definitely recommend it. I've never really liked the sound of French and I love Italian, so I guess I'm biased, lol.
Good luck! :)
2007-01-28 02:37:59 · answer #7 · answered by Stina 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have started to learn Italian because I love Italy, its culture, music, food etc. It is not an easy language to learn in spite of what some people think, but it is easier to pronounce than French and the Italian people do not mind if you get it wrong, they laugh with you as they tell you the correct way to say something. The French just turn up their noses if you get it wrong and treat you as if you were an idiot, laughing at you. Go with what your instinct tells you, which I am sure is saying learn Italian, learn Italian...
2007-01-28 02:37:29 · answer #8 · answered by blondie 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have you considered learning German? It's easier to learn than the other two as English & German evolved from the same source i.e. Germanic.
The structure of the language & many words are similar & its every bit as beautiful a country as Italy or France. The Germans also like the English unlike the French & if you go to southern Germany there is plenty of good Italian food to be had as they are close neighours.
2007-01-28 02:36:16 · answer #9 · answered by uncle fester 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
French. But if you can do it, why not both? They're not a million miles apart, grammatically. Both from Latin, and closely related.
Regarding your accent, don't worry about it. The French love an English accent. And they'll love you for making the effort with their language. Same with the Italians.
2007-02-02 12:01:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋