I speak english, obviously, can stumble along in French, read it much better than I speak or understand it spoken to me. I can get by in Mandarin fairly well. I know a few words in Spanish but wouldnt say I can speak it. I used to understand quite a bit of Italian, my friends and neighbours in the old neighbourhood were Italian.
I always wanted to learn Norwegian, but the next language I learn will be Japanese.
2007-11-13 14:23:53 · 10 answers · asked by isotope2007 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Senior Citizens
I'm conversational in five languages other than English. Since you get by in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese shouldn't pose any big problem. I've found that moving from a language expressed in roman letters to one with non-roman characters, one has to jump a fairly large cultural barrier. That was my chief problem in learning Japanese and Russian.
Instead of Norwegian you might also consider what is known as "Pacific English" or "Pidgin English". It's spoken in several small island nations in the South Pacific and is a very lyrical language. Let me list an example, using the opening of The Lord's Prayer.
Standard English:
"Our Father who art in Heaven".
Pacific English:
"Numba One fella comin' from sky"
I'm particularly fond of the Pacific English phrase for the Prince of Wales: "Numba One Pinkaninny belongum Missus Queen ".
2007-11-13 15:37:55 · answer #1 · answered by desertviking_00 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm about the same as you. Stumbling along in French I mean. Which is sad since it is one of our country's two OFFICIAL languages!
For some reason I can always understand sort of what the author is trying to tell me in written Spanish and Italian. I feel most European languages have the same root structure, so their words for certain things don't differ greatly from language to language.
I think this old brain would rebel well and truly if I tried to force it to learn another language at this late date. But if I HAD to learn another language...I mean if I had no choice in the matter except WHICH language....I guess I would want to learn Gaelic--a basically dead language anyway, but interesting just the same.
2007-11-13 22:33:33 · answer #2 · answered by Susie Q 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've taken 3 Spanish classes, but am by no means bilingual, though I'd love to be. I read it better than I speak or write Spanish. It's very easy to forget what I've learned if I don't practice it often.
2007-11-13 22:38:30 · answer #3 · answered by luvspbr2 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I speak English semi-fluently and know enough in two other languages to get myself into some VERY deep kimchee... 'Nough said.
2007-11-14 02:30:23 · answer #4 · answered by Chaplain John 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Took Spanish in school but that was soooo many years ago. I never used it so have forgotten most of it, all of it.
2007-11-14 00:37:07 · answer #5 · answered by doxie 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I took German classes. My niece took Japanese classes in college, the translations are so poetic, they are so respectful, even in their language.
2007-11-13 23:01:13 · answer #6 · answered by Wickwire 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
i speak spanish....im trying to learn japanese too!.. kinda hard though
2007-11-13 22:52:53 · answer #7 · answered by Carlos 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I do okay, in Spanish and that's about it!
2007-11-14 03:38:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yo hablar espanol
2007-11-13 22:27:20 · answer #9 · answered by suga...honey honey 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm very fluent in pig latin.
2007-11-13 22:28:17 · answer #10 · answered by katydid 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋