Second Languages

[Gil galad]

How many watchers have learnt, are learning or plan to learn a second language (for me this means anything other than english)?

Last year I learnt enough German to get by there for a month, but my vocabulary was probably only a few hundred words. I was still able to get around, order and pay for my food and beer. Now I'm learning Portuguese as fast as I can using the Hugo Language in 3 months course, but I find that it seems mostly oriented towards a buisness person who needs to learn enough to get to meetings and back.

My future plans are to learn Farsi (Persian) but so far i've only started learning the letters.

[Relayer]

I used to be semi-fluent in French but it's been so many years that I've forgotten a lot of it. I'm sure I could re-learn it pretty quickly if I was planning a trip to Paris or Montreal...

[Chrysalis]

English is my first language and I'm currently learning Dutch as I am over in Holland every month.

When I was younger I took French at school as well as Shona but I'm limited to very basic stuff now. I also know a few things in Afrikaans but thats also pretty basic.

[dANdeLION]

I never learned a second language, and now it's costing me, as I need a phrase translated into Spanish, and cannot do it myself.

[I'm Murrin]

I took French, German, and Spanish for five, four, and two years respectively at school, and have GCSEs in all three, but I haven't doneanything with them since, and have forgotten most of what I used to know. I'm sure my French and German could be brought back with only a little refreshing, but I don't really have the attention span to try and relearn them myself.

[aTOMiC]

I selected one language, however I'm not sure I have a firm grasp of English.

[aliantha]

I picked 3 (including English) but that's more wishful thinking than anything else. I minored in Spanish in college, lo these many years ago, and have had two semesters, and holding, of Czech (I decided to sit out this semester).

Monsieur Clouseau: dare I ask, what's the phrase you need translated?

[Wyldewode]

I speak reasonably fluent English, and can get along with French, though I really do need to work on it. I've also dabbled in the following:

Latin: taught myself
Ancient Greek: taught myself
Spanish: had 1 year in high school
Danish: dated a Dane for 4 years, and know just enough to make me dangerous!

[Gil galad]

That's a real selection to chose from!
What's your first language Wyldwode?

[Wyldewode]

It's English. And I majored in English at University. That's why I said I speak reasonably fluent English.

[sgt.null]

I speak English. I learned French first as a child. but was made to stop because I did not pick up English easily. now I have no French.

oddly I speak English as if it were my 2nd language sometimes.

I know some Tex-Mex, enough to get around a bit.

I took Latin and German in school. didn't take.

[emotional leper]

I speak reasonably fluent English, and can get along with French, though I really do need to work on it. I've also dabbled in the following:

Latin: taught myself
Ancient Greek: taught myself
Spanish: had 1 year in high school
Danish: dated a Dane for 4 years, and know just enough to make me dangerous!

I am suddenly fascinated with you and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Latin: Ecce Filius Romarum! Parve Loquit, sed cum toto pectore ejus.
Spanish: 1 year school, can read, but not speak.
Italian: Never studied, can read some, but not speak.
Japanese: Can communicate enough to tell people I can't communicate, am injured and require help, I would like (the number one, a beer, etc,) please. Introductions, etc.
German: Can read with help of a corpus or dictionary.
Dutch: Can eavesdrop on written conversations sometimes. (Hah! Take that FFXI!)

[balon!]

I'm planning on taking American Sign Language at the Community College, so eventually I'll know two.

[CovenantJr]

I live in Wales, and will for several years, so I'm planning on learning Welsh. I've picked up the odd word here and there, but it's not enough.

[Chrysalis]

I live in Wales, and will for several years, so I'm planning on learning Welsh. I've picked up the odd word here and there, but it's not enough.

Thats one hard language to speak! Well it sounds difficult at least. I admire your intentions.

[Gil galad]

Welsh is derived from ancient Celtic languages I think, let us know how it goes Cov.

[emotional leper]

I live in Wales, and will for several years, so I'm planning on learning Welsh. I've picked up the odd word here and there, but it's not enough.

I think Tolkien would approve.

[Montresor]

I can get by in Japanese. I read two of the alphabets fluently but, the third and most important, I know only about 150 of the characters with absolute confidence. I need to find time to brush up.

It's kind of amusing because, the Musuem in which I have my office, sometimes asks me to translate WW2 era Japanese items (like military field telephones). Given that the Kanji was cut from over 4,000 characters to about 2,200 after the war, the chances of a native Japanese speaker being able to make old translations are fairly slim. Thankfully, most of the Japanese military stuff is fairly straightforward.

In high school, I was really very good at Italian. I sometimes get flashes of insight with it and, I am fairly certain, I would pick it up again with a year of night course revision.

[storm]

I speak english, am fluent in ebonics and kentucky english (if you've ever been near Murray or Paducah you'll know what i'm talking about).

...one language i've always wanted to learn was gaelic, my great-granparents came to the US during the irish potato famine and i've always had a desire to get in touch with some of the history of "my people".

[CovenantJr]

Welsh is derived from ancient Celtic languages I think, let us know how it goes Cov.

Yeah, I believe it's the oldest still-active language in Europe, and one of the older ones in the world. Welsh and Cornish are all that remains of the language that was once spoken across most of mainland Britain. Of course, it's really, really hard. About the only words/phrases I know at the moment are: bore da, ddraig goch, diolch, araf, heddlu, ysbyty, pont and aber - and almost none of them are pronounced the way you'd expect.

For the curious, the meanings of those words and phrases are, respectively: good morning, red dragon, thanks, slow, police, hospital, bridge and estuary. Yes, bridge is the same in Welsh as in French, oddly.

Oh, I can also utter a few words in Japanese, though I can't spell them. Mostly picked up from watching subtitled anime.