Second Languages

Post by **[Syl]** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 2:32 am

I took two years of Spanish in high school, but my teacher focused almost entirely on vocab, so I can't speak it so much as read it and hesitantly string a few words together.

I also took two years of German. I'm more fluent in it, in that when I speak it the words actually flow, but my vocabulary has atrophied (I graduated in '95).

Between my junior and senior year of high school I took Japanese 101. It remains my favorite language, though most of what I can still remember is due mostly to watching anime.

I was a Hebrew linguist in the Navy for four years (DoD/NSA military intelligence stuff), so I'm fluent in Hebrew. I can still converse fairly well in it, but I could definitely use a refresher course.

Considering how much I've forgotten, I said four.

Post by **Tjol** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:20 am

Umm... my spoken Spanish is terrible unless I speak it regularly...which happens about once every three years. I comprehend Spanish very well though. I know some Korean thanks to my neighbor at the office, as well as some Italian from a coworker at a previous job combined with the background in Spanish.

But I've only now figured out how it is I need to teach myself languages...by avoiding the step of translating, and simply remembering things' and actions' names in different tongues. Doign the translation in your head and on the fly just doesn't work well, which is why my speaking foreign tongues mucks up (because I think in english and try to translate), but my comprehension doesn't (because for somehow by listening I hear the words for what they are and interpret them....rather than interpreting them to english and then hearing them).

Post by **Wyldewode** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 4:22 am

Emotional Leper wrote: I am suddenly fascinated with you and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Non plaudite. Modo pecuniam jacite.

Post by **emotional leper** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:01 am

Pecuniam stultiam Nolo. Puer Caedens Materia Esse Volo.

Post by **Wyldewode** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:10 am

Emotional Leper wrote: Puer Caedens Materia Esse Volo.

I don't understand. . . this seems not to make sense.

Post by **emotional leper** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:12 am

Wyldewode wrote:
Emotional Leper wrote: Puer Caedens Materia Esse Volo.
I don't understand. . . this seems not to make sense.

You try to make a word for 'Lumberjack' in Latin at midnight

Post by **Wyldewode** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:59 am

Sillyhead

Post by **emotional leper** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:14 am

Wyldewode wrote:Sillyhead

I know you are but what am I?

What was it Eddy Izzard said?

"Whack her with a stick and run away!"

Post by **Wyldewode** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:20 am

Now you're going to start listening to Eddie Izzard?

Post by **MsMary** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:30 am

*English is my first language.

*Spanish: I took a lot of Spanish in high school and an advanced Spanish lit class in college. I live in an area with a lot of Spanish speakers, so I need to use my Spanish at my job and on some other occasions.

*Hebrew: I lived in Israel and studied for my Masters' degree there, so I speak and understand it fairly well.

French: Took it in college and can get by if I need to but my pronunciation could be better.

I know smatterings and words of other languages, including Aramaic, Arabic, Japanese (Foamy took it in college and keeps speaking it at me, so I've learned some isolated words), German (the key papers for my masters' thesis were in German, so I learned to recognize key words in my subject), and so forth.

I love learning languages and wish I had time to learn more.

I'd like to learn Haitian Creole, cause it would help me communicate with some of my patients - now I get by with a few words I've picked up and with my French, as many Haitians know French.

Post by **emotional leper** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:35 am

Wyldewode wrote:Now you're going to start listening to Eddie Izzard?

I dunno.

Are you the Ambassador of Brunei?

Post by **matrixman** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:16 am

I have an on-and-off desire to learn French.

Then Chief Inspector Clouseau will mistake me for Cato, and much hilarity will ensue.

Post by **Damelon** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:54 pm

I took a total of five years of French through high school and college. Today, I can read it well enough to get the gist, but I have a hard time picking it up verbally at conversation speed.

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:18 pm

I speak English and Afrikaans fluently, (Took my first 2 years of University in Afrikaans actually, because they were morning lectures, and I could get home by lunch), and enough German and Dutch to get by fairly well.

Just the basics in French, Sotho and Zulu.

--A

Post by **thefirst** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:58 pm

Let's see, I speak English, bad English, took two years of spanish and while I did well in school with it, I'd have to have at least a minor refresher course to speak it with any real fluency, I spoke fluent German as a child thanks to my father, but after he and my mother separated, I had no one to speak it to, and have forgotten all but a few words. I would however, love to learn latin, which I realize is severely impractical, but I find it fascinating.

Post by **Wyldewode** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:23 pm

I'm not very good at Latin, but it certainly is fun!

Post by **Loredoctor** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:34 am

I can read French and German, and speak a fair bit of German.

Post by **The Leper Fairy** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:58 am

I'm a monolingual Linguistics major! Woe is me.

I'm working on fixing that though... I'm studying intensive Spanish at the moment and could get around fairly easily.

Like everyone else, I have some French remnants from high school.

I'm also taking American Sign Language, so that's really interesting.

Next semester I'll be in Prague, so hopefully I'll pick up plenty of Czech.

Post by **Wyldewode** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:05 am

Claire, I've always wanted to learn ASL. My goddaughter is now almost 3 months old, and we are teaching her (and learning ourselves) baby ASL. It's pretty cool. I always sign to her when I talk to her, signing to her that I am going to change her when I change her diaper. When it's time to feed her a bottle, I make the sign for milk. I don't know everything by any means--my best friend and I are learning from a baby sign language book--but we think it will really help her. And maybe in the process I'll get a good foundation in ASL too.

Post by **emotional leper** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:05 am

Wyldewode wrote:Claire, I've always wanted to learn ASL. My goddaughter is now almost 3 months old, and we are teaching her (and learning ourselves) baby ASL. It's pretty cool. I always sign to her when I talk to her, signing to her that I am going to change her when I change her diaper. When it's time to feed her a bottle, I make the sign for milk. I don't know everything by any means--my best friend and I are learning from a baby sign language book--but we think it will really help her. And maybe in the process I'll get a good foundation in ASL too.

You have joined the ranks of a very select group.

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Second Languages

How many languages do you speak?