Languages

[H-land]

From studies in Italian, Spanish, and French, I have deduced that English has a really lousy word for "sewer". It just sounds ugly. At least compared to fagne and cloaca and égout. Sewer's no fun to say and it nearly grates on the ears.

 

[speedblader03]

I think that's the point.

 

[@lex]

From studies in Italian, Spanish, and French, I have deduced that English has a really lousy word for "sewer". It just sounds ugly. At least compared to fagne and cloaca and égout. Sewer's no fun to say and it nearly grates on the ears.

I take it you wouldn't call a tailor a sewer? :3

Actually, "cloaca" is an English synonym for "sewer"... you could probably use it ^^

Problem is it will just make people think of platypuses.

 

[thunder]

I speak English as my main language and I also know German, Latin and I am just starting learning ancient greek.

 

[Vipera Magnifica]

I speak English, and am pretty good with Spanish.

 

[Ryan the Terrible]

*epic bump because I'm way too intrigued by languages*

My native language is English, and I'm better at it than most people I know. It confuses me how people can't speak proper English in America, where they've been speaking it all their lives. :\ English is boring though, I don't know of a more watered down language.

Ich lerne deutsch seit zwei Monaten. Ich verstehe und schreibe es gut, aber ich kann es gut nicht sprechen. Die Aussprache ist ganz schwer. (Probably a couple grammar mistakes and mistranslations, but there's my effort.)

I wish I knew more languages than just the 1.01 that I know now, I am way too fascinated by foreign languages. By the time I turn 25 my goal is to know at least English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian. I will not achieve this goal, but I'll end up convincing myself I can do it anyway. I also want to learn Russian, if just for the funky-looking alphabet. 8)

 

[Superbird]

I'm half-fluent in French. I haven't taken french in 3 years, but I took it for 6 years in Elementary school. Bonjour!

 

[Shiny Grimer]

English is boring though, I don't know of a more watered down language.

What do you mean by "watered down"? English is a rich and expressive language.

 

[Zuu]

This is weird, I was thinking of making a thread like this. Even if this thread is old. Eh.

Hello! My name is Zuu, and I speak English.

Salvete! Clueo Zuem, et loquor Linguam Latinam. (Yes, Zuu is now 3M/F: Zuu, Zuis, Zui, Zuem, Zue; Zues, Zuum, Zuibus, Zues, Zuibus. Deal with it.)

Bonjour! Je m'appelle Zuu, et ... um ... au revoir. (I can't speak French. Learning!)

 

[Jolty]

Ich lerne deutsch seit zwei Monaten. Ich verstehe und schreibe es gut, aber ich kann es gut nicht sprechen. Die Aussprache ist ganz schwer. (Probably a couple grammar mistakes and mistranslations, but there's my effort.)

I've been learning German for 2 months, I something and write it good but I can't speak it well something something

I'm like ecstatic that I could understand some of that!!!!!! I've been learning it for about one month now

ok erm
Ich spreche fließend Englisch, ein bisschen Deutsch und ein bisschen nicht gut Schwedisch!

 

[spaekle]

Anyone have any advice for someone who wants to self-teach German? I have some books and stuff and I've been studying when I have time, but I'm not sure how to really start making progress. :c

 

[Zuu]

Anyone have any advice for someone who wants to self-teach German? I have some books and stuff and I've been studying when I have time, but I'm not sure how to really start making progress. :c

Try to find a German speaker (preferably native or semi-native) and try to hold conversations with it I guess. There's a text board for languages on 4chan, /lang/, and you could probably make a thread about it or something. Good luck, anyway.

 

[Clover]

You're probably the first person to recommend 4chan for learning languages, Zuuster.

De qualquer jeito, eu estive no Brasil há mais ou menos três meses. Meu português ainda não é o melhor... mas estou tentando! Aprendendo coisas novas todos os dias! o/

もちろん、私の日本語はひどいとなっている。 (ry

Eu quero aprender japonês, português, espanhol e esperanto pelo tempo que eu com vinte. Sim.

 

[Vladimir Putin's LJ]

Shamefully I am still in the same place linguistically :(
Fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Dutch.
Learning Russian.
When fluent in Russian, plan to learn German because it should be fairly easy. Either that or a Scandinavian language.

Then I'm done.

 

[Tarvos]

Learn German, it's more useful.

 

[Music Dragon]

My native language is English, and I'm better at it than most people I know. It confuses me how people can't speak proper English in America, where they've been speaking it all their lives.

I think there are plenty of people in America who speak proper English. About as many as there are in other countries, at least! As far as I know, most people don't speak their own languages perfectly - they certainly don't write them perfectly, anyway. There are plenty of people in Sweden who don't, even more people in France who don't, and certainly people in the UK who don't... I've never been to the US, but I'm sure the situation is much the same there.

English is boring though, I don't know of a more watered down language.

What do you mean by "watered down"? English is a rich and expressive language.

Also, if you only speak one language, what are you comparing it to? Or maybe you're just not better at it than most people you know.

ein bisschen nicht gut Schwedisch!

Das ist wunderbar! ... or something.

 

[Tarvos]

English has some absolutely wonderful expressions, but it's horrible when spoken by someone who does not understand the lovely use of nuance, understatement and irony that especially the English have invented.

 

[Minkow]

Native languages are English and Chinese.
我去上学的时候我说英文，但是我回家的时候， 我说中文。
Je suis un étudiant français, mais je ne parle pas bien.
I hope to learn Italian.
EDIT: faaaaaail i already posted here. gah.
Also should I take Chinese as a course or learn Italian? Because while I speak Mandarin very fluently, I'm practically illiterate, yet Italian seems pretty hard. '~'

 

[Tarvos]

Learn Chinese, italian is way less hard

 

[Ryan the Terrible]

What do you mean by "watered down"? English is a rich and expressive language.

Also, if you only speak one language, what are you comparing it to? Or maybe you're just not better at it than most people you know.

Well I'm probably just way too picky, almost certainly too picky, especially since I only have some limited German and basic knowledge of Spanish and French to compare to. But it seems like everything new I learn in German is "here are the multiple German words that are different uses of one English word". English for the most part has no different noun genders, and only two forms of verbs in the present tense; that much is crazily condensed compared to other languages.

But two things I now realize I definitely shouldn't try to do: judge my native language until I have another fluent one I can compare it to, and try to talk about anything intelligently past midnight. :|

I think there are plenty of people in America who speak proper English. About as many as there are in other countries, at least! As far as I know, most people don't speak their own languages perfectly - they certainly don't write them perfectly, anyway. There are plenty of people in Sweden who don't, even more people in France who don't, and certainly people in the UK who don't... I've never been to the US, but I'm sure the situation is much the same there.

This is probably also partly due to my insane pickiness, and my habit of correcting everyone's grammar mistakes as soon as they hit the air, but I also live in a Midwest US suburb where people "ain't got no" something more often than they "don't have any" of it.

I've been learning German for 2 months, I something and write it good but I can't speak it well something something

I'm like ecstatic that I could understand some of that!!!!!! I've been learning it for about one month now

ok erm
Ich spreche fließend Englisch, ein bisschen Deutsch und ein bisschen nicht gut Schwedisch!

xD

What I said basically translates to, "I've been learning German since two months ago. I understand and write it well, but I can't speak it well. The pronunciation is quite hard."

And you speak fluent English, a little German, and a little poor Swedish.

DEUTSCH MACHT SPAß! :D

There is something overwhelmingly satisfying about looking at text in a foreign language and not seeing it as total gibberish. :3