What languages do you speak?

[Esau of Isaac]

Really, how is it possible not to be able to learn by oneself yet the language had to be translated at some point in time? What, someone said "Hey, this goes like this and that and this and that?". If it took a few generations... well.

I still don't understand where you're coming from here.

Also, I'm more referring to a proper, more educated understanding of how a language operates. On some level I suppose a scholar could understand a language more generally, even without person-to-person communication, but even still they're not going to learn it as they should, and they're going to be greatly hampered in their ability to use and understand that language.

[Flashpoint_1230]

@Xiltas... Why exactly is French so horrible? Oh, wait...There's about 37 different verb tenses and native French speakers talk so fast that they're unintelligible.

Never mind. I get it. Still, it's not that bad. I'd still die if I had to talk to a native speaker, don't worry.

@L Blade: I don't know much Chinese, but I really dislike the fact that there are multiple English translations for one Mandarin word. It certainly simplifies things, I guess... English does have some weird verb tense rules, but they don't usually come into play in casual conversation.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Flashpoint_1230

[Thor Odinson]

True.

I'm mostly ranting about it because it's college essay season, though.

I can never get it right.

[CassieCinders]

Dutch +the West-Flemish, East-Flemish, Antwerp and Limburg dialects; French; German; English; can read Katakana and Hiragana and a little Kanji

[Ansem]

English, that is all

[Flashpoint_1230]

True.

I'm mostly ranting about it because it's college essay season, though.

I can never get it right.

Ohh... I get it. What year of college are you in? I'm taking some 1st year classes now, and they're not difficult at all. But it gets harder once you decide on your major, doesn't it? College is going to scare me, I think. I have a very good grasp of English vocabulary (my teacher has to go look up the words that I use), so writing essays is okay. But I HATE timed writing, and I really dislike math. Technically, I dislike all schoolwork, but... Anyway, I get labeled as 'overachiever.' It's infuriating.

[Thor Odinson]

I'm a senior in HS.

Writing application essays.

>_____<

My brain operates on numbers. Dealing with writing in general pains me.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Luminescent Blade

[Flashpoint_1230]

/start rant

College app. essays are going to kill me. I'm a junior, so I don't have to worry about them yet, but they sound like a nightmare. Oh, and the SAT/ACT writing section is probably going to be bad, too. And why the heck am I taking AP Lang. and Comp?! More timed writing!

/end rant

My brain is fine for things that involve cold, hard facts and concepts, like history and government. But anything that involves math beyond Algebra II kills it (Like stupid Pre-Cal *grumble grumble*).

[Le Communard]

-there's 10+ ways of saying "a" or "an" depending on the size and shape of the object.

-the way you say "aunt" "uncle" "grandma" etc. changes depending which side of the family they are on, and how old they are in relation to your parents.

Those are just issues of vocabulary, not the sort of structural foibles that make the most confusing languages so difficult. Take articles for example. In Greek, there are 26 articles not based on vocabulary, but Declension, which relies a series of complicated formal grammatic rules as opposed to a simple logical choice. Or formal politeness: Javanese (spoken by 80 million people in Indonesia, so not obscure by any measure) has three different styles based on very complicated social rules, each of which has a very separate and distinct vocabulary and grammar. It's so complicated most native speakers don't even understand it. But those are both extreme examples: the real point is that Chinese doesn't have any Conjugation, Declension (which we don't have in English, either, thank God), or Inflection, all of the things that actully make language unnecessarily complicated as opposed to just a lot to remember. The simplicity is frankly genius.

Note: that doesn't necessarily make it easy, I don't have all that much practical knowledge of it, I only know that the grammar is pretty simple.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Le Communard

[Kintenbo]

As far as speaking, of course English. German, I can definitely read it and write it comprehensively, but actual speaking needs work. Perhaps it's my own paranoid perception, but I seem to get very jumbled when trying to speak German in a casual conversation. My vocabulary is still pretty limited, and it is hard for me to remember various grammar rules on the spot. My sense of past tense goes right out the window, and verbs tend to get mixed up. Then again, I'm still just a high school student, I'm probably not supposed to be able to speak like a native German yet. As far as other languages go, I've got nothing, though I plan on taking on French as my senior project.

[Rei Rei]

English, Portuguese and Spanish. Maybe I'll take Italian or German

[鳴美]

I speak a small amount of German. A little over a year's worth I'd assume(I'm been in German class for 2 /12 years now. Our class is STUPID )

I kan also speek a tynee bit uv inglysh.

[Fayt Zelpher]

I speak a small amount of German. A little over a year's worth I'd assume(I'm been in German class for 2 /12 years now. Our class is STUPID )

I kan also speek a tynee bit uv inglysh.

Something like this applies to me, but I know no English. I can speak a bit of Americanese though, so it balances out.

[kasumi]

I speak mainly Bahasa and English. I'm taking course on Chinese for several years until now, but it's still nowhere perfect.

[Kiriane]

Is that Bahasa Melayu or Indonesia? The vocabulary is about 70% similar, or so I have heard. (In that respect, kind of like English.)

English, Mandarin, I can read (Koine) Greek but writing trips me up and I have nobody to practice speaking with anyway. Plus the local English variant.

And as for conjugation in English: I am, you are, he is. =D What are the 26 Greek articles these days? I only know of 24 separate cases, some of which share the article.

[Le Communard]

And as for conjugation in English: I am, you are, he is. =D What are the 26 Greek articles these days? I only know of 24 separate cases, some of which share the article.

Alright, I admit it--I can't count. :P What I meant to say had I not just pulled the first number I remembered out of my ass would be 18.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Le Communard

[Nanami Touko]

Je parle en Anglais et Francais, but my keyboard doesn't have any accents, so I probably goofed all the French there.

[kasumi]

Is that Bahasa Melayu or Indonesia? The vocabulary is about 70% similar, or so I have heard. (In that respect, kind of like English.)

English, Mandarin, I can read (Koine) Greek but writing trips me up and I have nobody to practice speaking with anyway. Plus the local English variant.

And as for conjugation in English: I am, you are, he is. =D What are the 26 Greek articles these days? I only know of 24 separate cases, some of which share the article.

It's Indonesian. Lots of vocabs are pretty similar, but in practice that's not the case. A lot of vocabs in Indonesian also exist in Melayu, but usually the meaning is totally different. On everyday conversation, we use pretty different vocabs and grammar though (informal/local language if you may call it).

[Freohr Datia]

Uh... Well I'm pretty darn fluent in English. I hope that's obvious. =3

Je peux parler un peu de Français. 2 ans.

Aprendí un poco de español también. 2 años.

[Lux Aeterna]

I know English.

Je sais un peu de francais (lol too lazy to add accents). Well, I've taken two years of serious instruction. I could probably get by in France, but all bets are off for conversation.

I want to learn Japanese and Spanish--and I'm taking on Spanish next year, possibly. Don't know what I'll do about Japanese...

[GIJooTheWarHero]

English (barely, sometimes), super basic French, learning Spanish because that is what my fiancee's family speaks.

[Alastemeister]

I speak English, and fluent ARGHEBARGLE.

[MarioKirby]

I speak English fluently, and ever since Spanish I, me and my friends will randomly interject Spanish words and phrases into our speech.

[Darros]

I speak English, and fluent ARGHEBARGLE.

That, Sir Peter, sounds like an amazing language.

[Magna]

Fluent Portuguese (everyday language), English (the intrawebs!) and French (relatives in foreign countries).

Can understand and speak decently Spanish and Italian though writing is a bit rusty.

For some strange reason, a colleague of mine says I can speak German diphthongs pretty well even though I have no idea what I'm saying beside a few words...

It's been a while since I learned any kind of language. I'd like to learn Japanese but learning Portuguese and English sign language would have to come first.