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General discussion (archive)How many languages do you know?(78 posts)(78 posts)
(78 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 30, 2012
1.25 - English and some Tagalog. I used to speak Tagalog fluently when I was younger, but now I can only pick up every other word and maybe say a few things.

I tried to learn German and Japanese when I was younger, but I never stuck to them.
Posted January 30, 2012
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Barefoot_Monkey: That's absolutely correct. Afrikaans originated from Dutch about 350 years ago and has officially been regarded as a separate language (as opposed to a dialect of Dutch) for well over a century. It's drifted quite far from its root but they're still definitely related.
Just a note, never refer to anyone's language as a "dialect", they are nearly 100% guaranteed to be offended.
Posted January 30, 2012
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Barefoot_Monkey: That's absolutely correct. Afrikaans originated from Dutch about 350 years ago and has officially been regarded as a separate language (as opposed to a dialect of Dutch) for well over a century. It's drifted quite far from its root but they're still definitely related.
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orcishgamer: Just a note, never refer to anyone's language as a "dialect", they are nearly 100% guaranteed to be offended.
This is true, but whether Afrikaans was a dialect of Dutch or its own language was indeed a valid historical question. Afrikaners generally claimed to speak Dutch until the mid-19th C, by which time they had developed a distinctive vocabulary, grammar, and literature. It wasn't officially recognized as a language until 1925.

It's possibly the only Germanic language that has negative concord (a double negative is an intensifier) as a standard feature. (Some English dialects do, but not any standard form of English.)
Post edited January 30, 2012 by cjrgreen
Posted January 30, 2012
I love languages.

I speak fluent English and Spanish (Spanish is mother-tongue). I also speak basic-medium Italian and French and know basic German and Japanese.
Posted January 31, 2012
Actual languages:
English
Spanish
some German

Other languages:
Gibberish
Slang
Posted January 31, 2012
English

took 5 years of French in junior high and high school, so I know a little.
That was a very long time ago though
Post edited January 31, 2012 by CaptainGyro
Posted January 31, 2012
Except for my mother tongue I can handle English and German – but German causes more stress for me. I also started to learn Spanish.
Posted January 31, 2012
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taczillabr: Hmm I'm interested. Can you please explain what this technical vs. normal Japanese would be?
All I can say is that it's Japanese using terminology that is specific to not just the industry involved, but to the company the translations are for. I can't go into anymore detail due to confidentiality agreements.

As for your concerns, the opposite to what you think is true. Japanese have a hard time with other Asians using Japanese (for a variety of reasons, either racist or presumptive), but couldn't really care less about non-Asians speaking it (for the most part).
Posted January 31, 2012
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cjrgreen: American English (native); German (rusty, but I used to be able to pass for a local in Hannover); Spanish (enough to carry on a substantial conversation). Just enough Swedish and Italian to turn an ordinary conversation into total bewilderment on both sides. My Swedish instructor was a Swedish-speaking Finn, and I fear I picked up a very strange accent from her.
When did "American English" become a separate language? I'd like to know, because that means I can boost the number of languages I know on my CV and resume...
Posted January 31, 2012
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cjrgreen: American English (native); German (rusty, but I used to be able to pass for a local in Hannover); Spanish (enough to carry on a substantial conversation). Just enough Swedish and Italian to turn an ordinary conversation into total bewilderment on both sides. My Swedish instructor was a Swedish-speaking Finn, and I fear I picked up a very strange accent from her.
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abolat: When did "American English" become a separate language? I'd like to know, because that means I can boost the number of languages I know on my CV and resume...
It isn't. We're "two countries separated by a common language". "American" is the particular dialect of English (thanks to the commercial successes of the Empire and more recently the US, there are many, not entirely mutually intelligible) that I speak and write. Just the same, I speak the sort of German that is spoken in the vicinity of Hannover, not the sort of German that is spoken in Munich or Vienna, which I have as hard a time understanding as I do, say, a Scot from Glasgow.
Posted January 31, 2012
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abolat: When did "American English" become a separate language? I'd like to know, because that means I can boost the number of languages I know on my CV and resume...
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cjrgreen: It isn't. We're "two countries separated by a common language". "American" is the particular dialect of English (thanks to the commercial successes of the Empire and more recently the US, there are many, not entirely mutually intelligible) that I speak and write. Just the same, I speak the sort of German that is spoken in the vicinity of Hannover, not the sort of German that is spoken in Munich or Vienna, which I have as hard a time understanding as I do, say, a Scot from Glasgow.
Aye, so you are referring to dialects then. Just as I thought... Darn, was looking forward to that boost...
Posted January 31, 2012
Native finnish, pretty good english, amazingly crappy swedish and bits of german.
Posted January 31, 2012
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lowyhong: Just wondering how many multilingual people we have here. I had Vietnamese class today and hot damn. It's not a tough language to learn, but it reminds me how difficult it is to pick up something so foreign, even when starting from the lowest of the basics.

All in all, plus Vietnamese, I know 3 languages. Anyone else here adept at languages?
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metalkidz: Damn, you learn our language. Great when hearing that xD. I just know English enough to chit chat here. I have a plan to learn Chinese in near future
vang, minh Vietnam still khong phai :P
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Prydeless: 1.25 - English and some Tagalog. I used to speak Tagalog fluently when I was younger, but now I can only pick up every other word and maybe say a few things.

I tried to learn German and Japanese when I was younger, but I never stuck to them.
Cool. I want to learn Tagalog too, but my school doesn't offer it as a language module.
Post edited January 31, 2012 by lowyhong
Posted January 31, 2012
I can speak two languages fluently.
Post edited January 31, 2012 by HuntingNoob
Posted January 31, 2012
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bansama: All I can say is that it's Japanese using terminology that is specific to not just the industry involved, but to the company the translations are for. I can't go into anymore detail due to confidentiality agreements.

As for your concerns, the opposite to what you think is true. Japanese have a hard time with other Asians using Japanese (for a variety of reasons, either racist or presumptive), but couldn't really care less about non-Asians speaking it (for the most part).
Thanks.

That's what I thought about technical. Ah, so you are working for Sarif Industries Japan? ;)

Indeed they might be a bit racist with other asians regarding the history of all that region, but I as a foreigner still am "afraid" of any prejudice.
I'm very curious of how much you foreign guys in Japan actually talk english in the everyday life, if japanese people out of your professional relations see it with good or bad eyes.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)How many languages do you know?(78 posts)(78 posts)
(78 posts)