NationStates Jolt Archive

What is your primary native tongue?

NB: There are 4000+ languages on Earth. There are 10 voting options. Most of NS hails from Europe and North America... so one really can't expect everything to be listed.

If there is a "close" language, please go with that if you please. (Catalans with Spanish, Welsh with English, etc...)

There could at least be "other".

None of the above.

Really stupid poll, by the by, not to have an "other" option.

Native tongue? Gaeilge.

Daily tongue? English.

I understand the poll limitations, and the deomgraphics of NS. However, I must note that you have nto included the worlds largest mother toungue of all. The most spoken language on the gloge. Mandarin Chinese. Not that it was my first Language...so call me a devils advocate, whatever. On a funny not, my mother language is English but my first word (and about half of my first ten) was italian. I wish I kept it up

I chose English, although I have been assured by people in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and other places that what I speak is not English as they know it.

Personally, I find chocolate to be a far more effective communication device than words.

English, although I am nigh on Bilingual in French, and able to read both Latin and Ancient Greek.

Personally, I find chocolate to be a far more effective communication device than words.
http://www.baz.ch/_images/news/Schokolade.jpg

http://www.baz.ch/_images/news/Schokolade.jpg

Is that a banana stringed like a violin?

Is that a banana stringed like a violin?
Well, lesser minds would take it for a cocoa bean, but I like your interpretation much better. So yes, it is indeed.

None of the above.

Really stupid poll, by the by, not to have an "other" option.

"Other" is always a stupid poll option. If you don't want to vote, don't feel obligated to. However, I just *know* that a Briton might vote "Other" and write in "Manx", or an American might do the same for "Ebonics".

Well, lesser minds would take it for a cocoa bean, but I like your interpretation much better. So yes, it is indeed.

A cocoa bean? (http://www.marktfrau.com/cocoa%20bean.jpg) Liebchen, please!

Hmm, I do have some string and some bananas here. I smell a "bored out of my skull" midsummer day project coming up...

"Other" is always a stupid poll option. If you don't want to vote, don't feel obligated to. However, I just *know* that a Briton might vote "Other" and write in "Manx", or an American might do the same for "Ebonics".

Well, hold on a second. Earlier you said "Welsh with English" too. Welsh is a perfectly valid and widely spoken language. Manx is a smaller language in numbers, but don't fob people off by saying "Ah, just vote for your nearest and largest neighbouring language".

"Other" is always a stupid poll option.

Yeah, mush stupider than skewing the poll even further by excluding huge wafts of people could vote, but can't...

If you don't want to vote, don't feel obligated to. However, I just *know* that a Briton might vote "Other" and write in "Manx", or an American might do the same for "Ebonics".

You say that like it's lamentable for some reason, and like you weren't being diminutive.

Well, hold on a second. Earlier you said "Welsh with English" too. Welsh is a perfectly valid and widely spoken language. Manx is a smaller language in numbers, but don't fob people off by saying "Ah, just vote for your nearest and largest neighbouring language".

Welsh is valid. So is Slovak. But I can't include everything, so I just took the ten most spoken occidental languages.

Manx is dead. The last native speaker passed away in the 1970s.

Yeah, mush stupider than skewing the poll even further by excluding huge wafts of people could vote, but can't...



You say that like it's lamentable for some reason.

Ok, you show me how to have 450 voting options and I'll redo the poll! :D

It IS lamentable. Manx is a dead language, and Ebonics doesn't exist.

Welsh is valid. So is Slovak. But I can't include everything, so I just took the ten most spoken occidental languages.

Manx is dead. The last native speaker passed away in the 1970s.

Fuck Manx, my point remains. :D Having an 'other' option would have solved the 'can't have everything' option.

Welsh is valid. So is Slovak. But I can't include everything, so I just took the ten most spoken occidental languages.

You'd call Turkish "occidental?"

Ok, you show me how to have 450 voting options and I'll redo the poll! :D

Hence, the "other" option that would've made your poll a little less inane.

It IS lamentable. Manx is a dead language,

Doesn't mean no one can speak it.

and Ebonics doesn't exist.

Yes, it does.

You'd call Turkish "occidental?"

Yep. Turkey, like Russia, is most certainly an Occidental state.

Yep. Turkey, like Russia, is most certainly an Occidental state.

Except, of course, that it isn't.

Hence, the "other" option that would've made your poll a little less inane.

I have given you my reasons for not doing so.

Doesn't mean no one can speak it.

NAME OF POLL: What is your native tongue?
Manx CANNOT be anyone's native tongue anymore. There are no more native speakers. QED.

Yes, it does.

Ebonics does not exist as a native tongue. It's a dialect like Creole in Louisiana, but it's is NOT a native tongue.

First language is English, but I'm conversational in Japanese and French.

A cocoa bean? (http://www.marktfrau.com/cocoa%20bean.jpg) Liebchen, please!
Um, yeah (http://haighschocolates.com.au/images/factory_tour/the_cocoa_tree.jpg)? You should get your eyes checked. And update your German, "Liebchen". :p


Also, why does there always have to be fighting over polls like this even though it says in the OP that it's obviously not a comprehensive poll? [/yelling]

Sheesh.

Except, of course, that it isn't.

I see you and I aren't going to agree on much.
However, I think you'll find Turkey to be west of the Urals, to have land on the European continent, has 70 million speakers (thus it is a major tongue) and uses a modified Latin alphabet. And that doesn't even take into account history.

Um, yeah (http://haighschocolates.com.au/images/factory_tour/the_cocoa_tree.jpg)? You should get your eyes checked. And update your German, "Liebchen". :p


Also, why does there always have to be fighting over polls like this even though it says in the OP that it's obviously not a comprehensive poll? [/yelling]

Sheesh.

Thanks! :)

Um, yeah (http://haighschocolates.com.au/images/factory_tour/the_cocoa_tree.jpg)?

The beans look nothing like the stringed banana on your chocolate. You do know the beans are the white bits, and not the actual cacao pod?

You should get your eyes checked. And update your German, "Liebchen". :p

I'll use whichever archaic cutesiness I want, bitte.

Also, why does there always have to be fighting over polls like this even though it says in the OP that it's obviously not a comprehensive poll?

There are "non-comprehensive" polls that have "other" options, and then there are those that don't.

I see you and I aren't going to agree on much.
However, I think you'll find Turkey to be west of the Urals, to have land on the European continent, has 70 million speakers (thus it is a major tongue) and uses a modified Latin alphabet. And that doesn't even take into account history.

Still doesn't make Turkish an "occidental" language any more than it makes Arabic an "occidental" language.

Maybe the poll should have been "What is the main official language of the country/countries of which you are a citizen?"

Then you could have included a "dual citizenship" option, a "dual language" option, and an "other" option, while still retaining the languages that are going to attract the most votes.

Mine's English, by the way.

The beans look nothing like the stringed banana on your chocolate. You do know the beans are the white bits, and not the actual cocoa pod?Sigh, I should have seen that coming. But you just grossed me out in the other thread, so I'll just acknowledge that you're technically correct and leave it at that.

There are "non-comprehensive" polls that have "other" options, and then there are those that don't. Yes, and this one would have been better if it had one. But why not just say that and get over it instead of starting endless discussions about language in general?

Sigh, I should have seen that coming. But you just grossed me out in the other thread, so I'll just acknowledge that you're technically correct and leave it at that.

Grossed you out? Where? I must know, lest I repeat it. Or, so that I may. I remain undecided.

Yes, and this one would have been better if it had one. But why not just say that and get over it instead of starting endless discussions about language in general?

Discussing languages in a language thread is bad?

Still doesn't make Turkish an "occidental" language any more than it makes Arabic an "occidental" language.

Then what would you use for a metric? I've posted mine.

Scots Gaelic

Scots Gaelic

You're one of the 1% of Scotland that can speak it? Slàinte!

You're one of the 1% of Scotland that can speak it? Slàinte!


Alba ghu braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Alba ghu braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Scotland forever, indeed.

Except, of course, that it isn't.

And some people would argue that Russia, with its tendencies towards autocracy & inwardness, isn't really 'Occidental' either...

Of course Turkish is an "oriental" language - the Turkic language family originated in Mongolia, for Gods' sake. Just cos one branch of it ended up near Europe doesn't mean it's European.

EDIT: And Welsh is not "close" to English. *Swedish* is closer to English than Welsh is.

English. I would have liked to have been raised bilingual, but alas, it did not occur.

English, but I'm in my 3rd year of Spanish and I'm starting to learn Mandarin from some of my Taiwanese friends

If there is a "close" language, please go with that if you please. (Catalans with Spanish, Welsh with English, etc...)
Welsh is nothing like English - one is Celtic, the other is Germanic. Whereas you've included Dutch and German which are very closely related (German=Deutsch, spot the similarity). If you were going to limit the poll to European languages and ask people to vote for the closest option, it would have made more sense to use the ten subdivisions of the Indo-European language family (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages):

Albanian
Anatolian
Armenian
Balto-Slavic
Celtic
Germanic
Greek
Indo-Iranian
Italic/Romance
Tocharian

First Language is English. The language that will hopefully one day be my second is French (I need a bit of practice yet).

"Other" is always a stupid poll option
Please.
I speak both English and Japanese fluently, so don't tell me that other is a stupid option.

What is your primary native tongue?

NB: There are 4000+ languages on Earth. There are 10 voting options. Most of NS hails from Europe and North America... so one really can't expect everything to be listed.

If there is a "close" language, please go with that if you please. (Catalans with Spanish, Welsh with English, etc...)

Icelandic. There isn't a single nordic language option, so I can't vote.

I also speak Danish and a bit of french...And I've also been known to succesfully string a few sentences together in English.

My native language is English, but I'm conversational in French.

Ebonics does not exist as a native tongue. It's a dialect like Creole in Louisiana, but it's is NOT a native tongue.
there is zero difference, in linguistic terms, between a dialect and language, except a language is generally state-backed. Unless, of course, you'd like to define where a speech system stops being a "dialect" and becomes a "language". I'd easily argue that it isn't that simple.

I'm not surprised to see that it's mainly English.

Welsh is nothing like English - one is Celtic, the other is Germanic. Whereas you've included Dutch and German which are very closely related (German=Deutsch, spot the similarity). If you were going to limit the poll to European languages and ask people to vote for the closest option, it would have made more sense to use the ten subdivisions of the Indo-European language family (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages):

Albanian
Anatolian
Armenian
Balto-Slavic
Celtic
Germanic
Greek
Indo-Iranian
Italic/Romance
Tocharian

I'm not talking about Linguistic Families, I'm talking about specific languages. Otherwise, why bother? Just say we all speak a version of Indo-European and be done with it. Who's going to say "Why yes, I speak Balto-Slavic" when they speak Polish? I

I probably should have put down "your next tongue"... AFAIK one can't go through school and only learn Welsh.

Please.
I speak both English and Japanese fluently, so don't tell me that other is a stupid option.

Aha. And you're a native of multiple places? Must have been a painful birth!

What is your primary native tongue?

NB: There are 4000+ languages on Earth. There are 10 voting options. Most of NS hails from Europe and North America... so one really can't expect everything to be listed.

If there is a "close" language, please go with that if you please. (Catalans with Spanish, Welsh with English, etc...)

I've just stumbled across this thread.... may I ask to whom should we send our sympathy cards after you are lynched by a group of welsh nationalists?

Wales may be georgraphically close, but linguistically? English is a bastard language because the English people are a mongrel nation. There's a bit of everything in there left from every bugger that tried to get a foothold on Britain and push out the celtic peoples. Most proud welshmen I've met still seem a bit pissed off that the English.....erm....exist, actually. So for your own sakes and the sakes of scary Welsh nationalists.....don't mix the two!

Having said that, Ann Robinson hasn't been mobbed yet as far as I know, and she sent the whole of Wales into Room 101.

If you were going to limit the poll to European languages and ask people to vote for the closest option, it would have made more sense to use the ten subdivisions of the Indo-European language family (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages):

Albanian
Anatolian
Armenian
Balto-Slavic
Celtic
Germanic
Greek
Indo-Iranian
Italic/Romance
Tocharian

... Anatolian and Tocharian languages are extinct (and the latter weren't even spoken in Europe in the first place). And it doesn't make much sense having Indo-Iranian on there; only one Indo-Iranian language could be said to be native to Europe; Ossetic spoken in South Russia, and it only has about half a million native speakers. I'm guessing none of them are on Nation States. Also you left out the *other* European language family: the Finno-Ugric languages. Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian being the most important. Oh and Basque, don't forget Basque; it's in a family all of it's own.

Japanese

I've just stumbled across this thread.... may I ask to whom should we send our sympathy cards after you are lynched by a group of welsh nationalists?

Nowhere. I've said in the thread that there are only 10 voting options. I simply can't put up every language, so I chose the ten most commonly spoken ones. (My own Slovak isn't there either! I had to choose English because I'm an American citizen.)

Wales may be georgraphically close, but linguistically? English is a bastard language because the English people are a mongrel nation. There's a bit of everything in there left from every bugger that tried to get a foothold on Britain and push out the celtic peoples. Most proud welshmen I've met still seem a bit pissed off that the English.....erm....exist, actually. So for your own sakes and the sakes of scary Welsh nationalists.....don't mix the two!

Having said that, Ann Robinson hasn't been mobbed yet as far as I know, and she sent the whole of Wales into Room 101.

True. And I assure you the Slovaks never really liked being in Czechoslovakia *all* that much (being treated like little brothers by the Czechs, whom outnumbered us 2-1). But there I really can't do a bigger poll.

All that I can do is if folks write in their language, I can make a new poll with those and get rid of the less popular options. Like French, Russian, et al.

Re: Room 101 - :)

Nowhere. I've said in the thread that there are only 10 voting options. I simply can't put up every language, so I chose the ten most commonly spoken ones. (My own Slovak isn't there either! I had to choose English because I'm an American citizen.)
You still made the assertion that Welsh is close to English.

I'm not talking about Linguistic Families, I'm talking about specific languages. Otherwise, why bother?
Indeed. What is the purpose of poll where one of the options amounts to 'English or Welsh'? It's like having a poll of pets and saying that if you have a ferret, count it as cat as they're close. If, as you say, you want a poll of specific languages, it makes no sense to tell people who speak Welsh to vote for English, because 'English or Welsh' is anything but specific.

English. I'm pakeha.

Wow. Most lopsided poll results ever.

I've just stumbled across this thread.... may I ask to whom should we send our sympathy cards after you are lynched by a group of welsh nationalists?

I can only imagine how the Welsh feel. I feel like attacking him myself, and that's just for grouping American English in with the rest of us.

what a great poll! it includes every single world country! in the american thinking of course

English is my primary language, not to say that I can't speak others.

Having said that, Ann Robinson hasn't been mobbed yet as far as I know, and she sent the whole of Wales into Room 101.
Jeremy Clarkson's doing ok as well, despite putting a model of Wales in a microwave.

And where's Castilian? :D

None of the above.

An "other" would have been good.

Or groups of languages.

what a great poll! it includes every single world country! in the american thinking of course

Oh hardly. But if you'll note, the thread says OCCIDENTAL, and there are only 10 choices. These are the 10 most spoken occidental languages.

[/beating dead horse]

Wow. Most lopsided poll results ever.

Yeah. I'm a little surprised by the results myself!



The most lopsided NS poll? That was back in November 2004...

"What flavor of ice cream do you prefer?"

Chocolate: 24 votes
Vanilla: 32 votes
Strawberry: 17 votes
GAH!! I F*CKING HATE GEORGE BUSH!!! : 2,079 votes