NationStates Jolt Archive

So, yeah, pretty self-explanatory title. What languages do you know/ Would like to know?

I (Obviously) know English, and would like to learn Russian, Latin, and Japanese. However, being a lazy bum, I'll probably only get around to learning one.:wink:

So, what about you NSGers?

1) Latin
2) Japanese
3) Spanish
4) Arabic

I wouldn't mind learning Spanish, but I doubt that I'll have the time.

Fluent:

English, French and Arabic.

Know enough to converse:

Spanish

Would like to learn Italian.

English

Re-learning:
German

Learning:
Spanish

1) Latin
2) Japanese
3) Spanish
4) Arabic

Know, or would like to learn?

I currently know:

-English
-French
-Coscivian, the language I created for my NS nation. It's actually quite simple to learn. And I do give lessons :D

I am actively studying:

-Icelandic
-Spanish
-Latin

I would like to know:

-Gaelic (Either variety)
-Welsh
-German
-Italian
-Galician
-Faroese
-Scots
-Sicilian

I would like to know the following, but will probably never get around to studying them:

-Coptic
-Esperanto
-Cornish
-Finnish
-Greek

I'm not particularly interested in the following languages, but may well end up learning them in part:

-Arabic
-Portugese
-Hebrew

I do not wish to learn the following languages:

-Chinese (Too difficult)
-Japanese (See Chinese)
-isiXhosa (Though the clicks would be enjoyable)
-Hungarian (Too difficult)
--

As you can see, my goal is not to learn practical languages for buisness purposes. Of the languages I do know, one is artificial and one my native tongue. Of the languages that I'd like to know, only two enjoy widespread use.

My goal in learning languages is to discover the literature and ideas of another culture, and interact with groups of people whose languages have been overlooked by the world.

Languages I know:
English - Fluent
------
Russian - I know a little
French - Same as Russian

Would like to learn:
Russian & French
Spanish
Arabic

It is a source of embarrassment that I don't know Spanish. There isn't a language I wouldn't like to learn, even though there would be priorities.

I would like to know the following, but will probably never get around to studying them:
SNIP
-Finnish
SNIP

Probably it is way too late for you. Sorry.

I understand/speak a few words/phrases in French, German, Armenian, Spanish and Mandarin. I would like to have a real working knowledge of German and Spanish and, possibly, Russian.

I know English, I would like to know Spanish and German.

I am fluent in English, Greek (writing too!), Italian, Armenian and some Russian...
I would love to learn French, Spanish, and polish... And finish learning Russian... I would also like to learn how to speak 1337... Haha... (Im joking about the last one...)

Native: Czech
Fluent: English
Learning: Esperanto, German

I'm quite frustrated with German, I'm progressing quite slowly. I learned English with relative ease, but German just seems to be so much harder.

So, yeah, pretty self-explanatory title. What languages do you know/ Would like to know?

I (Obviously) know English, and would like to learn Russian, Latin, and Japanese. However, being a lazy bum, I'll probably only get around to learning one.:wink:

So, what about you NSGers?

French, which I am learning, German, which I tried to learn, Polish, and possibly Dutch.

Puchi, bonvenon al Esperantujo! :-)
My languages are English, Esperanto and French.
I've learned Latin many years ago, but have forgotten it. Likewise a little ancient Greek.
I've started to learn Spanish twice; perhaps it's time for a third go.
It would be useful for me to learn Somaali, but I don't think I will.
Incidentally, have any of you met a Klingon who speaks the language? :-)

I speak English and "Nyahborknese" (it's the art of monosyllabic grunts).

I would like to learn: Greek, Gaelic, Japanese and Dutch.

Aside from English I've learned French and Japanese. Fortunately I'm forgetting the French *shudder*

I'd like to learn Korean and German and... probably a few others. Whenever I hear a new language I tend to want to learn it.

Native: English

Know: Have a bit of German, but I'm starting to forget it :(

Want to Know: Polish. It would be extremely helpful in the area I live in

As of right now the only language I speak fluently is English.

I used to speak French and for the sake of my girlfriend I'd want to re-learn it, and I'd like to learn Italian and Japanese.

Only really fluent in English, sadly. I can speak Spanish pretty well, and can read it well enough to get most of an article or story, but not enough to be considered fluent.
I'd like to know Spanish better than I do now. Of course, the ideal would be fluency in every language known to man and then some, but Spanish is a practical goal right now.

I know english and british; I am semi-fluent in french (I know enough to find a hotel, get a room, and get a plane flight home, but everyone in france can identify it as not-completely-fluent french, including the squirrels and caterpillars).

Fluent: English

Reading knowledge, with a good dictionary: Latin, German

Studying: Italian, Korean

Would like to learn: Basque, Gothic, Quenya

Thought about learning until figuring out it's unlearnable: Ithkuil ( http://home.inreach.com/sl2120/Home.htm )

Know:
- (Canadian) English (My native tongue)
- German (I minored in it at uni a few years back, and have probably forgotten a lot)
- French (I use it at work and usually get by, though I need to become better)

Would Like To Know:
- Hindi (I took an introductory course, and want to do more, but it will have to wait until after I focus on French for a bit)
- Turkish (A friend taught me a tiny bit; it would be swell to be able to converse with him in it)
- Everything else! (Especially Swedish, Latin, Inuktitut, but really, I could study languages for the rest of my days and be quite content.

Know
English
tiny smattering of German

would like to know
Manx
Zulu
Afrikaans
Hebrew

I've just got English, sadly.

I'd like to know Greek, German and probably something else.

Fluent: English, Italian, German
"Half-Fluent": French

Plus I speak a bit of Russian, I'm just trying to learn it :)

I can speak English fluently.

I can speak and understand some German but want to master it. Other languages I wish to learn include, Latin, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese and even Russian.

I'd like to learn English, German, Swedish and maybe some made up language like Portuguese

*waits for the appropriate pills to be delivered*

Latin

why does everyone always want to learn this dead language?

I know british

oooh right sunshine' ou ook a bit Pat an Mick in yu Ricky Gervais, Fridge Freezer? (I'm going to be talking cockney all day now:( )

My first language is English.

I used to be perfectly bilingual in English and French (I grew up in southern Belgium); my French is rusty these days, and I no longer consider myself fully bilingual, but I usually find it only takes about a week in a Francophone country to get back up to speed.

I have formally studied, to varying degrees of competence, Icelandic (I lived there for a year as a teenager), Welsh (I used to work in Welsh-speaking Wales a lot, and much of the content of my postgraduate theses were based on Wales), and Latin (back in me ol' school days - though as a professional archaeologist, it still comes in handy).

In an ideal world, I would like to learn Russian (my wife's first language) and Spanish (because a lot of my recent research has been based on a collaboration with a Venezuelan colleague). I find I can already read a lot of Spanish because of my French, but speaking and understanding spoken Spanish is something else entirely.

I can speak English and a bit of German and French (got decent grades in them at A-level, still don't feel all that comfortable with them mind) and I got an A in my GCSE Spanish I did in a year, which was nice. Would like to learn a bit of Italian.

My native language is, predictably given my location, English.

I speak French relatively fluently, and can hold basic conversations in German, Italian and Welsh.

I also speak incredibly small amounts of Portuguese and Romanian, and tried Polish before throwing my hands up and shouting "Jest jezyk trudny!"* at all and sundry.

* It's a difficult language! No, seriously - that's what it means. I think...

-----

Meanwhile, quoting an earlier comment about speaking "British", may I point out that there is no single British language, and that these isles are home to no less than six languages. (English, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Manx and Cornish)

Of course, you could be aiming for all six...

I know English, and I write very fluently in Typo when the mood strikes.

As for Learning: Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Latin, Spanish (Mexican), Gaelic, Welsh, Elven, and Klingon.

Fluent:
Italian - Fathertongue
Czech - Mothertongue
English

Read/Understand but would need training:
Latin
French
Slovak - Actually since most slovaks my age understand czech communication is not hampered

Learning:
Russian
Japanese

Started learning many times but somehow never found the time or will:
German

I know when I get a better computer, and the money, I'm going to get Rosetta Stone Software, and actually learn some of these languages.

I'm fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu (which is basically the same as Hindi), and speak some amount of Punjabi. I'm currently learning Latin and would love to learn Arabic or Farsi.

As for Learning: Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Latin, Spanish (Mexican), Gaelic, Welsh, Elven, and Klingon.

wouldn't you rather learn a practical language you can use in the workplace?

I know when I get a better computer, and the money, I'm going to get Rosetta Stone Software, and actually learn some of these languages.

don't bother you can't learn a language on a computer (beleive me I've tried with French) and for the money you could just as well take a school class after work

I know English, and I'm learning Spanish as is. But I'd like to learn Russian. Some friends from school are going to start teaching me.

Languages aren't a passion of mine, so English only, to be truthful.

I'd like to learn English, German, Swedish and maybe some made up language like Portuguese


Ueh? Inventada? Nem pensar seu bafo do camelo.

Um - I speak Portuguese and that vira lata that the world insists on calling English even though it has very little to do with the Angles. Oh and bancese which is a tortured version of latin with its own very obscure vocabulary.

I would like to learn either Arabic or Mandarin,

Languages aren't a passion of mine, so English only, to be truthful.

Same here. I spent six years taking French and all I can do is count to 10 and name some colours. I think part of it has to do with the fact that my brain is wired in English and when other languages are spoken I have trouble getting out of 'English' mode. Strangely enough, however, I am quite good at pig latin.

I am fluent in English and Spanish. My French needs some work, but mostly that's from disuse. My Cree is good, but I'd like it to be better. I suppose I'll be learning the James Bay dialect of Cree when I move to Montreal.

Languages I'd like to learn...I always wanted an excuse to learn Mandarin. I love the sound of Portuguese, and it wouldn't be terribly hard to learn. I wouldn't mind learning Inuvialuit or Inuktitut or another aboriginal language...Dene would be tough and therefore interesting.

wouldn't you rather learn a practical language you can use in the workplace?

No, why else then would I desire Elven and Klingon?

English, Punjabi and some basic German. I would like to learn Spanish, Arabic and Russian.

Native: Dutch
Fluent: English
Okay: German and French (and I should improve both of them really, especially actively using them myself)
Never learned but can easily read whole texts in it: Afrikaans (it's so similar to Dutch)
Can read road signs in: Various Germanic and Romance languages (and sometimes also understand what people are talking about)

I can read cyrillic :)

I would like to learn: At least 1 Slavic language (possibly Polish, Ukrainian or Russian, maybe Czech or Croatian)
Also: Spanish or Italian
And maybe: Finnish or Estonian
And maybe as well: Turkish

Languages I speak/understand at least decently: italian, german, english, russian, milanese (western lombard).
Languages I can speak/understand at least a bit: spanish, portuguese, czech, french, serbo-croatian.
Languages I can read, but I don't speak: latin, ancient greek.
Languages I want to learn/improve: czech, french, finnish, japanese, hungarian.

Know: Spanish, Asturian, Gallego, French, Italian, English and Valenciá. I also have rudimentary to moderate knowledge of Japanese, Catalá and can understand Portuguese pretty well.

I would like to know: Euskera, Romanian, German and the branches of Gaelic (Irish, Scottish, Manx, Breton).

I speak English, and enough Spanish to know what is being said, ditto for French as long as they speak slowly.

I think I might want to learn those two languages better.

I would want to learn Spanish and Japanese. Maybe Portugese! Indonesian? Finish it with German too, that seems good.

wouldn't you rather learn a practical language you can use in the workplace?

Such as Klingon?

I want to know all of them, then i would have no problems moving from country to country, and i could try really odd or interesting foods from small restaraunts.

There isn't a language I wouldn't like to learn, even though there would be priorities.

^This.

Also, I (obviously) speak English fluently, I used to be fluent in French and could probably pick it up again with comparatively minimal effort, and I have the obligatory choral-singer smattering of Italian, German, and Latin.

English, and I can swear in the language of flowers - 'Lime Blossom'

I want to learn Scots or Irish Gaelic...Ive always been interested in it...just need to find a good program to do it with...

i also wouldnt mind learning German, but, when i was going to take German senior year, the teacher left cause of Katrina :(....

EDIT: I only know English, btw, lol...

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/11/09/115-promising-to-learn-a-new-language/

Currently know English and some basic French.

I'd love to learn Latin and Italian (I'm going to get a course on Italian as a random New Year's Resolution, despite the fact that I'm meant to be saving for a holiday to the US and despite the fact that I'm already paying for various other lessons for non-essential things)...

Fluent:
Italian - Fathertongue
Czech - Mothertongue

Started learning many times but somehow never found the time or will:
German

E il novarese, te lo dimentichi?

..."non è tedesco chi lo vuole, è tedesco chi lo MERITA!" Train de vie

Languages known
-Fluent in English
-L337 Sp33k (lol)

Learning
-Japanese

Few words (not enough to converse)
-Russian, German, Chinese, Spanish, Latin, Greek, French, Korean

English is my native language. I speak pretty good French & a little bit of German.

I'd like to learn Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese and/or Mandarin.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/11/09/115-promising-to-learn-a-new-language/

Wow, that is soo untrue. I've met hundreds, nay, thousands of white people who speak at least 2 languages. Maybe it's true for the Anglosaxon world(I've never been to a country where the native language is English), but definitely not for the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark etc. Over here almost everybody speaks English besides their native tongue :)

I know basic french

around 5 words in Spanish

I want to learn Japanese and possibly Russian.

Know English. Want to know German, and a Slavic language. Also, want to learn ancient Gaelic

Only English :(

I want to learn Russian and Greek though. Russian just sounds sweet, and I'm partially Greek, so supporting the heritage!

Farsi. Know: Malay and English, some spanish, some Hokkien, can understand to some extent: Indonesian.

amerenglish is the only language i KNOW enough of to carry on anything remotely resembling an intelligent conversation.

languages i would LIKE to know, include maidu, the indiginous people of the part of the the land where i'm living on, onondagwa, the language of someone i'm actually related to, nihongo, because i'm a densha, kidosha, anime, garden, kitusune, and who knows what all else, otaku, one of the nepalese languages because if i could have anything i wanted i'd be loved by everyone there and building narrow gauge railways for everyone there. i mean this is all pure fantasy, or most of it, because languages generally interest me less then narrow gauge railways and littel furry creature spirit people, and forests and mountains and that rock somebody's gradfather sat on over there and what the little pine martin told him while he was sitting there.

but i do think, well language is part of culture, and i don't believe in the legitimacy of conquest. i think that werever we are, i think we owe some consideration to whatever culture anciently was longest in that place. more so then whatever may have come to dominate it in the last few hundred years.

I know English, French and German but would like to know Spanish, Dutch and Russian.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/11/09/115-promising-to-learn-a-new-language/

What a stupid, racist sort of an article.

What a stupid, racist sort of an article.

The blog actually became a best selling book!

The blog actually became a best selling book!

"Mein Kampf" and the "Protocols of the Wise Men of Sion" also were best sellers, but this didn't prevent them from being racist.

"Mein Kampf" and the "Protocols of the Wise Men of Sion" also were best sellers, but this didn't prevent them from being racist.

It's actually a humorous blog that Christian Lander wrote to make observations ( he is white ) on liberal white america. If you buy his shirts he donates the money to a charity of your choice. It is not Mein Kampf. If you're still angry read this: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/387582/the_law_of_the_land_well_it_used_to.html?cat=9 . I hope that cheers you up!

Of the languages I do know, one is artificial Thats no way to talk about French!

Native: English

Know: Have a bit of German, but I'm starting to forget it :(This.

I'd like to learn Spanish, Russian, and maybe Italian, Croatian, or Czech.

Breton

That's not a Gaelic language. It's closer to Welsh and Cornish.

I want to learn ancient Gaelic
Why on earth would you want to learn ancient Gaelic?

Nobody speaks it any more, and people didn't write in it.

Know English. Want to know German, and a Slavic language. Also, want to learn ancient Gaelic

*scratches head*

Ancient Gaelic?

You sure you're not just confusing it with Irish?

Edit: Oh erm, English, Irish, French (although rusty), bit of Spanish, bit of Catalan, beginning to pick up Portuguese.

It's actually a humorous blog that Christian Lander wrote to make observations ( he is white ) on liberal white america. If you buy his shirts he donates the money to a charity of your choice. It is not Mein Kampf. If you're still angry read this: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/387582/the_law_of_the_land_well_it_used_to.html?cat=9 . I hope that cheers you up!

I'm not telling it's Mein Kampf: I'm telling that being a bestseller doesn't wash away racism... and yea, a blog about "whites do that" "blacks do that" etc is intrinsecally racist: grouping people together because of their ethnical features instead of their ideas/behaviour etc.

I speak English fluently, Spanish fairly badly, I'm passable at Latin, awful at French, and I speak a tiny smattering of German, Welsh, Russian and Danish. I can also swear fairly well in Cantonese.

Know: Spanish, Asturian, Gallego, French, Italian, English and Valenciá. I also have rudimentary to moderate knowledge of Japanese, Catalá and can understand Portuguese pretty well.

*steals your brain*

I speak English and French fluently. I'd really like to learn Russian, Arabic, Breton and Ojibwe. Of all those I'm more likely to actually pursue Arabic and Breton (it would be Ojibwe if the damned classes at uni didn't fill up in .12 seconds when registration opens).

Ojibwe

Where's that spoken?

Spanish, Asturian, Gallego, Valenciá.

Oh come on. That's like me saying I speak English, Bristolian, Geordie, Cockney and Brummie.

I know English, Irish and German. And the odd word here and there in a few other languages. I'd like to know all of them, but I don't think I could actually bother to learn them all.

Where's that spoken?
It's a Native American language.

Oh come on. That's like me saying I speak English, Bristolian, Geordie, Cockney and Brummie.

More like, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, German.

Oh come on. That's like me saying I speak English, Bristolian, Geordie, Cockney and Brummie.

Not quite; it would be more like saying you speak English, Scots English and Frisian. Or Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.

They're verrrry closely related - so not quite as different as French, Italian and Spanish, and potentially cheating just a little bit - but they're not quite on the same accent/dialectical level as 'Bristolian' and 'Brummie', either.

More like, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, German.

Not at all, they're just different dialects. Certainly not as different from each other is as Finnish to the languages you mentioned.

More like, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, German.

Are there languages that are like Finnish?

Not quite; it would be more like saying you speak English, Scots English and Frisian. Or Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.
Snap :p


Not at all, they're just different dialects. Certainly not as different from each other is as Finnish to the languages you mentioned.
Do you speak any of the ones listed by Nanatsu?

Are there languages that are like Finnish?
*shrugs*

I was using it as an example of languages that are related but not the same. (i.e across Scandinavia)

Are there languages that are like Finnish?

Estonian, Hungarian.

I was using it as an example of languages that are related but not the same. (i.e across Scandinavia)

We use the term nordic countries. Scandinavia is Sweden, Norway and Denmark. At least to us.

Estonian, Hungarian.

Maybe.

I was using it as an example of languages that are related but not the same. (i.e across Scandinavia)

Finnish isn't related to any of those.

Finnish isn't related to any of those.

Jesus, fine. :rolleyes:

Finnish and Estonian.

I'd like to swot up on my German and Gaelic.

Both are pretty piss-poor at the moment.

Where's that spoken?

Mostly around the Great Lakes, but there are plenty in Michigan and Montana. They are one of the Anishnaabe peoples. It is startlingly similar to Cree, and there are lot of Oji-Cree people too, so the languages have mixed very strongly in the east.

It would be very cool of you to learn it, NW.

Native language: Hungarian
Fluent in speech and writing: English, German (Swiss German), Romanian, French

Finnish is first on my to-learn list.

I speak fluently English, Hebrew, Russian, Chinese, and Farsi.

I wish to learn Arabic, Japanese, and Hindi.

I'm studying to be a linguist and have experience as a translator in the Marine Corps.

Where's that spoken?

Mostly in Michigan and Ontario, but there are Ojibwe/Chippewa all around the US/Canadian border. I hear older tribal members in town speaking it sometimes and it's a really interesting sounding language.

People speaking Ojibwe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01v0IzX3zQ)

Dari and Yiddish, I speak, but not very fluently.

That's in addition to the stuff up top.

Are there languages that are like Finnish?

Why, clearly we could all learn more about the Finno-Ugric language family (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finno-Ugric_languages) (linked).

Anyway, you're the native Finnish speaker round these parts. Hungarian may be a more distant branch of the family, but surely you can see the similarities between Finnish, Estonian and Karelian?

And Liv. There may only be 10 fluent native speakers of Liv left, but it's one of my favourite obscure European languages, dammit.

It would be very cool of you to learn it, NW.

I've been trying to get into it for the last 3 years, but OJB 101 has always filled up before I could get in. I could have actually gotten in to OJB 102 this semester but I emailed the professor and he said he strongly recommends taking 101 first. If I do grad school here I'll probably take it, but at this point I'm probably going to be studying in France.

The Persian language group is a hassle, everybody speaks a different kind, same with Slavic.

I speak fluently Spanish and Catalan, and English fairly well.

I also know very little German.

Would like to learn -> Russian, French and Irish

Know: Spanish, Asturian, Gallego, French, Italian, English and Valenciá. I also have rudimentary to moderate knowledge of Japanese, Catalá and can understand Portuguese pretty well.

I would like to know: Euskera, Romanian, German and the branches of Gaelic (Irish, Scottish, Manx, Breton).

Well, how can you speak fluently Valencian and at the same time having a rudimentary knowledge of Catalan???

Didn't you realize that both are the same language?


PD: I'm from València

I've been trying to get into it for the last 3 years, but OJB 101 has always filled up before I could get in. I could have actually gotten in to OJB 102 this semester but I emailed the professor and he said he strongly recommends taking 101 first. If I do grad school here I'll probably take it, but at this point I'm probably going to be studying in France.

Whenever there was a class I really wanted, but couldn't get into, I'd just show up the first day and talk to the prof to get in. *nods*

Two main Languages I speak:
English
German
[I can speak more, not well, but am too lazy to post it.]

First: English
Second: Latin

So, Conservative Morality, in response to the OP, I could explain the basics of grammar and pronunciation, plus conversational vocab so you can comprehend it some. If there are ecclesiastic terminology/abreviations that you do not get, don't be afraid to TG me sometime. Note, dossier listing is useful for such purposes.

Fluent in:
Just English

Actively Studying:
Spanish
Latin

Would Really Like to Learn:
Arabic
Thai

Would Like to Learn:
Chinese
French
Sanskrit
Welsh

I'm on my way to Japan Tomorrow, so I should learn some.

Well, how can you speak fluently Valencian and at the same time having a rudimentary knowledge of Catalan???

Didn't you realize that both are the same language?


PD: I'm from València

Catalá and valenciá are NOT the same language and if you're from the province as you say, you should know that better than anyone.

València is a ''lengua propia'' (it's own language). It has it's own identity. It is, in effect, part of a varietion of Catalá, but it's not the same language at all.

From Wiki:
El valenciano es definido como la lengua propia de la Comunidad Valenciana, según su Estatuto, y tiene carácter oficial en ella junto con el castellano.

Here are some characteristics of Your language that make it a language all by itself, sharing some similarities with catalá and castillian, but n no way making it the same as the latter:

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_valenciano#Caracter.C3.ADsticas_ling.C3.BC.C3.ADsticas_del_valenciano

Now, do tell me, paisano/a, if catalá and valenciá are one and the same.

Is valencia in spain?

Is valencia in spain?

Yes, it is.

Well, why the hell don't they speak spanish?! XD

Yes, it is.

There is also a Valencia in California.

There is also a Valencia in California.

Well, I'm sure they DO speak spanish there.

Well, why the hell don't they speak spanish?! XD

Spanish is the official langauge, yes, but there are other recognized dialects or if you want to get technical, languages, that are also spoken in Spain. You have Gallego, spoken in Galicia, you have Mallorquino, spoken in Mallorca, you have Catalá, spoken in Catalunya and, the crux of the matter, valenciá, spoken in the province of Valencia, and there are several others. I myself speak Asturian, because I was born and raised in Asturias. But I also speak Spanish.

Well, I'm sure they DO speak spanish there.

You'd be surprised. There's a lot of Illegal Mexicans here in California.[Not being racist, just stating facts]

You'd be surprised. There's a lot of Illegal Mexicans here in California.[Not being racist, just stating facts]

That's what I meant. I was NOT being sarcastic.

You'd be surprised. There's a lot of Illegal Mexicans here in California.[Not being racist, just stating facts]

Yes, there are many, and not only in California. Try New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, too to name a few.

Yes, there are many, and not only in California. Try New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, too to name a few.

Florida, although we have a lot more Cubans.

They say that there are 100 million people in Mexico and 15 mil Mexicans in the in the US. Does that take into account the ones here? There could either be 85 mil or 115 mil mexicans?

Florida, although we have a lot more Cubans.

That too. But illegal Cubans have an advantage illegal Mexicans do not. They can apply for immeidate political asylum in the US and if I'm not mistaken, that asylum cannot be revoked unless there are huge and life-changing reasons.

Why would they come here? They have a brand new gov't! Now that was sarcasm.

That too. But illegal Cubans have an advantage illegal Mexicans do not. They can apply for immeidate political asylum in the US and if I'm not mistaken, that asylum cannot be revoked unless there are huge and life-changing reasons.

If you read it, they have to make it to our shore by personal watercraft. If they go commercially or by air, they won't be given asylum. They gotta make it to the beach in a non-commercial vehicle.

Figure that one out.

I have an uncle that used to go out on a boat and pick them up.

If you read it, they have to make it to our shore by personal watercraft. If they go commercially or by air, they won't be given asylum. They gotta make it to the beach in a non-commercial vehicle.

Figure that one out.

I know. And unfortunately, many of the them die before reaching US soil or are deported on the way by the Coast Guard unless they try to apply for the asylum.

The Cuban government does make, every year, some sort of lottery. The price is a means to get out of Cuba and go live in another country. The problem with that one is that you can leave Cuba, but you cannot take anything of yours out of the country.

Most don't have anything anyways...

Most don't have anything anyways...

Indeed, but the little they do own, stays in Cuba when they leave. The good thing is that they are allowed to go back and visit any relatives still living in the Island. That's something those who illegaly flee the country do not have.

I'm just glad I don't live there, though.

I'm just glad I don't live there, though.

It's not the bad place US media make it to be. I was there a few years ago and I thought it was an amazing place, with restrictions due to the embargo, but a great place nevertheless.

Where are you from that let's you go there?

Where are you from that let's you go there?

I'm from Spain.

I'm a Serbian/Russian Jew, Imigrant to US.

I'm a Serbian/Russian Jew, Imigrant to US.

I see. Have you lived there long?

Ich kann Deutsch sprechen.

Je peux parler en français.

Я говорю по-русски ... рода.

Jeg kan snakke stykker norsk.

Since I was 3. Born in Serbia. Going to serve in Russian Army after I'm discharged from Marines, and then Israel.

Since I was 3. Born in Serbia. Going to serve in Russian Army after I'm discharged from Marines, and then Israel.

I think that's nice. You seem to be loyal to all your backgrounds.

Я подумал, что этот сайт не будет русский язык.

Да и я.

Я подумал, что этот сайт не будет русский язык.

Да и я.

Ah, but there are a few people here that either speak or are of Russian decent or reside there.

No there aren't, and even less Serbians. At least Jews make up more than a percent in the US.

No there aren't, and even less Serbians. At least Jews make up more than a percent in the US.

Here on NSG? Yes there are. Let me see, to name one of these people, Dyakovo speaks or understands Russian. As for Serbian, I'm not sure.

Hehehehehe...

Я могу рассчитывать те люди, с одной стороны.

Since I was 3. Born in Serbia. Going to serve in Russian Army after I'm discharged from Marines, and then Israel.

Just 2 quick questions:

1) You haven't told the Marines that you're going to join the Russian Army have you...?

2) What do the Russians think of you having served with the USMC?

Hehehehehe...

Я могу рассчитывать те люди, с одной стороны.

But they are there, anyway.:wink:

I think the Russians would like to hear what I say... The Marines? I might as well have joined the French foreign legion.

But they are there, anyway.:wink:

And what would we do with out them?

And what would we do with out them?

No more Tsarist jokes?:tongue:

No more Tsarist jokes?:tongue:

D'oh!:mad:

D'oh!:mad:

I think that further along the road, as soon as I finish with Japanese, I'll try my hands with Russian. I do want to learn as many languages as possible.

Yeah, I have to learn Japanese as well. And ALL the others.

Yeah, I have to learn Japanese as well. And ALL the others.

The more you know, the easier it gets. That's the case when you learn any of the Romance languages like Spanish or Portuguese.

And Slavic ones. Persian ones are harder, though.

Hehehehehe...

Я могу рассчитывать те люди, с одной стороны.

You, me, Dyakovo, possibly Arch

And Slavic ones. Persian ones are harder, though.

I so want to learn Romanian too.

The more you know, the easier it gets. That's the case when you learn any of the Romance languages like Spanish or Portuguese.

Know two romance languages and understanding all the rest is an absolute snap. I still hate how the portuguese pronounce things though

portuguese is an odd language, alot of stuff from arabic.

I still hate how the portuguese pronounce things though

Well, that's a matter of accents.

Well, that's a matter of accents.

Still, for some reason or another it bothers me...

portuguese is an odd language, alot of stuff from arabic.

Arabic permeates many languages, Spanish and English are 2 of those examples. The words ''algebra'' and ''alcohol'' all come from Arabic.

Still, for some reason or another it bothers me...

In all honesty, I like the way Brazilians speak Portuguese than the Portuguese themselves. The cadence is way better.

In all honesty, I like the way Brazilians speak Portuguese than the Portuguese themselves. The cadence is way better.

Agreed. I also like the way Mexicans speak Spanish better than just about anyone else, but that's probably from growing up with a father who spoke Mexican Spanish.

And I like English English. Tony Blair's English.

I know English, Hebrew (I can speak it, but I'm mostly illiterate in it), some Latin, and some Yiddish (mostly from things my grandparents used to call me when I was a child)... I'd like to learn Russian and Classical Greek.

Agreed. I also like the way Mexicans speak Spanish better than just about anyone else, but that's probably from growing up with a father who spoke Mexican Spanish.

I know what you mean. My fiancé's Mexican-American, and when he speaks Spanish... kawaii!!!:D

I know what you mean. My fiancé's Mexican-American, and when he speaks Spanish... kawaii!!!:D

It's a singing kind of lilt-y thing. When I was in Madrid, every cab driver knew I had Mexican in me from the moment I opened my mouth. What confuses me though, is that the other central/south American countries don't sound nearly as nice. Someone needs to remind Argentina that there are vowels at the end of words.

I sat next to a Puerto Rican kid when I took Spanish in High school, so I'm all right.

It's a singing kind of lilt-y thing. When I was in Madrid, every cab driver knew I had Mexican in me from the moment I opened my mouth. What confuses me though, is that the other central/south American countries don't sound nearly as nice. Someone needs to remind Argentina that there are vowels at the end of words.

I happen to think that the Spanish from Colombia is amazing. I do like it when I hear Colombians speak.

I've been there once, I agrees.

I happen to think that the Spanish from Colombia is amazing. I do like it when I hear Colombians speak.

Hmm... I haven't heard many Colombians speak recently, I'll have to check it out. I like the accents in the far South of Spain, but the Castilian, not so much.

Hmm... I haven't heard many Colombians speak recently, I'll have to check it out. I like the accents in the far South of Spain, but the Castilian, not so much.

My favorite accent has to be, in Spain, that of Asturias.

My favorite accent has to be, in Spain, that of Asturias.

I wonder why. :)

I think the most unpleasant spanish in the world though is spoken by the small percentage of Mexicans who are wealthy enough to consider themselves rich, but not wealthy enough to see the world, and try to sound "refined" by adding a lisp to every possible syllable. I fell on the floor laughing at a nice dinner party at one point after hearing a well-dressed gentleman proudly call out "Math Thervethath!"

Whenever there was a class I really wanted, but couldn't get into, I'd just show up the first day and talk to the prof to get in. *nods*

I'd do that, but if I change classes I have to go through all kinds of hassle with the VA to continue to get my money, and there's a change I wouldn't get a month of payment, leaving me extremely broke and unable to pay bills.

Funny, I've got money now but I can't take the class this semester. Maybe I'll take 101 in the fall, but that's my last semester :(

Kazahk Russian has a pleasant sound, though I doubt that you would think so.

I wonder why. :)

I think the most unpleasant spanish in the world though is spoken by the small percentage of Mexicans who are wealthy enough to consider themselves rich, but not wealthy enough to see the world, and try to sound "refined" by adding a lisp to every possible syllable. I fell on the floor laughing at a nice dinner party at one point after hearing a well-dressed gentleman proudly call out "Math Thervethath!"

Roflmfao!!! And they claim to despise the Spaniards for colonizing them. Fucking hilarious!:D

Roflmfao!!! And they claim to despise the Spaniards for colonizing them. Fucking hilarious!:D

My Roflcopter has been LOLed.

My Roflcopter has been LOLed.

Nani ka?

Que?

Que?

Eto... ki o tsukette Dondo-sama!!

Roflmfao!!! And they claim to despise the Spaniards for colonizing them. Fucking hilarious!:D
:D

Now the Mexicans more despise the Americans for being directly above them, and being very, very, large, and not being very, very poor. At least you guys in Spain still have Venezuela to hate you, after the "Por que no te callas" incident.

:D

Now the Mexicans more despise the Americans for being directly above them, and being very, very, large, and not being very, very poor. At least you guys in Spain still have Venezuela to hate you, after the "Por que no te callas" incident.

True true.

English and a little bit of Latin. Am learning Maori this year, which will be awesome. Would quite like to learn French, but probably never will.

True true.

I have to say, my respect for Juan Carlos went up to godly levels after that.

I have to say, my respect for Juan Carlos went up to godly levels after that.

Su Majestad is.. you know... one kick ass dude! Sometimes.

Su Majestad is.. you know... one kick ass dude! Sometimes.

Him and Hugo Chavez would have had the most epic "your mamma" joke wars as children.

Are there languages that are like Finnish?

Hungarian.

Hungarian.

Well, they're from the same branch, but that's about all that links them...

The closest to Finnish is Estonian.

Why, clearly we could all learn more about the Finno-Ugric language family (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finno-Ugric_languages) (linked).

Anyway, you're the native Finnish speaker round these parts. Hungarian may be a more distant branch of the family, but surely you can see the similarities between Finnish, Estonian and Karelian?

And Liv. There may only be 10 fluent native speakers of Liv left, but it's one of my favourite obscure European languages, dammit.

Wait, there's a Karelian language? And, what the hell is Liv?


Hungarian.

Well, yeah.

Well, they're from the same branch, but that's about all that links them...

The closest to Finnish is Estonian.

Estonia: it's language is close to Finnish and they got cheap booze! :)

Я подумал, что этот сайт не будет русский язык. Да и я.

Ты подумал? По-чему к совершенному виду?
А я тоже не понял "будет русский язык". "Будет" что делать?

Я - нацист грамматики тоже по-русски.

Well, they're from the same branch, but that's about all that links them...

The closest to Finnish is Estonian.

Right... I somewhat cannot think of Estonian as a language of their own, more of a Finnish dialect.

So, yeah, pretty self-explanatory title. What languages do you know/ Would like to know?

I (Obviously) know English, and would like to learn Russian, Latin, and Japanese. However, being a lazy bum, I'll probably only get around to learning one.:wink:

So, what about you NSGers?

Languages I want to know?

1. Spanish(At least two of the three major dialects)
2. French
3. German
4. Russian
5. Manderin
6. Japanese
7. Tagalog
8. Arabic
9. Farsi
10. Latin

Languages I know?

1. English

:(

Right... I somewhat cannot think of Estonian as a language of their own, more of a Finnish dialect.

Yeah, just like Norwegian and Danish are Swedish dialects (or the other way round), Dutch is a German dialect, French, Spanish, Portuguese and the lot are just Latin dialects, and just about the whole of Eastern Europe speaks Russian dialects... ;)

well i know English and a lil bit of Spanish
+ id luv 2 learn japaneese

Know Dutch, German, English (all Fluent) and a little French. I can translate Latin but cannot really speak it. I know a few words from a variety of languages.
I'd like to learn Arabic (made some half-hearted attempts already), Farsi and Russian.

Well, they're from the same branch, but that's about all that links them...

The closest to Finnish is Estonian.

The similarities between Finnish and Hungarian are alike to those between Icelandic and Bavarian German for example. Geographic distance can alienate two languages (or dialects for that matter) from eachother, but simple phonetic/phonological changes don't mean they're any less related.

With my knowledge of Swiss German I can understand Swedish better than Saxon, even though Swiss German is gramatically closer to Saxon than to Swedish. - Saxon is a dialect of German, Swedish isn't. Sometimes it's rather difficult to demarcate a border between a dialect and a separate language.

I have a smatering of what I would call temple Punjabi, and a smaller amount of Hebrew(left over from my Thelemic days)

I wouldn't mind a bit of Spanish(I have lots of Spanish freinds who all speak great English)

Catalá and valenciá are NOT the same language and if you're from the province as you say, you should know that better than anyone.

València is a ''lengua propia'' (it's own language). It has it's own identity. It is, in effect, part of a varietion of Catalá, but it's not the same language at all.

Here are some characteristics of Your language that make it a language all by itself, sharing some similarities with catalá and castillian, but n no way making it the same as the latter:

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_valenciano#Caracter.C3.ADsticas_ling.C3.BC.C3.ADsticas_del_valenciano

Now, do tell me, paisano/a, if catalá and valenciá are one and the same.

Well if you look at the first paragraph in wiki:
Valenciano (valencià en valenciano) es la denominación histórica, tradicional y estatutaria que recibe en la Comunidad Valenciana la lengua que se denomina oficialmente catalán en Cataluña, Islas Baleares y Andorra

Of course a valencian like me speaks Catalan in a different way than a balear or a catalan. But it also happens with Spanish in Latin Americ and nobody doubts that the language which is spoken in mexico or argentina is Spanish, don't you think?

By the way, it's paisano :wink:

Wait, there's a Karelian language? And, what the hell is Liv?


The problem here may be that Finns and Russians define Karelian differently, though there's also some disagreement as to whether Karelian is a language or a dialect.

From the Wiki article on Karelian....

Karelian is a language closely related to Finnish, with which it is not necessarily mutually intelligible. Karelian is spoken mainly in Republic of Karelia, Russia.

Karelian belongs to the Finno-Ugric languages, and is distinguished from Finnish by some important extensions to the phonology and the lack of influence from modern 19th and 20th century Finnish. It cannot merely be classified as a Finnish dialect with Russian influences, because it has original innovations and it may differ considerably from Finnish.

There is no standard Karelian language, although the Republic of Karelia's authorities have recently begun to attempt standardization. Each writer writes in Karelian according to his own dialectal form. The script is the Latin alphabet as used for Finnish with letters added.

In this article, Karelian denotes dialects from Russian Karelia. In Finnish usage, however, Karelian mostly denotes the dialects of the 420,000 refugees from the Karelian isthmus and other parts of Finnish Karelia that were re-settled in what remains of Finland after World War II.


Liv, or Livonian, is another matter entirely. It's a language spoken in coastal northwestern Latvia. The modern Latvian state recognises the Livs as an indigenous minority whose language and culture is protected by law, but with only 177 Livs left in the 2000 Latvian census (though some estimate the total population is closer to 3000), and only 35 speakers of Liv (only 10 of whom are fully fluent), it may be a lost cause. It's all been downhill since the Livonian Order of the Teutonic Knights took control of the region in the 13th century.


Here's 1-10 in Liv, with their Finnish and Estonian counterparts:

ikš (yksi - üks)
kakš (kaksi - kaks)
kuolm (kolme - kolm)
nēļa (neljä - neli)
vīž (viisi - viis)
kūž (kuusi - kuus)
seis (seitsemän - seitse)
kōdõks (kahdeksan - kaheksa)
īdõks (yhdeksän - üheksa)
kim (kymmenen - kümme)

While by no means claiming to be a Balto-Finnic expert, I can't help but casually notice that the words for seven through ten become shorter the further south you go. Curious.



The full list of Balto-Finnic languages - as similar to each other as Romance languages are to each other - is:

Estonian
Finnish
Ingrian (Izhorian) - Nearly extinct
Karelian
Livonian (Liv) — Nearly extinct
Veps (Vepsian)
Votic (Votian, Vod) — Nearly extinct

Well if you look at the first paragraph in wiki:


Of course a valencian like me speaks Catalan in a different way than a balear or a catalan. But it also happens with Spanish in Latin Americ and nobody doubts that the language which is spoken in mexico or argentina is Spanish, don't you think?

I read the entire Wiki article. That's why I say that, although valenciá is a variation (or language for those who would get offended) of catalá, it's not the same language at all. It has it's differences, does it not? That's why the valenciá make the distinction.

I have several good friends from the region who work here in Madrid with me and they are extremely proud of their language. In fact, they do not lump it with catalá at all. Do you like to be callaed valencian or catalonina?

By the way, it's paisano :wink:

Paisano es. Pero cómo no estaba segura... :wink:

Ты подумал? По-чему к совершенному виду?
А я тоже не понял "будет русский язык". "Будет" что делать?

Я - нацист грамматики тоже по-русски.


Российская грамматика трудно, получить моей заднице.

I'm completely fluent in English. French I speak well but not entirely fluently. I can throw around a bit of Spanish and Persian.

What I want to learn (Aside from improving my French a bit):
1) Persian
2) German
3) Russian
4) Spanish

I read the entire Wiki article. That's why I say that, although valenciá is a variation (or language for those who would get offended) of catalá, it's not the same language at all. It has it's differences, does it not? That's why the valenciá make the distinction.

I have several good friends from the region who work here in Madrid with me and they are extremely proud of their language. In fact, they do not lump it with catalá at all. Do you like to be callaed valencian or catalonina?:

I've said before that here in València we speak Valencian\Catalan on a different way that the Catalans, but the difference is not enough to say that they are different languages. Actually, the Valencian is a dialect of the Catalan, and is the name that here in València is given to the Catalan (that as the AVL-Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua\Valencian Academy of Language- says). It's also true that some politicians uses the Valencianist feeling of some people here in order to divide the Catalan language to both win votes and weaken the nationalist left-winged parties, manipulating some people with vague declarations and the declaration of the Valencian as official (some of they said that this declaration for itself makes Valencian a different language).

Paisano es. Pero cómo no estaba segura... :wink:

Por lo que veo...tu eres paisana :D

All of Them.

I've said before that here in València we speak Valencian\Catalan on a different way that the Catalans, but the difference is not enough to say that they are different languages. Actually, the Valencian is a dialect of the Catalan, and is the name that here in València is given to the Catalan (that as the AVL-Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua\Valencian Academy of Language- says). It's also true that some politicians uses the Valencianist feeling of some people here in order to divide the Catalan language to both win votes and weaken the nationalist left-winged parties, manipulating some people with vague declarations and the declaration of the Valencian as official (some of they said that this declaration for itself makes Valencian a different language).

That's rather odd. You're the first Valencian I know (hardly) that doesn't consider his language a separate from catalá. But I'm not here to discuss politics or nationalism. I don't see a problem with either but you never know.

For me, valenciá's phonetics are easier on the ear than catalá's. And I can say that with property, my mother's grandfather, whom I met, was from Catalunya and it was almost impossible to follow him, for me, when he went into ranting in catalá.



Por lo que veo...tu eres paisana :D

Así es. Bueno saber que hay otro paisano por estos lares.:wink:

The similarities between Finnish and Hungarian are alike to those between Icelandic and Bavarian German for example. Geographic distance can alienate two languages (or dialects for that matter) from eachother, but simple phonetic/phonological changes don't mean they're any less related.

From what I've read on the subject, I'd say that Finnish and Hungarian are a lot farther apart than Icelandic and any German dialect (both of which are Germanic languages). More like Latin and Greek: both in the same family, but different branches.

I think the Russians would like to hear what I say... The Marines? I might as well have joined the French foreign legion.

Or not. The USMC is pathetic compared to the foreign legion.

From what I've read on the subject, I'd say that Finnish and Hungarian are a lot farther apart than Icelandic and any German dialect (both of which are Germanic languages). More like Latin and Greek: both in the same family, but different branches.

Latin and Greek are in separate families. Latin is Romance, Greek is Greek. Finnish and Hungarian are both Finno-Ugric.

Or not. The USMC is pathetic compared to the foreign legion.

*snickers*

*snickers*

I'm not joking. A friend of my dad's didn't pass training for regular British army, but passed US marine training. He wasn't turned down by the SAS, or the Royal Marines, he was turned down by the ordinary army. Also, the French foreign Legion and the US Marines were doing a training exercise together in the Amazon in French Guiana. Both teams were given a cannonball to lug through from one point to another. The Foreign Legion did it in 45 minutes. It took the USMC 7 hours.

Latin and Greek are in separate families. Latin is Romance, Greek is Greek. Finnish and Hungarian are both Finno-Ugric.

But the Romance and Greek branches are part of the Indo-European family, like Finnish and Hungarian are part of the Uralic family. Finnish and Hungarian are usually placed in separate sub-families or branches of the Uralic family (Finnish in Finno-Permic, Hungarian in Ugric). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uralic_languages

Last time I posted on here, I said I was quite happy only knowing English. But I've been thinking a while (by which I mean for literally four seconds) and I begin to wish I'd learned German. The thought occurred to me while on last.fm when I was recommended some music by a German band. Its a language which has the potential to sound so deliciously evil, hasn't it?

But the Romance and Greek branches are part of the Indo-European family, like Finnish and Hungarian are part of the Uralic family.

Greek influenced Latin and, therefore, Romance languages in general. Does that happened between Hungarian and Finnish?

Greek influenced Latin and, therefore, Romance languages in general. Does that happened between Hungarian and Finnish?

AFAIK there has been little if any interaction between Finnish and Hungarian since the two branches split. Hungarian is pretty much surrounded by Indo-European languages, has been since about the 9th century. Finnish is adjacent to a number of more closely related languages like Estonian. Finnish also has some loan words from German, like ranta = beach (cf. German Strand). Not sure about Hungarian, but I'd guess it has a few loans from German too.

Gaelic
Swedish or Icelandic
German
Russian