Foreign language study

[JasonGoodwin]

Just curious about the different types of foreign languages we have studied (or are studying and are fluent in). I took 3 years of French in high school, at least two German classes, and now I'm trying to learn Finnish.

 

[Simply_Nikki]

Studied Spanish for 6.5 years in high school and college. Would like to learn Italian and German though, wouldn't that be cool!

 

[JBaldwin]

I studied German for two years in high school and crammed the equivalent to 4 years of college french into 10 months when I was in France. I took a little introductory course in Greek and tried to learn spanish with my daughter. Ican read music; I've been told that's a foreign language, too!

 

[Gryphonette]

FINNISH? Why Finnish?

Just curious about the different types of foreign languages we have studied (or are studying and are fluent in). I took 3 years of French in high school, at least two German classes, and now I'm trying to learn Finnish.

Are there any Finns you particularly want to talk to? I thought most of 'em speak English.

I took high school French and my facility with languages is such that when it was time for the final exam in my senior year, I was the only one in the classroom to actually have to take it. So long as one had a B, one could skip it.

I didn't, so there I was, listening to the cheers from my friends as they drove away from Nolan for the last time. Very depressing.

The only foreign language I'd really like to learn is, naturally enough, Russian. Would love to be able to converse with Dmitry and the boys in their native language (and be able to understand just what it is they're saying to each other).

 

[Whitefield]

I was Russian linguist in the U.S. Army, trained at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, CA 1972-1973. Greek and Hebrew in seminary. Learning Latin (slowly).

 

[JasonGoodwin]

Ann, I had a pen pal when I was in high school who was from Finland. Her English was very good. However, I wish that I had learned it way back when. I think it's a fascinating tongue and I often go to YouTube and type in keywords like "uutiset".

 

[Gryphonette]

No kidding? How cool is that?

I was Russian linguist in the U.S. Army, trained at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, CA 1972-1973. Greek and Hebrew in seminary. Learning Latin (slowly).

What did you actually do as a Russian linguist in the Army? Listen in to secret stuff and tell everyone what they were saying?

Have you kept it up? Dmitry's been here four years and a half and he admits his Russian ain't what it used to be. It's deteriorated to being fairly "conversational", if you see what I mean, and his cousin, Sveta, who lives in Moscow, has warned him his grammar and spelling - never anything to write home about even when he lived in Russia - are really going south.

 

[JasonGoodwin]

All I know of Russian is the Cyrillic alphabet, and even then it's a bit tricky.

 

[Davidius]

so far...

~5 years of Latin
1 year of classical Greek
4 years of German
1 year of Dutch

 

[Gryphonette]

The neat thing about Russian is how consistent it is.

All I know of Russian is the Cyrillic alphabet, and even then it's a bit tricky.

Well, compared to English. One doesn't realize what an impossible language ours is until one tries to teach it to someone else.

So many letters have multiple sounds, and are sometimes silent (Dmitry still hasn't gotten the hang of the silent 'k' in knife, for instance), and it seems as if most of our words have multiple meanings.

In Russian - barring that weird "letter" that looks like bI and which IS silent, instructing one to pronounce the preceding consonant like you mean it - every letter in a word is pronounced. The only letter I can think of that has dual sounds is "o"....if it's in the emphasized syllable, it's long, otherwise it's short.

Trust me, it's English that's a royal pain in the caboose. We're just used to it, is all.

 

[JasonGoodwin]

I've heard that argument about English as well. What doesn't help is that we've borrowed words from other languages as well.

 

[TimV]

My Spanish is still good since I uses it regularly a work. I still can understand the trade language of Papua New Guinea when I read my Bible in that version, but speaking it would be rusty. My Afrikaans is still fluent, and my Zulu would come back fine in a month of practice but my German has sadly gone by the way side. Some guy asked me for directions in that language the other days and I made a fool of myself. French I haven't even counted as a language I can even get along in for years.

 

[jaybird0827]

3 years of German in high school.
I spent two years in Swaziland (southern Africa) and picked up quite a bit of siSwati.

 

[ChristopherPaul]

29 years of English... still not fluent as I would like.

 

[jawyman]

Latin-10 years
German-4 years in high school (1 year in Germany as an exchange student)French-All my life (my mom is from Quebec)
Dutch-2
Greek-1 year
Hebrew-I start in the Fall

Believe it or not I use all of them (except Hebrew for the moment) daily.

 

[Kim G]

languages

I have studied English, obviously (hence the BA in English). I took two years of French in high school and another two in college. I can read the Korean alphabet (it's fun . . . like learning a secret code!) and know a few basic words. I can also speak a little "Kamtok", or Cameroon pidgin English.

Languages fascinate me, but with a bad long-term memory, I forget anything I don't use.

 

[Ivan]

29 years of English... still not fluent as I would like.

55 years for me and I still ain't got the hang of it.

 

[Covenant Joel]

3 years of Latin (don't remember much)
2 yrs Spanish (ditto)
4 yrs Greek
2 yrs Hebrew
currently working on Arabic (informally)