What Language

[RonJ]

If you could go back and learn any language what would it be.
The two years of Spanish I learned aren't serving me very well.
Practically speaking I guess Cantonese would be it. But I'd very much like to learn Italian, complete with gestures. Sounds like it would be a fun language.

 

[brucev]

Spanish. Would be tremendously useful as a pastor.

 

[Arik]

Spanish. Not because of everything being in Spanish today but because knowing Spanish you can get around in S. America, Brazil, Italy, Romania, Moldova, Portugal, and to some extent French. All are based on Latin and knowing one will get you by in any of those countries.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Marshwheeling]

I studied German and Dutch, but never really had that much use for either, except traveling in Europe and working in the Netherlands.

I learned a bit of Spanish via Rosetta Stone for a few moto trips to Mexico. In this day and age, and given my travel predilections, more and better Spanish would serve me well. You pick up a lot on the road, enough to help you get by.

 

[shouldazagged]

My hands are too arthritic to speak Italian.

I'd like to learn Spanish, if only so I could tell if I were being called a horse's posterior at Kroger.

This will no doubt sound weird, but I hope it doesn't get me on some kind of watch list: having studied Hebrew for a couple of years, a very, very long time ago, and found it a fascinating language, it might be interesting to learn some Arabic. The two languages are certainly related; and that too might come in useful at Kroger.

Might brush up a little on the German I studied even longer ago than the Hebrew.

But the fact is, I'm probably too preoccupied with other things in my old age to expend the effort to learn a language now.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I would like to be able to speak Spanish, so I can hear what they're saying about me.
I would like to be able to speak German, so they can't understand what I'm saying about them.

 

[emptypockets]

Cajun French without a doubt would be the one. I'm full blooded Coonass and can only speak a little french, mostly cuss words. My parents both spoke French before English, but did not teach their children French. I sure loved hearing my relatives carrying on in French even though I did not understand what they were saying. It's all but gone in Louisiana now and that's a damn shame. If you are a Coonass and can speak Cajun French do so and teach someone else this beautiful language. Before it is complete thing of the past.

 

[Cyrano]

German. All the good gun stuff is written in German.

 

[BaldEagle1313]

Absolutely Spanish. The number of job openings that want bi-lingual applicants is staggering.

 

[Fishinfool]

I wished I had learned Spanish, it would have been useful in my LEO career. I learned a little basic, street Spanish, but not enough to really converse. Phrases like "get on the ground", and "hands up" have limited use in most social situations....

Larry

 

[NE450No2]

For an American, in todays World, for me it would be Spanish.

When I was on the Job my Spanish was fairly good, but if you do not use it you loose it...

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

While the "Romance" languages are all from Latin, the crossover from Italian to Spanish usually works, but from French to anything else; not so much. My D-I-L is from Germany and took French (and refers to it as the most worthless language anywhere). My High School Spanish is 40 old and was poor quality at its best. My dad learned to cuss in Spanish from Porter Rican women he worked with, and those words work well from New Jersey to Las Vagas in his opinion. My grand daughter is in second grade and speaks German, Texas English, Texas Spanish, and is picking up Cantonese. She understands and is understood as she pleases! By the way, I was talking with a Home Town Buffet manager a few years ago, and he told me you couldn't be in their management at all, unless you were conversational in Spanish. (That's in Ohio!)

I had tenants that spoke zero English, but I could communicate with them, because we both tried to be understood, A few pleasantries go a long way!

I had an employee from Albania, that spoke 12 European languages. He somehow couldn't understand what was expected of him for work, but understood everything about lunch and payday. Ivan

P.S. I've found everyone obeys stern commands in German, so I call it the "Language of Obedience".

 

[H Richard]

I always wanted to know more than a few words in German as that was my grandparents language. But in a recent trip through Germany, everyone spoke English, so the need wasn't there.

 

[speedyquad]

i took latin in middle school(7th & 8th grades) it was only for those who excelled in english. i also took french in high school(10-12) because all the cute girls took french.
if i could take any language, it would be japanese just because i always wanted to...

 

[eveled]

American Sign Language, everybody else should be able to speak english. Plus I think it would come in handy if my kids knew it too.

 

[75Vette]

When I was in elementary school (late 60's) we were given a choice of French or Spanish. At the time, everyone thought that French would be more valuable. Ha! Who'd a thunk?

 

[Badquaker]

Spanish for use on the jobsite, but Cantonese for home.

 

[feralmerril]

I`m still working on english.

 

[Brian41]

I've thought about learning some Spanish as it would come in handy today.

I learned some Italian when I lived in Italy in the early 70s. I've forgotten most of it and my HS French as well now. Soon after I was out of the service I was doing service work in an Italian household and listened to them talking in Italian about how I was going to rip them off and some other not so nice things. After I got done and was paid I thanked them in Italian and wished them a nice day. You wouldn't have believed the shocked looks and red faces.

 

[wbraswell]

I've heard that Japanese is a fairly easy language to learn to speak, but, good lord, how long would it take you to learn to read it.