What Language

[steveno]

I found that in Germany that if they were laughing and you suspected that they were making fun of you all you had to do was laugh along with them. that created the doubt with them on whether or not you knew German and what they were talking about. that usually stopped it right there.

 

[rwsmith]

I did take Latin....

Nobody can converse in it, though people have tried. It does help me understand other Romance languages at least in the root words. Lawyers and doctors still use a bunch of Latin terms.

Oh, I understand that French people are more likely to treat you decently if you at least try to speak in French and ask if you can converse in Anglais.

I made up a speech in French that i'm trying to learn if I ever need it.

Ce que je vous dis maintenant, c'est tous les Français que je connais. Pourrions-nous parler en anglais, s'il vous plaît.


It pretty much says. "What I'm saying to you now is all of the French I know. Could we talk in English, if you please."

 

[Bkreutz]

Nobody can converse in it, though people have tried. It does help me understand other Romance languages at least in the root words. Lawyers and doctors still use a bunch of Latin terms.

Actually there are a few who do. Specifically one half of one percent of the population of Switzerland speak Romansh (and it's one of the 4 official languages of the country) Very confusing to be sitting in a restaurant in an Alpine valley and hear people speaking what sounds like a high school Latin. Romansh language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[A-37]

Practical Spanish

If you want to learn the practical Spanish words, just hang around Lowe's for a few days.

All of their aisle signs are in English and Spanish. You'll soon know the Spanish words for "paint", "electrical",..........you get the idea.

Within a week or two, you'll be able to "Press 2" when you make your next business phone call.

 

[Rangerpat]

Gaelic, it's the ancient language of the country where I was born.
An uncle who served with Marines in the Pacific during WWII told me that they used Gaelic as a code talker language on occasions.
Of course the most famous code talkers were the Native-American Navajo Marines.

 

[Arik]

Yiddish of course.

That's easy. Learn German. 99% identical

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[arjay]

Learned German,French and Spanish as a kid,but I haven't used them in years.

 

[nicky4968]

My former sister-in-law (my less than intelligent brother divorced her) was born in Poland and would speak with her mother in Polish (her mother is another story: Nationalist underground.) They would make rude comments about people they saw in public places.

It turns out the well-nourished black man at the airport was the king of Samoa and is married to a nice Polish lady. He spoke to them in Polish, and they had a long conversation while waiting for their flights. He never mentioned that he had heard what they had said about him.

About six languages floating around my children (I never had the talent; must come from their mother). Like their grandfather, they don't let on they know what's going on in Greek, Arabic, French, Austrian, and goodness-knows-what-all.

 

[joeintexas]

I'm thinking......JIVE!!

 

[vytoland]

Funny you should say that.

When out shopping at the super market I may have a cashier and helper speaking Spanish in front of me while ringing up my order.

I then hit them with a few lines in Polish, the facial expressions

be sure to tell them..............

Proszę ustawić puszki na dnie worka. Nie chcę twinkies zgniecione.

(please place the cans on the bottom of the bag. I do not want my twinkies crushed.)

 

[BearBio]

Germans have never thought much of anything French except the trees along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. Germans prefer to march in the shade.

Seems to be a pretty universal attitude towards the French.

"Gaelic, it's the ancient language of the country where I was born."

There are differences between Irish, Gaelic (which is spoken in Scotland) and Manse/Manx (from the Isle of Man). Lowland "Scottish" is actually a German dialect. Welsh and Cornish are older Gaelic-based languages. I've been taking about a year of Irish. I can "kinda" get by.

My maternal grandmother was "black Irish"=Cherokee/Chickasaw (Registered with the tribes), Irish (Brady and Kelly) and likely some African, as well as some Middle Eastern (Anatolian bump). Grandfather was Cornish.

Paternal side was Dutch/German/Austrian. Paternal grandmother was Pennsylvania Dutch of Austrian background. I took German (5 years) and Spanish (1 year,+ an ex-wife who was a Chicana, and fishing and 4WD trips to Baja). Gr5andpa spoke Dutch to me, so I can understand it a little.

Count it all up and I bet I could come up with all 57.

 

[opamailman]

Brazil?

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

Arik, sorry to tell you but the national language in Brazil is Portugese.

 

[opamailman]

German plus

To address one post, northern German as you called it is known as High German. That is the default "dialect" taught in German schools. Knowing more than one German dialect is definitely a plus. Because of family background, I also understand to a large extent Russian, Polish, and the Austrian dialect.

Darned if I can get the hang of Spanish though.

 

[Arik]

Arik, sorry to tell you but the national language in Brazil is Portugese.

I still don't get what your point is. I never said it wasnt. I also listed Romania whats your point....they arnt Spanish either. I said that knowing Spanish you can get by in Brazil (S. American continent) and in Portugal (European continent). Now I say "get by" because it isn't Spanish but is Latin based and close enough that if you know one you arnt completely lost in either of those 2 countries. Like knowing Russian and going to Croatia or Slovakia.



Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Stephanie B]

I took German in high school. Primarily because I thought it would be useful, as I expected that the two Germanies would merge one day and then we'd have to settle their hash once and for all.

I tried teaching myself Russian. It was about as effective as trying to teach myself how to do an appendectomy.

 

[steveno]

I think taking out the appendix would be easier.

 

[Salty RI]

I took Spanish in High School but that was so many years ago, I can hardly remember the name of the school I went to, never mind anything else, I just wish everyone coming to this country would learn english, then we would not have to worry about learning another language.

 

[Arik]

I took German in high school. Primarily because I thought it would be useful, as I expected that the two Germanies would merge one day and then we'd have to settle their hash once and for all.

I tried teaching myself Russian. It was about as effective as trying to teach myself how to do an appendectomy.

Easier than you think. Just learn cursing and use them as sentences while changing you tone of voice and punctuation. If you can get that you can have conversational Russian. Just remember to use 7 curse words for every 3 regular words!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk