Learning Languages

[thoughtonfire]

List in your opinion the essential languages to learn. And which languages do you speak?

[mountain]

I speak a bit of Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Japanese. Would love to learn ALL of them like R2D2...

[joe911]

English [essential for the western world]
French [Because its amazing]
German [because german guys are hot]
Russian [because nobody else here speaks it so you can call them what you like and they are oblivious to it.]

[choice]

Essential languages to learn...i dunno. I really like them all somehow.

I speak fluently english, french, spanish, dutch, portuguese, some italian, and am starting serbian.
Besides this, am quite curious about finnish and am hoping to do it in the near future.

[kappy0405]

English is the most important because it's spoken everywhere atleast somewhat commonly. If you plan on living in North American once the NAU is formed, Spanish will be VERY important unless you wanna be stuck flipping burgers, or head way up North where the Mexicans won't go. :D (that's not meant to be racist, btw)

I don't know what is most common in Europe, but I would assume French would be pretty useful. I'd like to learn Arabic, just because it sounds cool & I'd like to visit the MidEast someday. =/

[guuna]

French is pretty useful iF you want to travel round Africa, also Portuguese and (obviously) English.

In Latin America- Spanish.

In former iron curtain lands Russian is widely understood, so is useful (but is apparently got a bit of a stigma in some parts).

[coco]

My mother insisted I learn French when I was in high school so I would have some class and she could brag to people that I speak it. I learned the language quickly and easily. I have not used French since thus I've completely forgotten the language. It's not because I didn't enjoy it but I've never had the opportunity to use it.

I really wanted to learn Spanish as it is so useful a language in the US. Bi lingual Spanish can make you far more employable and may even earn you 25-50 cents or more per hour. Additionally, you can read more newspapers, read more sites, communicate with more people, and figure out what the hell is going on in those Spanish television programs.

It's not over yet, I still want to learn Spanish and I may before it's all said and done. Otherwise, I only know English.

People who speak multiple languages really have the world as their oyster IMO.

[whybeherenow]

Essential? None.

I have a question for anyone who speaks multiple languages. What language do you think in? Have been told it is a stupid question but I continue to ask.

[coco]

Essential? None.

I have a question for anyone who speaks multiple languages. What language do you think in? Have been told it is a stupid question but I continue to ask.

That's actually a very good question, I don't think it's stupid. Maybe whoever told you it was stupid didn't wish to give it any thought.

[quetzalcoatl]

List in your opinion the essential languages to learn. And which languages do you speak?

The language of un-conditional Love. :D - That shud go way off the scale on the 'cheese-o-meter'! :D

Found English almost enough of a challenge for myself.. obviously! :D

[joe911]

I have a question for anyone who speaks multiple languages. What language do you think in? Have been told it is a stupid question but I continue to ask.

When learning a language,i think in it as much as possible,,or think how it would be said in that language.

Come to think of it,,i think sign language should be on that essential list.

[whybeherenow]

That's actually a very good question, I don't think it's stupid. Maybe whoever told you it was stupid didn't wish to give it any thought.

It's a common reaction, or some variation on it. I don't think the question has an answer, but I just like hearing what people think.

Someone answered once that thought doesn't have a language.

If I didn't learn any language at all, I would still have thoughts? Or would I? When I think its words. What if I didn't know any words? Yes I know people can also think in pictures etc.

That's why I like to ask people who speak multiple languages what language they think in.

Think I am going to disappear up my own backside soon. (Icke book reference).

[joe911]

It's a common reaction, or some variation on it. I don't think the question has an answer, but I just like hearing what people think.

Someone answered once that thought doesn't have a language.

If I didn't learn any language at all, I would still have thoughts? Or would I? When I think its words. What if I didn't know any words? Yes I know people can also think in pictures etc.

That's why I like to ask people who speak multiple languages what language they think in.

Think I am going to disappear up my own backside soon. (Icke book reference).

There's some truth in that.Some think in pictures,some in words,some both.

[whybeherenow]

I can remember reading an article about couples who did NOT speak or understand each other languages, e.g. American G.I.'s marrying Japanese girls after WWII, who had idyllic relationships until they did learn each others language.

So Joe911, you may like to give German a miss.:D

[joe911]

So Joe911, you may like to give German a miss.:D

:D:D Damm...still,,i suppose it couldnt hurt my chances;
http://www.peter-michael.de/Peter10.jpg:p:p :eek: :p
^ ^ One of the reasons im learning german :p:o

[thoughtonfire]

http://unklesal.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/hotforwords_pub_sml2.jpg

www.hotforwords.com :cool:

I suppose I should start with Russian :D

[windeyaho]

SMACK!!! That will be just about enough of that ladys and gentlemen. . . it's getting a little too steamy in this thread.......LOL:p

[redskywalker]

List in your opinion the essential languages to learn. And which languages do you speak?

No

[the om]

I speak english and germany fluently, and would really be up for learning any language i find myself in the right context to learn. Like, the only reason I learned german was because I lived in Switzerland for about 13 years. I'd also really like to learn the base languages (like latin and ... I guess it would be Chinese in the east).

[quetzalcoatl]

Also, I'd recommend learning body language - absolutely no sexual connotations implied.. ;) :D

You know, consciously learn to read the subconscious language of the body.. after-all, it is a major part of communication! :)

[pinkfreud]

Come to think of it,,i think sign language should be on that essential list.


+1.

other 'essential' languages- english, french and spanish.


and i think spanish is too goddamn sexy.

[harrypotter]

I speak Italian and English

Just started learning Spanish and would love to learn Arabic and French

[yozhik]

My wife and I were just discussing this the other day, re: our daughter and what opportunities we would like her to have.

Environment

English
Russian


Suggested

French
German
Chinese


Optional

Spanish
Japanese

[joe911]

thoughtonfire Thankyouu sooooooo much for starting this thread!!!


So Joe911, you may like to give German a miss.:D

The same night you said that,,i went and i met a boy,,who just happens to look like peter michael,,and is also german,,strange coincidence huh? lol :p

[bindare dundat]

My other half is Lithuanian so I am learning slowly and there are a few words she calls me but wont tell me what it means and I can cuss her in slang and she doesnt know what Im saying so rows are few and far between

[father ted]

Sumarian, Atlantian (Celtic maybe), those would be awesome to learn.

[jammasterj13]

I speak Hindi/Urdu, Gujerati, Punjabi fluently.
Basic French, Intermediate Spanish and English of course.

Would like to learn to speak Cantonese and Mandarin, Russian and Japanese.

My daughter who is 7 years old, is fluent in Gujerati and can speak Basic Spanish as well, not forgetting English as well.

[skaarlaw]

Essential? None.

I have a question for anyone who speaks multiple languages. What language do you think in? Have been told it is a stupid question but I continue to ask.

English only here, but due to alot of time spent by myself my language in my head is something different from what is logically "words" in any language, I think in animations and if I had the ability to animate well I could describe to the world what i see and feel in my head xD

[fairyelfdog]

Essential? None.

I have a question for anyone who speaks multiple languages. What language do you think in? Have been told it is a stupid question but I continue to ask.

I don't find it to be a stupid question. I only speak two languages: swedish and english. I can never seem to decide what language to think in. So often these days I find myself thinking in english because I read english at the computer and most of my litterature is in english, then again, my surrounding speaks swedish so when I step away for a while, I think in swedish. It varies even when I'm by myself. When I think of english personas/contexts/books then of course, it's english. When my mind moves to more mundane, down to earth issues, it's swedish. Then again sometimes but more seldom it's reversed. I even get a bit worried at times because I don't use swedish enough.

[delamo1999]

English is the most important because it's spoken everywhere atleast somewhat commonly. If you plan on living in North American once the NAU is formed, Spanish will be VERY important unless you wanna be stuck flipping burgers, or head way up North where the Mexicans won't go. :D (that's not meant to be racist, btw)

I don't know what is most common in Europe, but I would assume French would be pretty useful. I'd like to learn Arabic, just because it sounds cool & I'd like to visit the MidEast someday. =/

Not true. Many companies in AZ, Texas, and CA are putting bilingual in spanish in their job descriptions. These are not just for customer service phone jobs either. There are many people who work in offices who will speak english when needed, but will speak spanish to their spanish speaking coworkers. These people too are not just the janitors or the people working in the warehouse. The workers who do not speak spanish are out of the loop so this has sometimes created a division amongst employees. And nothing is done about it.

[pri01]

I don't find it to be a stupid question. I only speak two languages: swedish and english. I can never seem to decide what language to think in. So often these days I find myself thinking in english because I read english at the computer and most of my litterature is in english, then again, my surrounding speaks swedish so when I step away for a while, I think in swedish. It varies even when I'm by myself. When I think of english personas/contexts/books then of course, it's english. When my mind moves to more mundane, down to earth issues, it's swedish. Then again sometimes but more seldom it's reversed. I even get a bit worried at times because I don't use swedish enough.

I've asked this question of people who's first language is not English. I asked it because when I learned French at school, I read the English text then converted it in my head to French. So I thought in English yet communicated it back in French. I think people who learn many languages are very talented by the way and wish I had the skills to learn more. I would quite like to learn Russian.