How many languages can you speak?

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In summary: Example: "The convenience for a dog owner to be able to leave their pet at home while they go out." The first definition is that it is convenient for the dog owner, and the second is that it is convenient for the burglar.
  • #141
HossamCFD said:
I'm only fluent in English and (Egyptian) Arabic.
I understand Standard Arabic (written and spoken) almost perfectly, but can't really speak it without making more grammatical mistakes than actual words in a given sentence. I also can't help but giggle whenever I have to speak it, it sounds as if I'm giving a speech in the parliament.

I tried learning German for 2 years but we didn't get along too well. I was alright with the pronunciation but the cases and the three genders proved too challenging for my simple mind. I learned French for most of my childhood to the extent that I studied science and maths in French but sadly I can't remember much of it. I can still read it with an acceptable accent though whenever I want to sound a bit of a snob :-p

So is Arabic easier for you to understand than German (if we forget about speaking)? That's interesting considering the fact that Arabic is from a different language family and uses different alphabet than English. German genders and cases are truly difficult! We have genders too, but the problem is that German genders are different than ours (eg their das Buch is neuter, but ours is female) so it gets sooo confusing :)
I just read an interesting post on another site today and one guy who speaks many languages said that for him, German and Arabic are the most beautiful and deep languages in the world.
 
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  • #142
Sophia said:
So is Arabic easier for you to understand than German (if we forget about speaking)? That's interesting considering the fact that Arabic is from a different language family and uses different alphabet than English.
I imagine Arabic would be a lot more difficult than German if you try to learn it as a foreign language. I wouldn't know for sure, Arabic is my native language. I would say that the Alphabet isn't the hardest part. It's almost as long as the English Alphabet and you could probably get used to it in a couple of days. You can also train your hand to write from right to left rather than the other way around relatively easily. Everything else is quite different from any European language though. The grammar is quite challenging, sentences tend to be very long, and you can have whole sentences without any verb.

The situation is actually a bit more complicated and requires some explaining. Standard Arabic* is the official and written language in almost all 22 Arabic countries (not sure about Somalia and Comoros). However, you can hardly find anyone who speaks it natively. People speak local dialects (there's about 5 families of them) in their everyday use and you can hear standard Arabic only in prepared speech such as presidential appearances and what not. For political and religious reasons none of the dialects has been standardised in written format or adopted as an official language. So you end up with the bizarre situation that you speak a language that you can't write and you write in a language that you're not native in.

Sophia said:
I just read an interesting post on another site today and one guy who speaks many languages said that for him, German and Arabic are the most beautiful and deep languages in the world.
That's very interesting. I tried before to form an opinion on what's the most beautiful language I know but couldn't really work out how to do so. I'm not great with languages in general and I can barely express my thoughts in an intelligible way. I would say though that standard Arabic can be vague and playful which makes it an ideal language for poetry, but a nightmare if you want to use it to be precise, for instance in scientific discourse.

*By standard Arabic I mean both Modern Standard Arabic and Classical (Quranic) Arabic. Arabs in general don't recognise a difference between the two and they're both referred to as Al-Fusha (the eloquent). The distinction is almost exclusive to western linguists.
 
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  • #143
HossamCFD said:
The situation is actually a bit more complicated and requires some explaining. Standard Arabic* is the official and written language in almost all 22 Arabic countries (not sure about Somalia and Comoros). However, you can hardly find anyone who speaks it natively. People speak local dialects (there's about 5 families of them) in their everyday use and you can hear standard Arabic only in prepared speech such as presidential appearances and what not. For political and religious reasons none of the dialects has been standardised in written format or adopted as an official language. So you end up with the bizarre situation that you speak a language that you can't write and you write in a language that you're not native in.

I didn't know about this, it's very interesting. When people speak in dialects, how much can they understand each other, if they don't use standard Arabic?

HossamCFD said:
The grammar is quite challenging, sentences tend to be very long, and you can have whole sentences without any verb.
I can't imagine a long sentence without a verb. is it possible to somehow give an example of such sentence?

HossamCFD said:
I would say though that standard Arabic can be vague and playful which makes it an ideal language for poetry, but a nightmare if you want to use it to be precise, for instance in scientific discourse.
.
Maybe because German is such a systematic language it has produced so many scientific minds. But on the other hand, you say that Arabic is more poetical, but there have been many Arab scholars as well. So even if they say that language forms thought processes, it is not the only variable. Or, Arabic stimulates brain as well, but in another form than German.
 
  • #144
Sophia said:
I didn't know about this, it's very interesting. When people speak in dialects, how much can they understand each other, if they don't use standard Arabic?
Yeah people mostly understand each others dialects to varying degrees but there's almost never any need to use standard Arabic. This is mostly due to cultural interactions like music and TV etc... To my ears, Levantine Arabic (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories) is the easiest and the one I struggle with the most is the north African (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco) dialect.
Sophia said:
I can't imagine a long sentence without a verb. is it possible to somehow give an example of such sentence?
Well the main thing is just that verb 'to be' in the present tense is normally implied. So if I'm writing Arabic, the very last sentence would be an example for a sentence without a verb. Long sentences tend to have verbs though, unless the author is being deliberately opaque.
 
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<h2>1. How many languages can you speak?</h2><p>As a scientist, I am trained in the use of scientific language and terminology. I am also proficient in English, which is the language of scientific communication. However, I may not be fluent in any other languages.</p><h2>2. Can you speak multiple languages?</h2><p>As a scientist, my focus is on conducting research and analyzing data rather than learning multiple languages. While I may have some knowledge of other languages, I may not be fluent in speaking them.</p><h2>3. Is being multilingual important for a scientist?</h2><p>Being multilingual can be beneficial for a scientist, especially if they are conducting research in a region where a different language is spoken. However, it is not a requirement for success in the field of science.</p><h2>4. Do you use different languages in your research?</h2><p>While I may have to use different languages to communicate with colleagues or participants in my research, the majority of my work is conducted in English. This is because English is the primary language used in scientific communication.</p><h2>5. How do you communicate with scientists from other countries?</h2><p>As a scientist, I communicate with colleagues from other countries through various means such as email, video conferencing, and international conferences. While language barriers may exist, we are able to effectively communicate using a combination of English and other languages as needed.</p>

1. How many languages can you speak?

As a scientist, I am trained in the use of scientific language and terminology. I am also proficient in English, which is the language of scientific communication. However, I may not be fluent in any other languages.

2. Can you speak multiple languages?

As a scientist, my focus is on conducting research and analyzing data rather than learning multiple languages. While I may have some knowledge of other languages, I may not be fluent in speaking them.

3. Is being multilingual important for a scientist?

Being multilingual can be beneficial for a scientist, especially if they are conducting research in a region where a different language is spoken. However, it is not a requirement for success in the field of science.

4. Do you use different languages in your research?

While I may have to use different languages to communicate with colleagues or participants in my research, the majority of my work is conducted in English. This is because English is the primary language used in scientific communication.

5. How do you communicate with scientists from other countries?

As a scientist, I communicate with colleagues from other countries through various means such as email, video conferencing, and international conferences. While language barriers may exist, we are able to effectively communicate using a combination of English and other languages as needed.

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