Lingusitics How many foreign languages do you speak/read?

[tehno]

I'm pretty fluent in English and German.My Russian needs a significant improvement,however.

 

[jtbell]

Might want to mention your native language, for a point of reference, while you're at it.

As for me, (American) English is my native language. My "best" foreign languages (the ones I try to keep up with by reading regularly, at least) are German and Finnish, so I'll put down "two". I've also studied some Spanish and Russian, so I can read street signs and other simple stuff, but I can't say I know them well.

 

[BobG]

My native language is English.

I have the literacy of a two-year-old in about three others.

 

[Kurdt]

English is my native language but I speak German and am fairly competant at French.

 

[radou]

My native language is Croatian. It's obvious what's the first non-native language I speak, und hier ist auch die zweite solche Sprache.

(...et mon Francais est terrible. )

 

[brewnog]

Fluent in English English, can read French, and can speak 'holiday French'. And I can say "cheers" in Finnish!

 

[BobG]

Fluent in English English, ...

Good point. I'm fluent in American English and semi-fluent in English English - at least I know the difference between a zebra crossing and a pelican crossing.

 

[tehno]

Might want to mention your native language, for a point of reference, while you're at it.

Croatian is my native language.

 

[Anttech]

Might want to mention your native language, for a point of reference, while you're at it.

As for me, (American) English is my native language. My "best" foreign languages (the ones I try to keep up with by reading regularly, at least) are German and Finnish, so I'll put down "two". I've also studied some Spanish and Russian, so I can read street signs and other simple stuff, but I can't say I know them well.

Finnish? Have you tried Hungarian also? The ugric language group is fascinating as it sounds NOTHING like any other European language

 

[Quaoar]

It's surprising to me that 2 foreign languages has the most votes at the moment. Also, whoever made the poll should not have made it legal to select multiple options :D

 

[Kurdt]

It's surprising to me that 2 foreign languages has the most votes at the moment. Also, whoever made the poll should not have made it legal to select multiple options :D

Is that a good surprise or bad surprise?

 

[radou]

Croatian is my native language.

Pozdrav, zemljache!

It's surprising to me that 2 foreign languages has the most votes at the moment. Also, whoever made the poll should not have made it legal to select multiple options :D

Actually, most of the people speak 2 foreign languages, at least based on my experience.

 

[Quaoar]

Is that a good surprise or bad surprise?

Good surprise

Actually, most of the people speak 2 foreign languages, at least based on my experience.

I kinda doubt this one...perhaps on this forum where most people are intelligent and affluent that's true, but I'm not sure if it's true in general. I would think that most people speak one foreign language because they're either forced to learn a second language in school (my case), or their parents are immigrants and speak another language at home. And unless you spend a significant amount of time in another country that speaks the language you learned in school, it's doubtful that you're going to be fluent in that language.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

My native language is English. I am fluent and literate in Japanese. When I was young I was fluent and literate in Hebrew, but I have forgotten it, so I only gave myself credit for one foreign language. My wife's native language is Chinese. She also speaks Taiwanese and Japanese. She had a hard time when she came to the US as we could only find schools that teach English as a second language.

 

[radou]

Good surprise



I kinda doubt this one...perhaps on this forum where most people are intelligent and affluent that's true, but I'm not sure if it's true in general. I would think that most people speak one foreign language because they're either forced to learn a second language in school (my case), or their parents are immigrants and speak another language at home. And unless you spend a significant amount of time in another country that speaks the language you learned in school, it's doubtful that you're going to be fluent in that language.

You're right, but I was actually referring to 'well-educated' people in general (whatever that term is supposed to mean).

 

[brewnog]

Good point. I'm fluent in American English and semi-fluent in English English - at least I know the difference between a zebra crossing and a pelican crossing.

To speak true English English you must also know the difference between a toucan crossing, a pegasus crossing, and a puffin crossing.

 

[Anttech]

I kinda doubt this one...perhaps on this forum where most people are intelligent and affluent that's true, but I'm not sure if it's true in general.

I think you would be surprised, in Europe at least the only mono-linguals are typically Francophones and Anglophones. The rest of Europe speaks at least 2 languages, typically.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

American English, with a year of German in college, many hispanic friends as a kid thus a fair amount of Spanish back then, a bit of Russian, enough French to order coffee in Paris, and Pig Latin, which Tsu and I use to keep the cats in the dark.

 

[cristo]

To speak true English English you must also know the difference between a toucan crossing, a pegasus crossing, and a puffin crossing.

What's a pegasus crossing? I've never heard of that before!

With regard to the question, I only speak English; oh, and a bit of French from school, but I doubt that's counted!

 

[Kurdt]

What's a pegasus crossing? I've never heard of that before!

Its a zebra crossing on a fly-over.

 

[Andre]

okay am I the only one for three? Proofs how old I am. In the dark ages of the educational system in the Netherlands, it was mandatory to study three foreign languages (German, French, English) with the philosophy that a small country has a lot of foreign neighbours. German and French are not a problem, but English..

 

[cristo]

Its a zebra crossing on a fly-over.

sounds a very safe idea...!

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

1 English, but I can also speak a little French, although not enough to warrant the title bi-lingual. In my country Anglaterre that practically makes me a polymath j/k.

 

[Anttech]

okay am I the only one for three? Proofs how old I am. In the dark ages of the educational system in the Netherlands, it was mandatory to study three foreign languages (German, French, English) with the philosophy that a small country has a lot of foreign neighbours. German and French are not a problem, but English..

The dutch really are amazing linguists. :) A real heavy Nord Holland accent speaking English, does however sound totally demented, like the CEO of Shell...

 

[Cyrus]

I speak American, DAMMIT!

Why don't YOU speak MY language.

 

[brewnog]

A pegasus crossing is for horses! It's got high-level button buzzer things so horse riders don't have to get off. And there's more space around them too I think.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

The dutch really are amazing linguists. :) A real heavy Nord Holland accent speaking English, does however sound totally demented, like the CEO of Shell...

I actually rarely take offense at having my grammar and spelling corrected by a Dutchman, those crazy Hollanders certainly know how to speak English, even if we don't English in this country has hundreds of dialects and a million and one slang words. Tha knows lad, baint nothing to hear an odd word on the tongue up t'North.

Why aye man, s'like proper English.

Now aint that pretty moi luverr.

She was like reet fit and right gorgeous, and I'd have given 'er a bit of hows your father and no messin'.

Ay ay, slike we're Northern but we ave bit of a laff about the words, and those boook reading Southern nancies aint nothin' on us Northerners.

You're avin' a giraffe aint ya? Northern munkeys, used to be a bath rather than a giraffe, in the war.

 

[cristo]

A pegasus crossing is for horses! It's got high-level button buzzer things so horse riders don't have to get off. And there's more space around them too I think.

That's what I was thinking, but since I've never seen one, I couldn't imagine that there were enough horses being ridden around busy roads to warrant the invention of such a crossing!

 

[Anttech]

aye I ken wit yer saying oh these gallas dialects, tho scots tisnea really English anymore tho, you ken, mucker?

 

[Chi Meson]

I became fluent in Spanish during High school (our teacher was from Barcelona, so I pronouce my "s's" like "th's"). THen I learned German in College. Now the two are mixed up.

"Abren sie la ventana, por bitte."
"Mach die fenster cerrado."

 

[rhuthwaite]

I am fluent with english, then have studied: zulu, afrikaans, german, french, japanese and I am currently being taught romanian by my romanian penpal. I do however mix english in if I am speaking a language and don't know a word, just put on the accent and say the english word, they sometimes understand what I mean

 

[Chi Meson]

aye I ken wit yer saying oh these gallas dialects, tho scots tisnea really English anymore tho, you ken, mucker?

Aye! I wis jist gaunnae say tha'.

 

[MeJennifer]

okay am I the only one for three? Proofs how old I am. In the dark ages of the educational system in the Netherlands, it was mandatory to study three foreign languages (German, French, English) with the philosophy that a small country has a lot of foreign neighbours. German and French are not a problem, but English..

Being able to speak many languages is great, but, each time I visit the Netherlands I get bombarded with anglicisms and Americanisms.

Once I was in a regular coffee shop, you have to qualify that when you visit the Netherlands, in Rotterdam, and looked at the menu, no "klein", "middel" and "groot" but " small", "medium" and "large"

It is funny, many Dutch insist on immigrants taking integration classes and exams while at the same time their speaking is loaded with anglicisms and their culture is infested with Americanisms.

 

[Gokul43201]

This brings my foreign language total down to zero...though if I add up my grammatical and vocabularistic skills in German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Latin and Creole, I might be able to match nearly any 3-year-old.

 

[radou]

It is funny, many Dutch insist on immigrants taking integration classes and exams while at the same time their speaking is loaded with anglicisms and their culture is infested with Americanisms.

Same story with the Germans.

 

[Anttech]

It is funny, many Dutch insist on immigrants taking integration classes and exams while at the same time their speaking is loaded with anglicisms and their culture is infested with Americanisms.

Its simply because of hollywood...

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Same story with the Germans.

English maths is loaded with Liebnitzism's works both ways.

\frac {dy}{dx} = \frac {dy}{du}.\frac{du}{dx}

I always found the short hand easier to deal with though as in this case it's a little different than simply fractions but the multiple chain rule shows how they cancel out.

F'(x) = f '(g(x)) g '(x) depends on the equation

 

[Andre]

Being able to speak many languages is great, but, each time I visit the Netherlands I get bombarded with anglicisms and Americanisms.

Once I was in a regular coffee shop, you have to qualify that when you visit the Netherlands, in Rotterdam, and looked at the menu, no "klein", "middel" and "groot" but " small", "medium" and "large"

It is funny, many Dutch insist on immigrants taking integration classes and exams while at the same time their speaking is loaded with anglicisms and their culture is infested with Americanisms.

You're quite right, although there are a few odd Dutch words, which still survive. Quite a interesting difference with Germany where I live currently, where puritism rules, as well as in France. Almost everywhere a computer is a computer except for the Germany ("Rechner") and the French ("ordinateur"). Also foreign movies are spoken in, instead of using subtitles. This is perhaps why Dutch youth have quite a edge over their German and French counterparts, for learning other languages.

But other elements of the Dutch culture as in art, architecture, writing, theatre, kitchen, etc is still existing and some people think that it should stay that way, therefore one should learn about tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, nasi goreng and taxes in the intergration classes

 

[MeJennifer]

nasi goreng

Right, nasi goreng, in Holland, with a Heineken beer, by the "afhaal Chinees", translated, "the pickup Chinese".
How more Dutch can you get!

 

[arildno]

English, German and the linguistic perversion known as Neo-Norwegian

 

[SticksandStones]

I speak English, and that's about it. I took 2 years of Spanish in High School...and remember none of it.

I think I'll minor in German though, I've always wanted to go there.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I can for the being able of speak three languages, English the best.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm fluent in two languages...American English and British English (brilliant!).

I learned Spanish in college, but haven't used it in so long, I'd be hard-pressed to construct a single sentence anymore. I used to be pretty good at understanding spoken Spanish (having been immersed in it by association with a Spanish-speaking friend and all her Spanish-speaking family and acquaintances), but was never very good at speaking it.

I used to be able to read Latin too, but that's not very useful for anything other than knowing the origin of medical/anatomical terms.

 

[Pyrrhus]

My native language is Spanish. I speak fluently english, and i speak with the profiency of a toddler russian and portuguese.

 

[mattmns]

My native language is English. I am slowly learning Russian though.

 

[jtbell]

Quite a interesting difference with Germany where I live currently, where puritism rules, as well as in France. Almost everywhere a computer is a computer except for the Germany ("Rechner") and the French ("ordinateur").

German purism is far from absolute. When I visited Germany a couple of years ago, I was amused to see the spread of the word "Ticket" in place of "Fahrkarte", for example in the "Tagesticket" that many city bus/tram systems offer.

 

[scorpa]

I only speak english, if I had to I might be able to get by in french, but it would be tough...I can hardly remember any of it anymore. I would love to learn russian one day, I'm hoping to maybe start learning it as an arts option next year.

 

[radou]

Interesting, a lot of people seem to like Russian. I wonder what the motivation is. Does it sound so exotic?

 

[scorpa]

Interesting, a lot of people seem to like Russian. I wonder what the motivation is. Does it sound so exotic?

I've just always been fascinated by the country, I love reading and learning about it. I'd really like to go there one day and figure it would be easier if I understand the language haha. My grandma was born there and maybe that's where my interest started.

 

[radou]

I've just always been fascinated by the country, I love reading and learning about it. I'd really like to go there one day and figure it would be easier if I understand the language haha. My grandma was born there and maybe that's where my interest started.

That's nice, it's always a good motivation.

I never liked Russian, it sounds somehow cold. Although it sounds similar as my native language, we have a considerable amount of words in common.