Learn French: Pros and Cons for You

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the pros and cons of learning French as a foreign language, exploring its usefulness and appeal compared to other languages. Participants share personal motivations, preferences, and experiences related to language learning, with a focus on cultural connections and practical applications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a desire to learn French due to familiarity with its words and cultural appeal.
  • Others suggest alternative languages such as Hebrew, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Cambodian, and Scandinavian languages.
  • A few participants question the necessity of learning a new language, suggesting it may not be useful if one has not already learned it.
  • Some argue that learning a language can enhance cultural understanding and provide new perspectives.
  • There are mentions of the similarities between Romance languages, noting that knowledge of one can facilitate learning others.
  • Participants discuss the relationship between English and other languages, particularly the influence of French and German on English vocabulary and grammar.
  • One participant shares an observation about the timing of speech in English and German, noting their similarities in duration during translation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best language to learn, with multiple competing views on the usefulness and appeal of various languages, including French. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the overall necessity and benefits of learning a new language.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express personal motivations and cultural connections that influence their language choices, while others emphasize practical considerations. The discussion includes various assumptions about language learning that are not fully explored.

heman
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Can you suggest me it is best to learn which foreign language and which will be more useful to me,
I will like to learn french just only because i am familiar with some of it words and find them impressive.
What do you think?
 
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I know: Russian, English, Spanish

I want to learn: Hebrew, Greek, Chinese, & Japanese
 
Where do you live or plan on living? What field are you studying?
 
Last edited:
loseyourname said:
Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam!

Just flows off the tongue, doesn't it?
 
hypnagogue said:
Just flows off the tongue, doesn't it?
Trippingly... :groan:
I know it's 'on the tongue' but whatever.[/color]
 
heman said:
Can you suggest me it is best to learn which foreign language and which will be more useful to me,
I will like to learn french just only because i am familiar with some of it words and find them impressive.
What do you think?
why does it impress you ?
suggest you to learn slangs.
Slangs makes a man more male !
 
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suggest you to learn cambodian 2
 
Last edited:
honestrosewater said:
Where do you live or plan on living? What field are you studying?

I live on India and want to live in India forever(I love my country! :smile: ) except some coming years at US,I am studying Computer Science and after completion of master's degree from here,would like to do phd in US.
 
  • #10
Sanskrit. :D
 
  • #11
klusener said:
Sanskrit. :D


I already know that. :biggrin:
 
  • #12
And By the way didn't you see that i was pointing to Foreign languages.!
 
  • #13
Why learn a language at all? It seems as though you are just learning one for the sake of it, as if it would be really useful you would have already learned it. I personally would spend the time having fun, or learning something else.
 
  • #14
mattmns said:
Why learn a language at all? It seems as though you are just learning one for the sake of it, as if it would be really useful you would have already learned it. I personally would spend the time having fun, or learning something else.

Well i believe learning a new language will be more fun for me,
I just want to start with one...
Basically i want to learn so that i can feel comfortable with peoples of other culture and different nationalities...It's always an advantage i feel as it adds a new prespective!
 
  • #15
Considering that you already know English is a good start, it gives you an advantage to learning most other languages that use the Graeco-Roman alphabet (the Germanic and the Romance languages) but German will probably be the most convenient one, considering that English was originally derived from the Germanic family (but has lots of strange words originating from everywhere, from Nordic words like "north" to the American amalgamations of "hula-hoop" and "hip-hop.")
 
  • #16
Yeah learn french, i encourage u..
 
  • #17
Learn a scandinavian language, then move there. Everywhere else is crap.
 
  • #18
French would be a good third language. I love listening to French being spoken. :approve:
 
  • #19
Evo said:
French would be a good third language. I love listening to French being spoken. :approve:
Normally I would abuse that to the best of my ability, but I can't seem to remember the french words for "Sybaritic" and "Sensual".
 
  • #20
I have been told that if you learn any of Portuguese, Spanish, or Italian, then you can understand and probably learn to converse in the other two pretty quickly (e.g. at the airport upon arrival).

French is also a "Romantic" language (no pun :smile:) but a little more distant to the ohers.

Also heard that Persian grammar is very similar to French; and I wouldn't be surprised if French is close to Sanskrit, too. They are all Indo-European languages.
 
  • #21
Spanish Italian and French are very similar, portuguese is a little different but still a romantic language. All of them are of course similar to English as well, but French even moreso.
 
  • #22
Smurf said:
Spanish Italian and French are very similar, portuguese is a little different but still a romantic language. All of them are of course similar to English as well, but French even moreso.
English has French words but Germanic (Teutonic? Nordic?) grammar.

Consider these word-by-word translations: German "Ich liebe dich" ("I love you") vs. French "Je t'aime" ("I you love").
 
  • #23
Interesting tidbit: English and German also take about the same amount of time to say the same thing. I noticed this watching interviews that had been translated into English. With most languages, the interviewee and translator finish speaking at different times, at least a few seconds off. But with German, they end at almost exactly the same time. :smile: (Okay, maybe that's not so interesting to normal people...)
 

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