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DeadOperaStar
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01 Oct 2012, 10:35 pm

wow.. cool post, and cool to see so many people with all these language abilities. i really admire that and even envy you guys a bit. i've dabbled in a few languages, but the only one i've really stuck to and made progress in is mainland (mandarin) chinese. i'm to the point now where if the speaker isn't bringing on too much dialect or local accent, i can follow the gist of virtually everything they say. i'm too self conscious and want to edit everything i say, so currently my speaking ability is not what my listening ability would suggest. so i end up in a lot of funny conversations where folks talk to me in chinese and i answer in english. it's how virtually every conversation between me and my girlfriend goes. when i teach english, students often ask me questions in chinese (especially lower level students). oh, and my writing? it's okay. needs more practice, but when i put work into it, honestly i believe i'm pretty fair at it, even above average a little bit.



Mummy_of_Peanut
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02 Oct 2012, 4:56 am

My native language is Scots, which is a dialect of English, (the language of Robert Burns's poems) but every Scot can speak standard English too. I normally speak in a sort of mixture of the two. The only words I know in Scots Gaelic are agus (and) and Alba (Scotland). It's not spoken here at all, only in the highlands and islands, even though we have a TV channel dedicated to it. I learned French in school, 3 years beyond the requirement, but I think I've forgotten most of what I learned. I've been learning Italian for years. I know phrases and have a good level of vocabulary, but conversing is not easy for me.


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Ingz
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02 Oct 2012, 5:58 am

The language spoken in my country, where I was born and raised in my whole life is Icelandic, but I feel that English is my primary language. I can express myself better in English, but I'm still completely fluent in Icelandic.
I often have to help my parents with English, one example was when my father was trying to apply for a job in Norway.

I used to be fluent in Danish, but I'm very rusty. I learned Danish while visiting my cousin for two weeks when I was 5 years old.

I can barely manage in Swedish and Norwegian.

I can read Norwegian and Swedish, for the most part.

I know a a little German, but read it more easily.

I know a tiny bit in Polish and Icelandic Sign Language.

I would like to learn all languages fluently, but on top of the list are Sign Language (Icelandic and English), German, French, Spanish, Greek, Latin, Arabic and Morse Code.

The problem is that I've never been able to learn languages by books. I learned both English and Danish by listening. Although, I feel that I'm not as quick to pick up on languages as I used to.


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Mindsigh
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03 Oct 2012, 4:43 pm

equestriatola wrote:
Mindsigh wrote:
equestriatola wrote:
I've wanted to speak more French.....


I picked up most of my French from opera. When I was 11, I learned Carmen and Les Contes d'Hoffmann in their entireties. I'm not musical, just good at memorizing stuff and extrapolating from examples. I can still sing the "Seguedilla". :wink:


J'mappelle Johnny? :D


Bonjour, Johnny. Je m'appelle Barbara. Ca va? Qui fait les temps en Seattle? Il pleut beaucoup, n'est c'est pas?

Not sure if that's the correct preposition for "in Seattle". Maybe it should be aux?


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jmnixon95
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03 Oct 2012, 5:05 pm

English and German fluently
Japanese, so-so
Mandarin Chinese, I know basic phrases



invisiblesilent
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03 Oct 2012, 7:19 pm

Mindsigh wrote:
Bonjour, Johnny. Je m'appelle Barbara. Ca va? Qui fait les temps en Seattle? Il pleut beaucoup, n'est c'est pas?

Not sure if that's the correct preposition for "in Seattle". Maybe it should be aux?


"In Seattle" would be "à Seattle". You use "en" to describe being in a country e.g. "en France" or "en Angleterre".



equestriatola
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04 Oct 2012, 11:14 pm

How can I teach myself another language well, on that note?


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MisterSpock
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05 Oct 2012, 3:43 am

equestriatola wrote:
How can I teach myself another language well, on that note?


Everybody learns differently. I learn by rote, someone I know learned Arabic by Rosetta Stone software, and there are various publishers who have language 'courses' with audio examples.
Personally, I find the 'For Dummies' format to be sub-par, at least for my way of learning.



equestriatola
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05 Oct 2012, 7:32 am

Mindsigh wrote:
equestriatola wrote:
Mindsigh wrote:
equestriatola wrote:
I've wanted to speak more French.....


I picked up most of my French from opera. When I was 11, I learned Carmen and Les Contes d'Hoffmann in their entireties. I'm not musical, just good at memorizing stuff and extrapolating from examples. I can still sing the "Seguedilla". :wink:


J'mappelle Johnny? :D


Bonjour, Johnny. Je m'appelle Barbara. Ca va? Qui fait les temps en Seattle? Il pleut beaucoup, n'est c'est pas?

Not sure if that's the correct preposition for "in Seattle". Maybe it should be aux?


Barbara, alors qu'il se met à pleuvoir, il a été plutôt agréable ici ces derniers temps .... J'aime ce temps.


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equestriatola
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14 Dec 2012, 5:05 am

Anyway......... is there any other way to learn another language?


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Feel free to talk to me, if you wish. :)

Every day is a gift- cherish it!

"A true, true friend helps a friend in need."