How many languages do you speak?

[DD]

German, and some basic French. Actually, I think it's more fair to say that I can comprehend spoken French and read and write it, but I can't speak it. My French professor used to literally wince when I tried. A weird thing has happened with Spanish over the years...I can read it. I've never taken a Spanish class.

Has anyone ever tried Rosetta Stone? I've been toying with the idea of trying it to learn Spanish.

And speaking of other languages, does anyone know how to say either tsunami or super in French?

Punzy, I have thought about Rosetta Stone too. Would love to hear if anyone knows about it. I am planning to go to Italy one day and would love to learn Italian. And yes, wenches, I know I have to fly.

I speak Southern (both coastal and foothills), and can read in American.

I speak Southern too--Texan Southern.

I can speak Mexican sign language. You know the kind where you point to the broom and make a sweeping motion with your hands.

:funn:

 

[Smiling JOe]

汉语非常很快将是我的第一种语言
(Chinese will be my first language very soon.)

 

[Mango]

My father was born in P.R and his mother was Spanish, so we were raised with it my house. My mother is fluent in it and is Italian, but still raises hail when she calls someone and the person on the phone can't speak English.
So I get words mixed up in Italian and Spanish sometimes. I am not as fluent though as MANGo in Spanish. He understands the street Spanish due to his work, which is quite different than learning it from a book. Many slangs like in the English language. I know some Dutch since my sister lived in Holland for 8 years. I can sing the song from Flipper fluently, the rest just some choice words. They speak English in the Dutch schools from birth, and if you try to speak Dutch to anyone, they speak English back to you so they can practice theirs, They speak Dutch in my sisters house, so my nephews are fluent and they know some Spanish too. Quite funny since now they live in the South to hear them speak Dutch or Spanish with a Southern drawl.

 

[Andy A]

Yeah, the natives did that in Germany,too, when I was stationed there. I'd speak German to try and improve my language skills and invariably they would reply in English. I finally gave up and resigned myself to not becoming fluent in German. Like Rapunzel, my German teacher in college would wince also when I spoke German.

 

[tistheseason]

My father was born in P.R and his mother was Spanish, so we were raised with it my house. My mother is fluent in it and is Italian, but still raises hail when she calls someone and the person on the phone can't speak English.
So I get words mixed up in Italian and Spanish sometimes. I am not as fluent though as MANGo in Spanish. He knows the street Spanish, which is quite different than learning it from a book. Many slangs like in the English language. I know some Dutch since my sister lived in Holland for 8 years.
I can sing the song from Flipper fluently, the rest just some choice words.
They speak English in the Dutch schools from birth, and if you try to speak Dutch to anyone, they speak English back to you so they can practice theirs, They speak Dutch in my sisters house, so my nephews are fluent and they know some Spanish too. Quite funny since now they live in the South to hear them speak Dutch or Spanish with a Southern drawl.

They do this to me in Spain, too. But it might be because my spanish is soo terrible!

 

[iwishiwasthere]

German, and some basic French. Actually, I think it's more fair to say that I can comprehend spoken French and read and write it, but I can't speak it. My French professor used to literally wince when I tried. A weird thing has happened with Spanish over the years...I can read it. I've never taken a Spanish class.

Has anyone ever tried Rosetta Stone? I've been toying with the idea of trying it to learn Spanish.

And speaking of other languages, does anyone know how to say either tsunami or super in French?

It is an excellent program. We use it in our school system. Since you already know 2 languages, it should be easy for you to pick up Spainish. It seems that some people have an innate ability to speak another languages. That may be you!

 

[Mermaid]

Has anyone ever tried Rosetta Stone? I've been toying with the idea of trying it to learn Spanish.

And speaking of other languages, does anyone know how to say either tsunami or super in French?

Punzy, Rosetta Stone is good but there are many good programs out there, such as Pimsleur and Living Language. I'd go to the library and try out different ones before spending the big $$ on any one in particular.

"Tsunami" is the same in English as French; the gender is masculine. "Super" is almost the same--superbe.

I can read French well enough all the time but I really need to practice speaking it if I want to make myself understood. And I have to say that the only time I ever practice is when I have a French trip in the works.

DD, Philippa is taking Italian at Purdue so she will be prepared for junior year abroad. I haven't the faintest doubt that she will be conversational. I've never seen someone bit with the Italy bug quite as badly as my daughter. Except maybe you.

There was something in the paper in the op-ed page, a comment to the effect that it would bode well for the US if there were a special scholarship fund for the sole purpose of sending high school graduates abroad--anywhere--just to show them how we fit into the scheme of the world at large. I've noticed that colleges are really pushing for their students to spend some school time abroad, no matter what their majors are. Again, to round out their education and clue them into the big global picture.

 

[Beach Runner]

I speak Southern.

I also speak a little French (after having it in grades 1-12 plus my freshman year in college), although the French don't understand me because of my strong Southern accent. UF required two foreign languages for a Ph.D. in math (for doing research), so I took a German class designed to meet the requirement (at least the 70th percentile on the G.R.E. in German). When I review my old German book before we travel in Germany, I can speak a little German.

We like to buy those Barron book/CD sets that teach you the minimum amount of a language to get by. We review these before trips to Italy because we always rent a car -- out in the country it can be hard to find someone who speaks English.

I don't even attempt to learn any Asian languages, but hubby goes to Japan often enough that he can speak some Japanese.

I really need to learn Spanish. That was the biggest mistake I made on our trips to Spain. I hate going to a restaurant and not being able to read the menu.

 

[Allifunn]

one year of Spanish in HS, 2 semesters of Spanish in College...then I promptly forgot everything I had learned...now, many roll years later I am using much of my forgotten Spanish with my kitchen staff at the sorority house (from Guatamala) It is amazing how much I actually did retain! I can't speak fluently...but I remember many of the words and phrases

 

[Mango]

That happens with every language. Unless you are raised with it and use it daily, you forget. Same here for me Afunn. I don't remember squat, but when someone uses it around me, phrases and words come back.
I think to be really fluent and retain the language, someone has to live in that country, use it at home daily, or do what they do in like in Holland. The kids start from kindergaarten.