What languages do you speak, or are you learning, and why have you chosen these particular languages?

English came naturally from watching tv, movies, listening music. Everything is subtitled here and music wise were very much orientated on the UK and the States.

French and German were forced on me in highschool and college. Mandatory and not free choice. But German is fairly easy to follow anyway since it's very similar to dutch.

Now you yoyobek. :)

English came naturally from watching tv, movies, listening music. Everything is subtitled here and music wise were very much orientated on the UK and the States.

French and German were forced on me in highschool and college. Mandatory and not free choice. But German is fairly easy to follow anyway since it's very similar to dutch.

Now you yoyobek. :)

So Dutch is your *first* language?

It must feel so good to be able to speak so many languages.

Out of the ones you have, which one was hardest for you to learn?





I'm learning as many languages as possible. England is not my home, this country is unpleasant, small, and the majority of it's people narrow minded and slow.
There's no survival instinct to people of this country. People here are so corn-fed and pampered they wouldnt know a real tradegy if it came and hit them in the face.
Christ, when there was a simple bit of 'drought' last year when flooding fucked up the water systems, people were fighting over bottled water in the supermarkets... so they could make cups of tea.


Rant over.
I'm learning Russia foremost, because that's where I need to be. It's where I dream of being. I can feel the country calling to me. It's getting to the point where it's calling so hard and I'm so trapped in this little shithole I'm having to fight down hysterical claustraphobia every day.

Russian is a beautifull language, and Russia is a beautifull allthough very very troubled country, and it's people are fascinating.



French and German are the two other languages I'm slowly learning, but there's no point trying to rush because I'll just end up being crap at three languages rather than passable at one.

So Dutch is your *first* language?

It must feel so good to be able to speak so many languages.

Out of the ones you have, which one was hardest for you to learn?

Yes it is. French probably, because english came naturally and german is so similar to dutch. I detested learning other languages in school also, probably didn't help. :p

And interesting view on England. :) Can't really imagine thinking about my homeland in that way because I love this place, but it's cool to have a goal in life. Why Russia? Have you ever been there?

England is not my home, this country is unpleasant, small, and the majority of it's people narrow minded and slow.
There's no survival instinct to people of this country. People here are so corn-fed and pampered they wouldnt know a real tradegy if it came and hit them in the face.
Christ, when there was a simple bit of 'drought' last year when flooding fucked up the water systems, people were fighting over bottled water in the supermarkets... so they could make cups of tea.

Sounds like the US too....

French was mandatory from the time I was about 9 until I was 15. I live in BC though, so since we're on the other side of the country from the francophones, not much emphasis is put on the language. This resulted in teachers who didn't know SHIT about the language they were teaching us; looking back, those classes were quite useless. This didn't do much to spur any passion for French. Every year, it would be the same useless information: "Alright class, 'Je' means 'I' and 'tu' and 'vous' mean 'you'". Useless. Eventually, we learned what chairs, windows, doors, books, and libraries were :rolleyes:.

Then I went to Paris last summer. We met some very nice Parisian girls who acted as our guides to the city... the whole experience was just beautiful, and the whole time I wished I could be chatting merrily with these French girls; wishing I could understand their playful chatter. So, when I started college last fall, I started taking French again. I'm not exactly fluent, but I have a solid vocabulary -- need to work on the grammar quite a bit.

French is just the epitome of everything I like. It's the language that best reflects my personality, much like Russian is for you, yoyo.

This summer, I'm taking Spanish. Partially because the college doesn't offer the French courses I want to take during the summer, partially because it'll help my general knowledge of Romance languages, and partially for purely academic reasons. To be honest, I always thought of Spanish as a 'dirty' language; like something Latin just shat out; nothing like the beauty of French. No offense to anybody. But the more Spanish I learn, the more interesting it becomes. Still, French is my priority.

English was forced to me in school since I was 6. I learned a little french in high school as an optative, but I lost much of it due to un-practice. I would like to learn German Frencsh Italian and Portuguese and also maybe Russian. Buy probably I won't learn none of them because I can actually manage well with English+Spanish in the western world

I was tought English and Russian at school and learnt Spanish later, when working in Spain. Very useful languages, by the way.

Taking a foreign language was compulsory, and I chose French to study in high school, thinking it would be easier than, say, German. My bad.

Had it to do over, I'd study Latin.

French was mandatory from the time I was about 9 until I was 15. I live in BC though, so since we're on the other side of the country from the francophones, not much emphasis is put on the language. This resulted in teachers who didn't know SHIT about the language they were teaching us; looking back, those classes were quite useless. This didn't do much to spur any passion for French. Every year, it would be the same useless information: "Alright class, 'Je' means 'I' and 'tu' and 'vous' mean 'you'". Useless. Eventually, we learned what chairs, windows, doors, books, and libraries were :rolleyes:.

Then I went to Paris last summer. We met some very nice Parisian girls who acted as our guides to the city... the whole experience was just beautiful, and the whole time I wished I could be chatting merrily with these French girls; wishing I could understand their playful chatter. So, when I started college last fall, I started taking French again. I'm not exactly fluent, but I have a solid vocabulary -- need to work on the grammar quite a bit.

French is just the epitome of everything I like. It's the language that best reflects my personality, much like Russian is for you, yoyo.

This summer, I'm taking Spanish. Partially because the college doesn't offer the French courses I want to take during the summer, partially because it'll help my general knowledge of Romance languages, and partially for purely academic reasons. To be honest, I always thought of Spanish as a 'dirty' language; like something Latin just shat out; nothing like the beauty of French. No offense to anybody. But the more Spanish I learn, the more interesting it becomes. Still, French is my priority.

Hey Static_Void, mind chatting up a bit on msn? If you dont mind then add me [check profile].

Spanish was my first language since i was born in Honduras. I came here in 92 at age 3 and even now spanish is what's spoken here at home. I learned english from the daycare i went to as a child. Ahhh, good times. I remember starting to speak english at around age 5. I mastered those 2 languages all the way until i hit high school at age 14. The high school i went to picked your schedule as a freshman and then you had your own choice the 3 resting years. Well, i must say THANK THEM for having picked FRENCH my freshman year. I remember being so shy at first and then quickly got into it. I took it all 4 years and the 3 teachers i had were all amazing; 1 moroccan and 2 american women, one being a MILF :D My junior year in high school i took american sign language and my senior year i took basic japanese I & II. I have come to realize im a natural at languages. Those were the only classes that interested me at all. As of today, im in college taking french courses. I must admit though, college level french is hard as hell. I started out at intermediate level 211. I then took an advanced stylistics and compositions class along with the 2nd part of 211 and it was brutal, but i made it!!!! I could say i could hold a pretty detailed convo with some french person, which is pretty badass. Next semester i should be taking 3 classes. Oh, btw, its my major if you hadn't guessed :P

So static_void, if ya want, add me. We might be able to learn a few things from eachother.

To date I've studied Spanish, Italian, Latin, French, Portuguese, German, Russian, and dabbled in Arabic.

Of those, I've forgot pretty much all Italian and Latin, though have at least working knowledge in the rest (except Arabic).

Spanish was what I just happened to take through grade school. Latin was an option at my middle school; figured it would be cool to know, though I had no understanding of declensions, and I don't think my teacher was any good. I got interested in French and Portuguese during high school. Portuguese was similar to Spanish, so it came quite easily...I was mainly into it after I saw City of God, and then I started really getting into Brazilian music and culture. I don't know why the hell I started learning German. I somehow learned enough to where I did well in my university's Intermediate German course without much difficulty, yet I don't really remember actively studying the language much.

I decided to take Russian basically because I couldn't fit a German class into my uni schedule this year. Russian is currently the language I'm most passionate about, though I definitely was equally passionate about the other ones when I was learning.

My biggest problem is that I'm not truly fluent in any of these. Advanced in French, I can hold conversations in Portuguese without difficulty, and I can understand some German, but...I'm just not fluent. I really need to buckle down and master these.

English, Irish and German. Gonna learn Portuguese too hopefully - the Brazilian version, that is.

Irish is waaaaaaaayy harder than German

English, Irish and German. Gonna learn Portuguese too hopefully - the Brazilian version, that is.

Irish is waaaaaaaayy harder than German

Don't you mean Gaelic?

Don't you mean Gaelic?

Gaelic can refer to the Irish language or the Scottish language. In Ireland, the language is referred to as Irish (or Gaelige, in Irish).

Gaelic can refer to the Irish language or the Scottish language. In Ireland, the language is referred to as Irish (or Gaelige, in Irish).

Aha, so does Wales have their own gaelic too?

Aha, so does Wales have their own gaelic too?

No. Welsh is just Welsh. Nothing like Irish really.

My location's in Irish :)

No. Welsh is just Welsh. Nothing like Irish really.

My location's in Irish :)

It's a type of Celtic. Also the town/city names in it are horrible. :)

It's a type of Celtic. Also the town/city names in it are horrible. :)

In spelling/pronunciation terms, they're nothing alike.

Being born in the United States, English is my native tongue. Though like most I was forced to take Spanish in high-school and thus developed a temporary fondness of the language, but I stopped learning after graduating (although it still come in handy from time-to-time).

I took two Russian courses at my old community college on an impulse and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I picked it up as well as how much fun I had speaking it. I've always wanted to learn a lanuage in another alphabet and for some reason Cyrillic as always intersted me.

Although I realized pretty early on that I want be able to use my knowledge of Russian to study aboard for obvious reasons of safety concerns, Ive' been thinking about just dropping mr Intermidate-Russian course and look into Japanese for Fall semester.

I've also had a secret wish to learn German as well but I've heard several terrible stories over the years about their views towards blacks.

Being born in the United States, English is my native tongue. Though like most I was forced to take Spanish in high-school and thus developed a temporary fondness of the language, but I stopped learning after graduating (although it still come in handy from time-to-time).

I took two Russian courses at my old community college on an impulse and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I picked it up as well as how much fun I had speaking it. I've always wanted to learn a lanuage in another alphabet and for some reason Cyrillic as always intersted me.

Although I realized pretty early on that I want be able to use my knowledge of Russian to study aboard for obvious reasons of safety concerns, Ive' been thinking about just dropping mr Intermidate-Russian course and look into Japanese for Fall semester.

I've also had a secret wish to learn German as well but I've heard several terrible stories over the years about their views towards blacks.

Germany is pretty safe toward minority groups...essentially the same as all of the other Western European countries, though there some skinheads as you go further east. I also wouldn't drop Russian just because the country is hostile. Belarus is apparently much safer, and...you still open a lot of doors for yourself by knowing Russian (if anything, learning other Slavic languages becomes quite easy).

Glad to see another black language-learner on Totse.

Germany is pretty safe toward minority groups...essentially the same as all of the other Western European countries, though there some skinheads as you go further east. I also wouldn't drop Russian just because the country is hostile. Belarus is apparently much safer, and...you still open a lot of doors for yourself by knowing Russian (if anything, learning other Slavic languages becomes quite easy).

Glad to see another black language-learner on Totse.

I thought you knew I spoke Russian? I could have sworn we've posted in Russian threads together plenty of times before.

Edit: I forgot I changed names.

I thought you knew I spoke Russian? I could have sworn we've posted in Russian threads together plenty of times before.

Edit: I forgot I changed names.

Lol, acolyte'd.

Are you no longer a mod?

Lol, acolyte'd.

Are you no longer a mod?

Yeah I still mod AR&R, MP, and Old School, the title just hasn't changed over yet.

I've also had a secret wish to learn German as well but I've heard several terrible stories over the years about their views towards blacks.

you´re from a country where people in the south believe hitler is still alive, so you really think rumors are a good way to get educated?

the former german colonies in africa still think much of the germans because they treated the people very well, not like the brits. a huge role to end slavery in the us was held by german religious people that tried to find a new home where everyone was equal.

so I really would like to hear about the bullshit stories that are told in the us now ..

you´re from a country where people in the south believe hitler is still alive, so you really think rumors are a good way to get educated?

I have no idea what you're talking about, I've lived in the South for 21 years and I've never meet anyone who believes Adolf Hilter is still alive. I know there are individuals and groups that believe in his “teachings”, but I’m not sure how many of them actually believe he’s still alive considering he’d be nearly a 120 years old.



the former german colonies in africa still think much of the germans because they treated the people very well, not like the brits. a huge role to end slavery in the us was held by german religious people that tried to find a new home where everyone was equal.

so I really would like to hear about the bullshit stories that are told in the us now ..

Thanks for the history lesson but I'm not seeing the correlation between the actions of abolitionist in 1800's America and the effects it would have on the social conscious of post-Nazi Germany. Could you explain yourself more on that, because I’m not understanding your logic (and no that is not an insult).

I can’t speak for “what stories are told in the US now”, I can merely provide the accounts of a few family, friends, and persons whose honesty I don’t question:
I have a cousin who’s lived in Germany for the better part of a decade (he was stationed there and decided to stay) and he says he’s been accosted on several occasions by locals because he’s living in “their” country.

He’s also said it wasn’t uncommon for him to be called a nigger while walking down the streets during his first few years there. Of course he said it wasn’t an everyday occurrence, but it’s happened to him more times than he’s like.

I also have another friend who was given a black eye by a nice young German fellow because she choose to wear a Star of David charm around her neck (even though she isn’t Jewish) at a bar one night. This same friend was given another black eye barely a year later by an older German man simply because she had put her foot up the wall of “his” building while she was tying her shoes.

Now I like to think that these instances are few and far between, but at this time I’m just not willing to risk my safely to see if these claims are false. I’m not trying to insult your country or its’ people (and if you’re offended then I’m sorry), but don’t pretend that bad things don’t happen there.
Germany.

asdfsd

Yeah. Like I said though, I wouldn't be too worried. I hear there are some skinheads in the Eastern part (ie. Berlin), but it's not a huge problem there, and definitely not like the horror stories you hear about Russia.

Just a comment on the US (for non-Americans): There historically has been quite a bit of violent racism here (often disgustingly violent), but in present-day America, most of it is manifested as prejudice, stereotypes, and "sub-surface" racism. There definitely are some hardcore racists still out there, but thankfully, they've learned to keep most of it to themselves. The legal-system cracks down doubly on hate-crime offenses, and even though I don't particularly like how everything is usually painted as a racial event, the benefit is that there is very little racially-motivated crime noawadays. If I'm not mistaken, even the KKK isn't getting away with violence anymore.

If there's one common experience that all types of black people have faced in the past few hundred years, it's racism from whites. I'd say it's a pretty reasonable precaution for a black traveler to be wary of the racial situation in the place he is visiting. Besides, is it really that crazy for a black person to be hesitant about visiting in Germany? Just 60 years ago, Germany was the epicenter of one of the most massive, powerful racist movements in history. Being hesitant about visiting Germany is really no different than northern Blacks being hesitant of visiting the South.

Thanks for the history lesson but I'm not seeing the correlation between the actions of abolitionist in 1800's America and the effects it would have on the social conscious of post-Nazi Germany. Could you explain yourself more on that, because I’m not understanding your logic (and no that is not an insult).

so I don´t understand your logic what post-nazi germany has to do with nazi germany, and that IS an insult ..

so I don´t understand your logic what post-nazi germany has to do with nazi germany, and that IS an insult ..

Only ignorant Americans deny/ignore the connection between past racism and our present-day situation (unfortunately, that's probably most of white America). Likewise, only ignorant Germans would deny/ignore a connection between the Nazis of the recent past, and the present-day situation.

Now, obviously, not every German living in Nazi Germany was a Nazi, or even in support of them. However, your country was the center of a nasty, epic Nationalist movement. What is the connection with present-day Germany? Neo-nazis and stupid youths that embrace nationalism and Hitler's ideology.

You really shouldn't be offended.

Only ignorant Americans deny/ignore the connection between past racism and our present-day situation (unfortunately, that's probably most of white America). Likewise, only ignorant Germans would deny/ignore a connection between the Nazis of the recent past, and the present-day situation.

Now, obviously, not every German living in Nazi Germany was a Nazi, or even in support of them. However, your country was the center of a nasty, epic Nationalist movement. What is the connection with present-day Germany? Neo-nazis and stupid youths that embrace nationalism and Hitler's ideology.

You really shouldn't be offended.

That's really my feelings towards the situation.

I'm not saying every German or Austrian citizen was a Nazi/supporter (that's just silly), but I do surely you, BSK, ycan understand why a black person might have some trepidation about visiting a place that was home to the one of the largest genocides in Human history?

Sex, primarily.

I studied French in junior high school because all the hot chickies were taking it, and oh boy did I get close to them.

Later, I studied Japanese. You fill in the blanks, bub.

That's really my feelings towards the situation.

I'm not saying every German or Austrian citizen was a Nazi/supporter (that's just silly), but I do surely you, BSK, ycan understand why a black person might have some trepidation about visiting a place that was home to the one of the largest genocides in Human history?

I know, all those millions of blacks killed in the concentration camps, terrible.

The 2nd world war was 60 years ago, stop living in the past, almost everyone who consciously lived through it is dead.

It's nice that you guys "think" Germans are all racists ("not everyone", but most same thing), but I'd like to se some proof that racism is worse there than in the States, because that's one thing I don't believe.

Rant: The only thing I can think of why someone could still resent Germans for is their lack of cooperation in the extradition of foreign war criminals who served in the German armies and subsequently received the German nationality. That's right, there are still dutch war criminals in Germany who have received the death penalty in absence.

Tcan understand why a black person might have some trepidation about visiting a place that was home to the one of the largest genocides in Human history?

no I can´t. germany gave all his blacks from the colonies high positions at court, they were respected a lot and got german citizenship even in the 19th century. due to their postions at court the descendants even fought in hitler´s wehrmacht. josephine baker was the biggest pop star at that time. black people were given voting rights far before the usa even thought about it.

so your rumors and your personal concerns are based on ww2 propaganda of the allies and on your projection on the germans of your perception of the american society. I´m not saying this is a country made of holy popes which never commit crimes but if you give the usa a higher ranking than germany in how black people are accepted you are living in a dream ..

I know, all those millions of blacks killed in the concentration camps, terrible.

The 2nd world war was 60 years ago, stop living in the past, almost everyone who consciously lived through it is dead.

It's nice that you guys "think" Germans are all racists ("not everyone", but most same thing), but I'd like to se some proof that racism is worse there than in the States, because that's one thing I don't believe.

Rant: The only thing I can think of why someone could still resent Germans for is their lack of cooperation in the extradition of foreign war criminals who served in the German armies and subsequently received the German nationality. That's right, there are still dutch war criminals in Germany who have received the death penalty in absence.

Did you read what both I and Ziggy wrote? Our concern isn't the average German citizen, but the subgroup that still holds onto Nazi idealogy or racism. If you're denying that such people exist, be they actual neo-Nazis, or just racist individuals, then you're in denial.

Also, just because blacks weren't being targeted during WW2, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned. It was a racist, nationalist movement, and one of Hitler's biggest goals was "racial purity". Blacks were surely going to be an eventual target of his, and we are definitely a target of neo-Nazis around the world.

Now, the differences between the US and Germany:
I would agree with you that the average American is likely more racist than the average German (or average European, in fact). However, despite racist sentiments in America and our nasty past, racially motivated crimes simply aren't very common. They result in severe consequences, and those that truly are racist end up posting on Totse or attending white power rallies.

As I said before, you shouldn't be offended that we are worried about having to deal with racist Germans and neo-Nazis. It's not that we think there are tons of racist Germans. It's that we know there are SOME racist Germans, and we feel that the protection we have against racists in America would not be there.

Simply put: We are (for the most part) safe from racists in America, but we aren't sure if that safety and protection exists in other white countres, particularly for foreigners.

And just to illustrate some more: If a foreigner was visiting Chicago and was weary about "the ghetto" or being mugged by black thugs, should I get offended? Should I say: "Black people aren't criminals! The crime rate in Chicago isn't even particularly high! How dare you be concerned for your safety!"? No. You know what I say? I say "The city is generally safe as long as you use common sense, avoid certain clearly bad areas, and stay away from groups of young men dressed in thuggish clothing." I wouldn't care if the person asking this was from Moscow, Russia, Trenton, New Jersey or Kingston, Jamaica. They have a right to be concerned for their well-being, and I should be reasonable enough to give an honest answer to their question. You should too.

Just avoid east Germany then. That's where the neo-nazism is concentrated.

I'd avoid eastern european countries entirely, especially Russia. (gives unasked advice :))

But still, I think that your view of German is still tainted, I've been looking for hate crime statistics but couldn't find any. But crime overall is much lower than in the states (murder rate is 6!!! times lower), and that goes for any european country.

Oh and neo-nazi's are probably dealt with much more harshly in Germany than in the US.

we´ve had this discussion before in travellers travails (http://www.totse.com/community/showthread.php?t=2052320) btw

the number of neo nazis in germany is somewhere between 10k and 20k of 80 million citizens, there are more people in the usa having a death or life sentence ..

so your rumors and your personal concerns are based on ww2 propaganda of the allies and on your projection on the germans of your perception of the american society. I´m not saying this is a country made of holy popes which never commit crimes but if you give the usa a higher ranking than germany in how black people are accepted you are living in a dream ..

lol, wut? Are you reading the same thread as the rest of us?

I voiced the same concerns in the "Problems in Germany" (as well as the Russian thread that caused it's creation) thread and no one had seemed to have any problems (except for Fza because he doesn't speak Russian :p). I thought Derdache and I made our concerns in a clear and respectiful manner, I'm just not understanding why you're getting so offended.

If you can't (or refuse to) understand why black travelers to your country might have concerns, then that's your problem.

then that's your problem.

in fact it´s yours, because I´m not keeping racial and obsolete problems alive or make them bigger as they are. I don´t have a problem to go anywhere in this world, if you prefer to have problems, just stay with that attitude. a friend of mine is from ghana and a cook on tv, when he gets rejected to enter a club in jeans and sneakers he whines that´s racism.

oh and if obama gets president, plz don´t forget to warn him to come to germany, because he probably will get a black eye for walking on the white stripes of a crosswalk ..

Agree to disagree then.

oh and if obama gets president, plz don´t forget to warn him to come to germany, because he probably will get a black eye for walking on the white stripes of a crosswalk ..

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/cheezeguy/n725075089_288918_2774.jpg

English was natural obviously! uhm, learnt Urdu and Gujarati as my parents speak it so you end up naturally learning
Studied french for 2 years, so im alright at that. Been learning Japanese for about 5 1/2 years , which i love.
I wanna learn spanish one day, but that wont be until a lot later.

lol, wut? Are you reading the same thread as the rest of us?

I voiced the same concerns in the "Problems in Germany" (as well as the Russian thread that caused it's creation) thread and no one had seemed to have any problems (except for Fza because he doesn't speak Russian :p). I thought Derdache and I made our concerns in a clear and respectiful manner, I'm just not understanding why you're getting so offended.

If you can't (or refuse to) understand why black travelers to your country might have concerns, then that's your problem.

I tend to ignore threads I have no input for. Your manner is respectful, and I can understand why you would voice your concerns. But I think you're vision on Germany is a lot more negative than it should be, probably because of American Media, they tend to blow everything out of proportion.

Ignore BSK for acting like a cunt. Most Germans are lovely people, unlike him.

I tend to ignore threads I have no input for. Your manner is respectful, and I can understand why you would voice your concerns. But I think you're vision on Germany is a lot more negative than it should be, probably because of American Media, they tend to blow everything out of proportion.

Ignore BSK for acting like a cunt. Most Germans are lovely people, unlike him.

Thanks for understanding. I've tried to make it clear that I wasn't insulting your country or her people (hell my great-grandmother was German), I'm just trying to get answers about safetly like any other traveler.

Thanks for the input, I might actually take my mother and aunt with me to visit my cousin next summer.

Agree to disagree then.

can´t agree or disagree on something that doesn´t exist. don´t try to come up with hypocrisy to say now you look for travel advice when you never asked a question and only had your propaganda prejudices, or are you not reading the same thread as the rest of us? and don´t bring your mother with you when you come over, don´t destroy her prejudices or her escape route to whine about discrimination or racism when they simply fail.

don´t come here anyway, whining bitches living in an obsolete world are not welcome here ..

lol, y u so butthurt?

Maybe I can come spend the night with you cutey. ;)

lol, y u so butthurt?

Maybe I can come spend the night with you cutey. ;)

I must admit, I'm actually impressed he didn't just resort to calling you "nigger".

Idiotic reply? Sure. But not quite as pathetic as that of most Totseans.

you´re only proving me ..

Back on topic?

This thread has been very informative. But it's sad that our countries histories still devide us.


There's a polish girl at work and she's awesome. There's also a girl from Latvia there. Also awesome.
But oh my god they hate each other so much. You get those two together and people go around quietly hiding all the kitchen knives and meat tenderizers.

So many dirty sad things have happened in the world. I'd kinda hoped that now since so many of us live in fat comfortable first world countries,we're well fed and have good jobs and homes and that's (hopefully) going to be quite permanent, we'd be able to get over our historical differences.

So many dirty sad things have happened in the world. I'd kinda hoped that now since so many of us live in fat comfortable first world countries,we're well fed and have good jobs and homes and that's (hopefully) going to be quite permanent, we'd be able to get over our historical differences.

I hope so too.

But to be realistic, historical wrongdoings might take decades, if not centuries, to heal. Also, it would take the perpetrator(s) to confess their atrocities as well to their victims (ex.: Japanese cruelty to Koreans and the Chinese during World War II).

Haven't read the previous posts, although I have a feeling it's gone off topic, but to bring it back...

I speak French from school, and just started learning Arabic because I stumbled across a Michel Thomas CD teaching it...

Haven't read the previous posts, although I have a feeling it's gone off topic, but to bring it back...

I speak French from school, and just started learning Arabic because I stumbled across a Michel Thomas CD teaching it...

http://www.syrianarabic.com/

Would be good I wasn't learning Egyptian Arabic, but might be useful anyway, cheers.

Back on topic?

This thread has been very informative. But it's sad that our countries histories still devide us.


There's a polish girl at work and she's awesome. There's also a girl from Latvia there. Also awesome.
But oh my god they hate each other so much. You get those two together and people go around quietly hiding all the kitchen knives and meat tenderizers.

So many dirty sad things have happened in the world. I'd kinda hoped that now since so many of us live in fat comfortable first world countries,we're well fed and have good jobs and homes and that's (hopefully) going to be quite permanent, we'd be able to get over our historical differences.

I don't think that'll ever happen, but I'm a pessimist.

I speak English because not doing so would horribly limit the content of my day. There is no such thing as using the Internet without having a proper understanding of the English language.

That's the only foreign language I've learned. I was too lazy to learn German and I do not regret it. Practically everyone in Germany speaks English, and I do not plan to ever go there myself, anyway.

I chose English because I live in America :D

I was forced to study Spanish in elementary school, as I lived in Florida, and there were Cubans everywhere. I have since forgotten most of it.

I chose to study French for four years (grades 8-11) because... I'm not sure why. I just liked it, I guess. I still do. It's probably the most beautiful languages I've ever heard. I also seemed to pick it up pretty easily in French I, so it was an easy class to take. Of course, you never learn shit in high school language classes, so doing well in those four years of lessons meant absolutely nothing in the real world. I've learned more from a few hours of Michel Thomas than four years in school, which is sad.

And the three other languages I would like to learn are Russian, Irish, and Welsh.

Gaelic can refer to the Irish language or the Scottish language.Manx is also a Gaelic language. Might count the Cant, too, depending on your view of Travellers ;)It's a type of Celtic. Also the town/city names in it are horrible. :)I think you mean "everything" is horrible. Aesthetically, anyway. Welsh is just such a disgusting looking language. It doesn't sound as bad as it looks, though ;)

English- cause I'm Merkin.
Korean- cause I'm that also.
French- cause I accidentally signed up for that instead of Spanish in high school and got stuck with it for 6 years. And then I went to France and decided that I was really glad I learned it, cause I like it.
Spanish- cause I thought I would need it in the workforce (not really) and also because it was very similar to French.
Hungarian- cause I thought it was pretty.
Czech/Russian- cause I thought they were beautiful AND useful (unlike Hungarian)? Didn't work out though.

I'm learning Russia foremost, because that's where I need to be. It's where I dream of being. I can feel the country calling to me. It's getting to the point where it's calling so hard and I'm so trapped in this little shithole I'm having to fight down hysterical claustraphobia every day.

The sad truth is, "It's best where we are not." I guess it has something to do with the "hedonic treadmill" - you stay in one place for too long, you get used to the good things, and the bad things that you never really noticed before begin to piss you off.

I learned English because it seems to be the most common language worldwide. Also, England seemed like an awesome country.

English- cause I'm Merkin.
Korean- cause I'm that also.
French- cause I accidentally signed up for that instead of Spanish in high school and got stuck with it for 6 years. And then I went to France and decided that I was really glad I learned it, cause I like it.
Spanish- cause I thought I would need it in the workforce (not really) and also because it was very similar to French.
Hungarian- cause I thought it was pretty.
Czech/Russian- cause I thought they were beautiful AND useful (unlike Hungarian)? Didn't work out though.

That's quite a diverse group you've got there. 1 Germanic language, 1 isolated language, 2 romance languages, 1 Finno-Ugric. How long did it take you to learn all those?

That's quite a diverse group you've got there. How long did it take you to learn all those?

this is the internet, you can be what you want to be ..

I started learning Japanese but since work started a year ago I don't really have much time for it :(.

this is the internet, you can be what you want to be ..

So, guys, what do you think? Is BSK a troll or just a retard?

So, guys, what do you think? Is BSK a troll or just a retard?

Troll, just not a very good one.

good to see you guys are a couple now and get this thread offtopic again ..

good to see you guys are a couple now and get this thread offtopic again ..

lol, love in the air.

That's quite a diverse group you've got there. 1 Germanic language, 1 isolated language, 2 romance languages, 1 Finno-Ugric. How long did it take you to learn all those?

I'm pulling us back on-topic cause I can't sleep and love to talk about myself. Win-win. For me.

The English and Korean I was born into so no hard work there.

I learned French from 6th grade to 12th grade in school, so I really got the grammar and technical stuff down. In college I lived in Paris for a summer so I got pretty fluent with it. And then, I decided to quit French after visiting France, cause I thought since now I am fluent, I don't need to take classes. That being said, I started taking Spanish classes instead for 2 years because it's basically the same as French. (But quitting French is now biting me in the ass because I get confused between Spanish and French and I am no longer perfectly fluent in either language.)

I learned Hungarian from 3rd grade to about 11th grade, I guess. I had childhood best friends who were Hungarian so I learned it from them,their family, etc, plus 2 summers in Szeged when I was young.

Czech/Russian, I took upon myself to learn with books and CDs and stuff. In the beginning I was like, decently fluent, but I visited Russia a few years ago and after that, I kind of lost interest in learning any language. I had other more important life things to deal with. So... I don't really remember a lot of Russian or Czech. Enough to converse and get around the country, but not like deep conversations about life and philosophy and stuff.

SO, to become totally/proficiently fluent:

Korean/English: 0 years
French: 6~7 years
Spanish: 2~3 years
Hungarian: 9 years
Russian/Czech: 4~5 years

But I was practically born with 3 of the 7 languages I know. So whatever. I only learned 2 by myself. And 2 shittily.

I grew up learning English, and hearing my parent's speak German. As I got older I naturally learned German. Now I am trying to learn Spanish, just because their are so many Mexicans in the US.

The Agency.

As An American born in Germany, I learned English an German at the same time from birth.

Then I learned A little russian
along with 2 years of spanish
so I speak two fluent languages an 2 broken languages.

Ps. to Ziggy
What part of Germany did you hear was not fond of blacks.
I lived in south germany. Where i lived blacks were like a prized commodity. Even though i was to young to be dating. All the girls loved black guys

As An American born in Germany, I learned English an German at the same time from birth.

Then I learned A little russian
along with 2 years of spanish
so I speak two fluent languages an 2 broken languages.

Ps. to Ziggy
What part of Germany did you hear was not fond of blacks.
I lived in south germany. Where i lived blacks were like a prized commodity. Even though i was to young to be dating. All the girls loved black guys

Looks like I'm going to Germany.

Looks like I'm going to Germany.

To try to better explain. There isnt alot of black people. so they crave black dick. That way they can go tell all their friends

French is my first language and I've had to learn english, because it's mandatory in school, like in pretty much every other developped countries where the official language isn't english.

Then I've had a mandatory spanish class in grade 8 since I was attending an enriched high school program (I got kicked out the year after).

I must say that spanish was by far easier to learn than english. I'm pretty sure that it's related to the fact that french and spanish are much more similar than english is with either of the two.

Ps. to Ziggy
What part of Germany did you hear was not fond of blacks.
I lived in south germany. Where i lived blacks were like a prized commodity. Even though i was to young to be dating. All the girls loved black guys

My cousin currently lives in Berlin, so I'm guessing that's the area (I don't remember the other towns/cities he lived in).

I'll be sure to check out Southern Germany when I visit him.

I speak English because its the language my parents spoke as I was growing up.

I speak French because I love the language and have been learning it since i was 11.

I speak Hebrew because when i travelled to Israel i realised that i wasn't gonna get by with English and French alone, even with the American and French Jews i found i wasn't getting included as much, so i learn't Hebrew from my grand parents and i love it, so impersonal and quick, yet such a history.

I speak slight arabic because its nessecery to in my family and line of work.

Without reading anything in the thread...

English - Native language
Spanish - Most widely used foreign language around here
Latin - Teaches you several languages.

English: Where I live
French/Spanish/German/Italian/Chinese/Japanese: Got a cache of cassettes/VHS back in high school. Thought it would be cool if I went through it, since each additional language I speak would open me to another world of opportunities so i went through all the tapes/VHS.
Unfortunately, the only language I use today is English. The rest is useless.
I have never, ever, needed any of the other languages to for anything, except once in China in a cab.
I can still remember most of my Fr/Sp/Ch but the rest is pretty much lost, although I'll recognize and understand it when i heard it. I also cant read/write the two Asian languages.

I speak English because.... i'm English. I guess i'm pretty confident of my abilities with the ol' mother tongue, innit bruv bare gud @ spelin.

I speak French (well, arguably very well, and also arguably with a good accent.... but not fluently) because I used to live in France and go to school there. I have also been on holiday to France more than any other country and when I was travelling in Cambodia, Australia and Nepal I met a fair few frenchies from la belle pays, as well as Walloons and French Canadians. I did a lot of practise speaking with 'em, in fact, in Nepal there were a few days where I didn't speak any English barely, just French and a bit of Nepali. I'm quite crap at writing French though. Tenses bamboozle me. Aurais? Oh fuck off....

I learnt Spanish for 2 years until I was 16, and I got an A in the exam, but I dont remember fuck all which is a shame, cos I quite liked it once I got my head 'round it. I have plans to maybe travel in South America at some point, so I will definitely practise lots before going, if I do. I'd be pretty keen to speak well, to get by, and show I cared enough and i'm..... lol, not an American or one of the English/Irish who go there and think "cocaina/cerveza por favor" is sufficient local knowledge.

I can speak a few words of German cos I learnt it years ago but I don't like German as a language, and I dont find German people funny or that interesting (oh oh oh.... i take back that huge shitty generalisation blah) so I dont have much desire to go there and practise. Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians are also pretty good at English, and willing to try harder than French people, who lack confidence and well, i mean you guys know the French.... vy shud we trytuspeek ze engleesh?? Vehav ze best waiyne, weeemeen and cheeyseee in ze world so casse toi connard!

I just really like speakin French it's a beautiful language, plus it means funny situations are opened up more. I was in the library and this French guy was reading the paper, and then his phone went, and the crazy old man next to him yept saying quite loudly (in a very English accent) "tu est un merde", "oui un merde". Instead of pointing out the obvious grammatical flaw with using "un", I just said "non, tu est un connard!" (shoulda used vouz really :p) and walked off. It was lol.

newspeak

English because I grew up with it, French because it was forced upon me in school, Italian because it's like French and I have family there, and Japanese because my uncle married a Japanese girl and I wanted to learn to talk to her. But I still suck at it--quite different from European languages.

English since I was raised in the states..
Russian since it's what my family speaks
French because it's a fun language..
I think I'm taking Arabic in college next year because of oil and since it's gonna be a real challenge
I used to speak Serbian back when I lived in Belgrade (pretty easy after i knew Russian), but unfortunately forgot most of it..

Indonesian: I've been doing it since year 7 and I am in year 12 now. I do it because it's easy and I am good at it. Also some people from school who studied it including myself got to go to Malaysia for a week (: only because we couldn't do Bali because of terrorism but Indonesian is derived from Malay so we could still talk to the Malaysians.

Indonesian: I've been doing it since year 7 and I am in year 12 now. I do it because it's easy and I am good at it. Also some people from school who studied it including myself got to go to Malaysia for a week (: only because we couldn't do Bali because of terrorism but Indonesian is derived from Malay so we could still talk to the Malaysians.

What are you implying here ?

What are you implying here ?

...that Indonesians can be understood by Malaysians?

...that Indonesians can be understood by Malaysians?

Exactly, I thought that would have been pretty obvious after I said "Indonesian is derived from Malay".

Exactly, I thought that would have been pretty obvious after I said "Indonesian is derived from Malay".

then you had thought wrong...