What languages can you speak?

**Janszoon** · 05-08-2009, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucifer_sam

i hear there's way more Spanish speaking people in Massachusetts than southern California.

Haha. I actually live in Northern California and am moving to Philly, but there are way less spanish-speakers in Philly than Boston so your point is even more true than you realize.

Seltzer · 05-08-2009, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAPTAIN CAVEMAN

the idea of being completely fluent/billingual, and learning more languages appeals very much to me... gonna keep taking french in college. i'd like to learn to understand/speak mandarin but the idea of learning the alphabet turns me off completely

Learning Mandarin would be a massive commitment. One that I feel I could have made if I'd started a few years ago, but now probably couldn't make.

And yeah, there is the possibility of learning it on a spoken level rather than written which is much more feasible and still useful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 333

Hm, I guess what I'm really asking is do you practice orally outside the classroom? I found that when I did this a lot, I really got a feel for the foreign ways you move your tongue while learning a new language.

I think that practice is necessary for listening skills. My high school Latin teacher who majored in French told me that he went to France and could only really converse properly with the locals after about a week of being there.

I don't think I've forgotten much French vocab since high school, but my listening skills have deteriorated... I can't be the only one who finds listening hard. Mind you, French isn't particularly phonetic and the speed/enunciation/elision can make it difficult to understand.

333 · 05-15-2009, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seltzer

I think that practice is necessary for listening skills. My high school Latin teacher who majored in French told me that he went to France and could only really converse properly with the locals after about a week of being there.

I don't think I've forgotten much French vocab since high school, but my listening skills have deteriorated... I can't be the only one who finds listening hard. Mind you, French isn't particularly phonetic and the speed/enunciation/elision can make it difficult to understand.

I agree. Listening is very hard for me, too. If I really focus, I'll catch every other word in Spanish. I like to watch movies with caption - Spanish or English.

I think hearing and seeing it together really helps me to learn it. I think the only way to truly be fluent is to live in a place where you will be forced to communicate in another language other than English. Culture, to me, is very important in picking up a new language.

adidasss · 05-15-2009, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog

There aren't, and because there aren't everyone assumed I was super spanish.

I'd get all of my military paraphernalia in Spanish. I ended up not joining the military because all of their good points were in comprehendible.

There were two kids in my school with my last name, and he was ESL and his parents didn't speak English.

to this day I get the "you're Spanish?!?!?!?!" comment from dip****s who think we're all deep brown and dance to mariachi.

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Originally Posted by Janszoon

It means you have Spanish ancestry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog

Forgive our traditionally intelligent friend, he knows what it means, he was just queueing up for a dig at me and my ancestry.

Marjin, My grandfather came from Spain, he was born there, and he set down in Miami. Since he left my English grandmother when my father was 2, I know little about the man. I've been digging to try to find out more about who I am, but to date, I know he died in Ohio, and that his name was William Molina.

Indeed I was and here it goes. So really, you're 1/4th Spanish or what I like to call 100% mish-mash American. See, what I assume when someone says they're *insert nationality* is that both their parents are *insert nationality*, they have strong cultural or emotional ties to that nation and hopefully speak the language. That's probably why I wouldn't call Ethan Mexican even though his grandmother was.

P.s. There's no such thing as "in comprehendible" and it's "queuing" not "queueing". See, if we keep working on it, one day you're sure to become fluent in English.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 333

I agree. Listening is very hard for me, too. If I really focus, I'll catch every other word in Spanish. I like to watch movies with caption - Spanish or English.

I think hearing and seeing it together really helps me to learn it. I think the only way to truly be fluent is to live in a place where you will be forced to communicate in another language other than English. Culture, to me, is very important in picking up a new language.

Well, I haven't been forced to communicate in English but I'm pretty fluent in it. I do think it's important to be exposed to as much of the language as you can, through TV or books and such and to continue working on it if you want to maintain a level of fluency. For those of us that can't afford to relocate that is...

**Janszoon** · 05-15-2009, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adidasss

See, what I assume when someone says they're *insert nationality* is that both their parents are *insert nationality*, they have strong cultural or emotional ties to that nation and hopefully speak the language.

Well, there's a reason that famous saying about the word "assume" was invented.

adidasss · 05-15-2009, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Well, there's a reason that famous saying about the word "assume" was invented.

Yeah, but I think it's fairly reasonable to conclude when someone boasts about being a certain nationality that their ties to that nation are stronger than "I have a Spanish grandfather". That really doesn't make you Spanish. :\

**Janszoon** · 05-15-2009, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adidasss

Yeah, but I think it's fairly reasonable to conclude when someone boasts about being a certain nationality that their ties to that nation are stronger than "I have a Spanish grandfather". That really doesn't make you Spanish. :\

Again, it means you are of Spanish ancestry. I never assumed for a second that Big3 was saying he was 100% Spanish. I understand that when someone who isn't from Spain says they're Spanish it generally means they are part Spanish.