are you bilingual...what other language do you speak fluently?

[Black Jade]

I speak totally fluent English (obviously) and totally fluent French, and read and write both.

I speak very very good Mandarin Chinese, and read it very fluently. I translate modern Chinese poetry sometimes and publish it.

I can read the New Testament in Greek. Koine Greek is not a spoken language, so I don''t ''speak'' it.
I can function in Spanish--I can''t hold a real conversation, but I can ask for and understand directions and I can do my grocery shopping. I can read Spanish very fluently though. I can read the newspaper and I can read novels, which I do for fun sometimes.

I messed around with a lot of other languages, but don''t know them. I tried to teach myself Russian for about three years. I think it is the world''s most beautiful sounding language. It certainly has some of the world''s most beautiful literature. I can read some things sometimes but not very well and I can''t hold a conversation. I apparently have an authentic sounding accent, but since I can''t say anymore than hello, how much does it cost, I love you and where''s the bathroom, the accent is not that useful!

I don''t think its true that only children learn languages well. I didn''t speak any of these languages before I was 11. I didn''t even speak good English until I was five! I''m from a country where they theoretically speak English, but its a very broken dialect. I went to public school and was speaking this dialect and since this was years ago, before political correctness, they sent me right to speech therapy and made me stay there until I sounded like a middle American, which I still do. I learned some stuff in speech therapy which I think helps me to learn other languages and I know it helps me to teach them (I taught French and I taught Mandarin Chinese at college level for many years). The key things with learning another language are to listen, listen, listen and repeat, repeat, repeat. Find a native speaker and repeat stuff after them, and watch their mouth and lips when they talk and make your mouth move the same way. Even if you think you sound funny! Go places where the native speakers are and keep speaking to them. It''s best if you find people that can''t speak any English, or you will end up switching to that (especially because most native speakers are anxious to learn English. This is what keeps happening to me with Spanish. Spanish people in this country are so anxious to learn English that they won''t speak Spanish with me for more than 2 seconds.) And most of all, don''t think you have no gift for languages because your only experience with language study was in a classroom of 30 people that met for an hour a week taught by someone with a strong American accent themselves! Nobody could learn a language under those circumstances, it has nothing to do with your age or your talent. Try again now!

 

[bee*]

I''m only fluent in English but I can natter away in Irish, Spanish and French.

 

[LuckyTexan]

Does the language my 2 year old speaks count?

 

[Pandora II]

I''m bilingual in English and Italian.

I also speak French, German and Spanish - but wouldn''t proclaim fluency in any, although I can read very easily in Spanish or French.

I''ve also studied Latin and both Homeric and Koine Greek.

At the schools I attended in the UK it was mandatory to study at least one European language and Latin.

 

[Porridge]

English is my first language, I suppose Irish (Gaelic) would be the second, but I''m not completely fluent. I''m comfortable enough chatting in French and Dutch. I can understand most of a German convo, but I''d struggle to get my point across. I''d love to learn Spanish, it would be so useful. Mandarin would be great to know too, but I keep putting it off because it seems too difficult!

 

[chiapet]

Date: 1/17/2009 2:38:51 AM
Author: MrsG
Arjunajane, I am taking Bahasa Indonesia classes right now. I''m having really hard time with it. I am hoping that being exposed to the language at all times will eventually help. It was so much easier as a child. I guess my memory is not what it used to be

My daughter is currently learning Russian. She fights me on it and refuses to speak it at home. I can speak to her in Russian all I want, but she still responds to me in English. She also just started Mandarin and Indonesian at school.

I would never expect Indonesian to pop up not once but TWICE in this thread!! I rarely meet other people who speak Indonesian. I also speak Mandarin but it gets worse every year that I live in the US

MrsG, how do you like Indonesia? I grew up there and go home once a year to see my family. I miss the food and having servants and drivers!

 

[Harriet]

English and Chinese (Mandarin; my Cantonese and Hokkein are so-so). I can bargain curse in Russian, though. I can also order food in French.

 

[wannaBMrsH]

My first language is Spanish, but I am fluent in English and I can carry basic conversations in French and Italian. I learned some salutations in German for work and people are always amazed that I would bother, being American. I used to think it was very rude of them, but the truth is that everyone else is expected (in some countried, MANDATED) to speak English, but very few Americans bother to learn any other language.

Oh, yeah, I can also give my Portuguese cleaning lady basic instructions and say hello, etc.

 

[oobiecoo]

I am really only fluent in English but I know quite a bit of Spanish, some Italian, and some sign language.

 

[anchor31]

I am. I''m French-Canadian and French is my first language, and is still is the mostly spoken language at home. I''ve been fluent in English for over 10 years.

 

[sba771]

Hmmm...English speaker but fluent in Hebrew. My degree is in Greek and Latin so I guess you could say I am fluent, but I sure don''t speak them!

I am learning German due to the whole living in Germany thing, but every time someone here hears me open my mouth they switch to English so that isn''t going to well. Back to Rosetta stone for me

 

[Harriet]

Date: 1/17/2009 1:32:54 PM
Author: Black Jade
I speak totally fluent English (obviously) and totally fluent French, and read and write both.

I speak very very good Mandarin Chinese, and read it very fluently. I translate modern Chinese poetry sometimes and publish it.

I can read the New Testament in Greek. Koine Greek is not a spoken language, so I don''t ''speak'' it.
I can function in Spanish--I can''t hold a real conversation, but I can ask for and understand directions and I can do my grocery shopping. I can read Spanish very fluently though. I can read the newspaper and I can read novels, which I do for fun sometimes.

I messed around with a lot of other languages, but don''t know them. I tried to teach myself Russian for about three years. I think it is the world''s most beautiful sounding language. It certainly has some of the world''s most beautiful literature. I can read some things sometimes but not very well and I can''t hold a conversation. I apparently have an authentic sounding accent, but since I can''t say anymore than hello, how much does it cost, I love you and where''s the bathroom, the accent is not that useful!

I don''t think its true that only children learn languages well. I didn''t speak any of these languages before I was 11. I didn''t even speak good English until I was five! I''m from a country where they theoretically speak English, but its a very broken dialect. I went to public school and was speaking this dialect and since this was years ago, before political correctness, they sent me right to speech therapy and made me stay there until I sounded like a middle American, which I still do. I learned some stuff in speech therapy which I think helps me to learn other languages and I know it helps me to teach them (I taught French and I taught Mandarin Chinese at college level for many years). The key things with learning another language are to listen, listen, listen and repeat, repeat, repeat. Find a native speaker and repeat stuff after them, and watch their mouth and lips when they talk and make your mouth move the same way. Even if you think you sound funny! Go places where the native speakers are and keep speaking to them. It''s best if you find people that can''t speak any English, or you will end up switching to that (especially because most native speakers are anxious to learn English. This is what keeps happening to me with Spanish. Spanish people in this country are so anxious to learn English that they won''t speak Spanish with me for more than 2 seconds.) And most of all, don''t think you have no gift for languages because your only experience with language study was in a classroom of 30 people that met for an hour a week taught by someone with a strong American accent themselves! Nobody could learn a language under those circumstances, it has nothing to do with your age or your talent. Try again now!

Hi,
The hubs took Chinese in college, but still can''t get the tones straight. Also, he can''t say "qu" (as in "go"). Any tips?

 

[threepwood]

Date: 1/17/2009 2:48:39 PM
Author: chiapet

Date: 1/17/2009 2:38:51 AM

Author: MrsG

Arjunajane, I am taking Bahasa Indonesia classes right now. I''m having really hard time with it. I am hoping that being exposed to the language at all times will eventually help. It was so much easier as a child. I guess my memory is not what it used to be

My daughter is currently learning Russian. She fights me on it and refuses to speak it at home. I can speak to her in Russian all I want, but she still responds to me in English. She also just started Mandarin and Indonesian at school.

I would never expect Indonesian to pop up not once but TWICE in this thread!! I rarely meet other people who speak Indonesian. I also speak Mandarin but it gets worse every year that I live in the US

MrsG, how do you like Indonesia? I grew up there and go home once a year to see my family. I miss the food and having servants and drivers!

Make it Three, chiapet! I speak Indonesia too.. I also speak English and Mandarin..

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I am impressed by the group''s worldliness! How cool!

 

[AGBF]

I hadn''t bothered with this thread since it didn''t apply to me, but am glad I read it. I saw that other people who are not bilingual actually responded to it, so I think I may, too.

I''m not bilingual (obviously), but my French is good enough that I am quite comfortable in the language. My only problem comes in hearing it spoken fast, which would be quickly eradicated if I lived in a French speaking country for a few months. I know because I learned to understand spoken Italian, which I had never studied, just from a little exposure to native speakers! I can read, write, and speak French already.

I have studied Spanish and German in school, learning the grammar. I studied Italian "unofficially" with an Italian friend and a grammar book after I married my Italian husband and found myself immersed in a lot of Italian situations. I studied a little Portuguese with the Rosetta Stone software. And I had a few weeks of Latin when I was a high school teacher and I joined a seventh grade Latin class.... Then the French teacher got ill and I was asked to take on her classes and that put an end to my career as a Latin student (for then). I keep thinking that I will one day go back and study Latin. I agree with Black Jade that one can continue to study languages all of one''s life!


Deborah

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/17/2009 6:56:07 AM
Author: MrsG

Date: 1/17/2009 2:49:45 AM
Author: arjunajane


MrsG, don''t worry I am sure you will get there! I know when I was learning, when I did go over there things started to fall into place that didn''t make sense in the classroom.

I definately think children have a greater propensity for picking up language easier than us adults though. Did you speak it when you were little?

No, my first language is Russian. I started English when I was 11. By the time I moved to the States for college at 17 I was fluent. My mom (English teacher) made it her goal that I spoke English fluently and went above and beyond your typical school curriculum. Ladies, please go easy on your future children when it comes to foreign language leaning

She was convinced that leaning was based on memorization, so she made me memorize dialogues, long ones. I had to do 5 a week
(checked every Friday) and if I didn''t know them by heart, I got one of my privileges taken away

Not fun...I hated it! But that along with summer long ESL programs abroad worked for me and sister. She still lives in Russia and is also fluent in English.

We recently moved to Indonesia, so I''m attempting to learn Indonesian now. So far I know 2 words

Hi Mrs,
Very interesting, thankyou for explaining.

I''m jealous of you living in Indo - I would love to do that for a year or two.
I wouldn''t worry, I''m sure you''ll pick it up. I find the people there (and in Asian countries in general), are very keen to help you practice. Good luck.



Black Jade, just fyi I don''t think anybody said that only children learn languages well. I said that children in the West should be encouraged to learn languages more than they are, and that often it is easier if you start young, before your language is ingrained such as with adults. I believe this to be true.
Of course, this doesn''t mean I think adults can''t learn or shouldn''t - quite the opposite actually was my point.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/17/2009 2:48:39 PM
Author: chiapet

Date: 1/17/2009 2:38:51 AM
Author: MrsG
Arjunajane, I am taking Bahasa Indonesia classes right now. I''m having really hard time with it. I am hoping that being exposed to the language at all times will eventually help. It was so much easier as a child. I guess my memory is not what it used to be

My daughter is currently learning Russian. She fights me on it and refuses to speak it at home. I can speak to her in Russian all I want, but she still responds to me in English. She also just started Mandarin and Indonesian at school.

I would never expect Indonesian to pop up not once but TWICE in this thread!! I rarely meet other people who speak Indonesian. I also speak Mandarin but it gets worse every year that I live in the US

MrsG, how do you like Indonesia? I grew up there and go home once a year to see my family. I miss the food and having servants and drivers!

Chiapet, I''m not sure about the US. But learning Bahasa Indonesia is quite common in Australia, due to our proximity for both holiday and business.

I never had servants

but I do miss holidaying there, and need to get back soon. I adore the food - nothing better than having freshly cooked Nasi Goreng for brunch!

 

[disney777]

English, and conversational Japanese. Took classes for over 10 yrs - conversation, writing, and reading, but I''m rusty now.

 

[Dancing Fire]

would love to learn Mandarin.

 

[Itgirl76]

English, Korean and spanglish

I know enough spanish to have a simple conversation more than hola and como estas.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/18/2009 1:01:59 AM
Author: Dancing Fire
would love to learn Mandarin.

DF, whats your first language?

 

[anyname]

i speak two and a half languages. English, Cantonese, and i understand Mandarin but i can''t speak it well at all, to the point that i refuse cause it sounds like i''m butchering the language. What''s funny about that is, when i was living in England i was fluent in Mandarin but when i moved to the states i started to speak Cantonese. And every once in a while, my British accent will sneak out, especially when i''m tried.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/18/2009 1:51:02 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 1/18/2009 1:01:59 AM
Author: Dancing Fire
would love to learn Mandarin.

DF, whats your first language?

i can speak two different dialects of Cantonese,but can't read or write Chinese.forgot how to read or write Chinese since i was 10 yrs old.

neither one of our daughters speak much English when they started kindergarten.we only spoke to them in Cantonese at home and also b/c their grandparents (baby sitting them) only knew how to speak Cantonese. but now....both of them had forgotten how to speak Chinese.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/18/2009 2:40:14 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 1/18/2009 1:51:02 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 1/18/2009 1:01:59 AM
Author: Dancing Fire
would love to learn Mandarin.

DF, whats your first language?

i can speak two different dialects of Cantonese,but can''t read or write Chinese.forgot how to read or write Chinese since i was 10 yrs old.

neither one of our daughters speak much English when they started kindergarten.we only spoke to them in Cantonese at home and also b/c their grandparents (baby sitting them) only knew how to speak Cantonese. but now....both of them had forgotten how to speak Chinese.

Thanks DF - ha ha, I hear ya on your kids.
I learnt some Macedonian from my grandparents when I was little, but promptly forgot it when I grew up - now I only know the rude and silly stuff

Seeing as it was essentially their first language, I''m sure your girls would pick it up quickly if they wanted..?

 

[sklingem]

German and French ... oh lala!!

 

[AdiS]

Date: 1/18/2009 9:13:41 AM
Author: arjunajane

Thanks DF - ha ha, I hear ya on your kids.
I learnt some Macedonian from my grandparents when I was little, but promptly forgot it when I grew up - now I only know the rude and silly stuff

Seeing as it was essentially their first language, I''m sure your girls would pick it up quickly if they wanted..?

Well, I can give you some Macedonian lessons if you want, since my first language is Bulgarian which is pretty close. Macedonians and Bulgarians can understand each other in a conversation perfectly well. And maybe a separate refresher course on the rude stuff

I''m also fluent in English and German and I''m planning on learning Italian soon. Ive always been good with foreign languages and literature. Alas, the same couldn''t be said abouth math and science...

 

[chiapet]

threepwood, seems like you and I speak the exact same 3 languages! So awesome to have 3 people here to speak Bahasa. MrsG, you''ll pick it up very fast. There''s basically no grammar in Bahasa so it''s pretty easy.
arjunajane, do you live in Australia? I''m hoping to visit this summer and maybe move there in a few years. It''s hard living so far from my family! The flight from NY to Jakarta is at least 25 hours. So I''m hoping to get a job in Australia in a few years.

 

[Harriet]

Selamat malam.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/18/2009 4:13:57 PM
Author: AdiS

Date: 1/18/2009 9:13:41 AM
Author: arjunajane

Thanks DF - ha ha, I hear ya on your kids.
I learnt some Macedonian from my grandparents when I was little, but promptly forgot it when I grew up - now I only know the rude and silly stuff

Seeing as it was essentially their first language, I''m sure your girls would pick it up quickly if they wanted..?

Well, I can give you some Macedonian lessons if you want, since my first language is Bulgarian which is pretty close. Macedonians and Bulgarians can understand each other in a conversation perfectly well. And maybe a separate refresher course on the rude stuff

I''m also fluent in English and German and I''m planning on learning Italian soon. Ive always been good with foreign languages and literature. Alas, the same couldn''t be said abouth math and science...

Really AdiS? I''m terrible with it, I find the alphabet stupidly hard - although I must admit, I''m not sure how much we would''ve learnt from my Bubba either - it seemed the only time her and my dad would talk Masso was when they argued, lol

I can understand my Bubba for sure on b''days and holidays, when she says "sukash parde" (sorry don''t know spelling) - which means "Would you like some money?"

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/18/2009 7:04:19 PM
Author: chiapet
threepwood, seems like you and I speak the exact same 3 languages! So awesome to have 3 people here to speak Bahasa. MrsG, you''ll pick it up very fast. There''s basically no grammar in Bahasa so it''s pretty easy.
arjunajane, do you live in Australia? I''m hoping to visit this summer and maybe move there in a few years. It''s hard living so far from my family! The flight from NY to Jakarta is at least 25 hours. So I''m hoping to get a job in Australia in a few years.

Selamat pagi chiapet (and Harriet) !
Yes, I love in West Australia. How exciting, where do you want to move to? Yep, that is an extremely long flight - I''m not good with long commutes, so I admire you being able to do that. I think its maybe 3hrs tops from here, even less on a good day.