Who here is multilingual?

yoviher · Jan 20, 2005

Spanish as a first language, English as a second, but fluently enough to have dreams in it, and enough French to get into trouble.

royalenchntrss · Jan 20, 2005

I can do some spanish, my uncle is from argentina... swear in german, lol.. and im trying to teach myself Latin, Latin for dummies is my friend. lol

cougar · Jan 20, 2005

Wow lots of different languages. I also thought there was an international sign language

elrick · Jan 20, 2005

Russian as first and native language...
and English...

mrsd · Jan 20, 2005

Originally Posted by turtlecat

I speak 7 and can read 10. that used to be more, but I've since forgotten cyrillic.

and I can speak a little japanese

Totally cool. What are your languages?

jalapeno · Jan 20, 2005

I can read/write/speak-
Filipino (native language of the Philippines)
English
Mandarin (native language of China, Taiwan)
Cantonese (native language of Hong Kong)

I can read/write some Japanese, but not fluently though! I watch quite a bit of Japanese dramas, and have to rely on the Chinese subtitles to get the whole story.

I would still love to learn though.

English, Mandarin & Cantonese I don't speak much really, there isn't too much chance to.

mrsd · Jan 20, 2005

Jalapeno, your handle is cool!

(Or hot?)

jalapeno · Jan 20, 2005

Hi MRSD! Heehee!

I love jalapenos with cheese, I think Kraft used to make them.

(Do they still make them?? We don't get it here in Manila.

)

clixpix · Jan 20, 2005

Does "Spanglish" count?

I speak a bit at work with my labor patients. It's not the kind of Spanish one could use in polite company, though, the questions are pretty...um...personal!

sashacat421 · Jan 25, 2005

Originally Posted by yoviher

Spanish as a first language, English as a second, but fluently enough to have dreams in it, and enough French to get into trouble.

C'est perfecte! I love this! ...enough French to get into trouble!

C'est tres bon!!!

English is my native language being American. I speak Spanish, French, Lakota -the language of the Oglalla Sioux (American) Indian, conversational Korean, conversational Japanese, and Chinese (Mandarin) --as there are over 7,000 Chinese dialects, although most speak either Cantonese to the south or Mandarin to the north and nobody ever says they truly speak Chinese...mastering that language is a profession in China as it encompasses so much more than just words and can take a lifetime to learn.

I also speak TCS.

fwan · Jan 25, 2005

Originally Posted by Kiwideus

Does knowing sign language from 4 different countries count?

NZ, USA, British and South African.

Hey they arent all the same you know...
american speaks with one hand
and british with two

My mother gets terribly confused because scottish signlanguage (not the alphabet) is different from english and australian

and canadian!!
although they all get by, by spelling if they got confised

fwan · Jan 25, 2005

Well since this thread was inspired by me

i will refresh what i said in another thread although i dont remember which one it was?? lol!

English,
Italian,
Signlanguage
I CAN SAY GERMAN!! i understand it so much but i choke on speaking... and when i do i am the comedian of the group!

apparently my accent is sooo gail!

French i learned at school. I actually like watching french movies coz they sound really good.
Japanese i learned at school too... now i can count to 10...
ichy knee san schi go rocku ****shy hatchy qu JU!
Yes i know they arent spelled right but thats how i remember it

hobbester · Jan 25, 2005

Me too can read/write/speak:
English
Mandarin
Cantonese
Malay

Basic conversations in Japanese but can read.

kiwideus · Jan 25, 2005

Originally Posted by fwan

Hey they arent all the same you know...
american speaks with one hand
and british with two

My mother gets terribly confused because scottish signlanguage (not the alphabet) is different from english and australian and canadian!!
although they all get by, by spelling if they got confised

I know - NZ sign language uses 2 hands for the alphabet while I have to use one here in the US. It gets confusing but my deaf friends here love it when I teach them dirty words in NZSL - that way they can say it to others without strangers or others knowing

hissy · Jan 25, 2005

I do sign and English- that's the extent of it. And my signing is way rusty!

sashacat421 · Jan 25, 2005

Originally Posted by hissy

I do sign and English- that's the extent of it. And my signing is way rusty!

So what happens when you get rusty and "say" something completely different? I have visions of that commercial where the guy is has just assumed he's taught himself French and then says to a cop in Paris "You have been a very helpful yellow toilet!"

Is that what happens??

jcat · Jan 25, 2005

Originally Posted by Kiwideus

I know - NZ sign language uses 2 hands for the alphabet while I have to use one here in the US. It gets confusing but my deaf friends here love it when I teach them dirty words in NZSL - that way they can say it to others without strangers or others knowing

German sign language uses both hands, too. There's a group of high school students who take the same train I do in the afternoon. They sign and talk at the same time, and I haven't figured out who is "hearing" and who isn't, but I often sit there and watch them. Our local community college offers courses, and I've often been tempted to take one. My hearing is getting worse and worse, and now the doctors are saying it's hereditary (my dad and both his brothers lost their hearing), and not just due to ear infections. I learned lip reading, but not signing, as a kid. I'll probably look into videos/DVDs, and then take a course.

mrsd · Jan 25, 2005

Neat thread. My questions are for those who know many languages.

1. Do you dream in your primary language? Or all of them?

2. How do you keep the other languages 'fresh', when the people you are around DON'T speak French or conversational Chinese.

3. If you have children, do you speak to them in all those different languages?

4. Do you feel you have a 'gift' for languages? That is, was it easy for you to pick the languages up? (Or could anyone do this?)

5. What language do you find the most beautiful on the ears?

6. What made you interested in all the languages in the first place?

7. How did you learn? Tapes? Schooling? Immersion?

Thanks to all who respond to my curious questions.

kiwideus · Jan 25, 2005

Originally Posted by jcat

German sign language uses both hands, too. There's a group of high school students who take the same train I do in the afternoon. They sign and talk at the same time, and I haven't figured out who is "hearing" and who isn't, but I often sit there and watch them. Our local community college offers courses, and I've often been tempted to take one. My hearing is getting worse and worse, and now the doctors are saying it's hereditary (my dad and both his brothers lost their hearing), and not just due to ear infections. I learned lip reading, but not signing, as a kid. I'll probably look into videos/DVDs, and then take a course.

Tricia - try and see if there is a course taught by a deaf person. The majority of hearing people I know have said that they learn faster when they are taught by a deaf person - I guess you could call it immersion

Learning sign language is not just about the language - you also need to learn about the Deaf culture. (Note that I use the capital D when talking about Deaf culture, it is important to the Deaf community that this be used.

sanctie · Jan 25, 2005

Originally Posted by mamacat

I sort of speak Spanish. I wouldn't say I'm fluent, but I can get by.

Me too!! I also speak a decent amount of American Sign Language......But I wouldnt necessarily say fluent in either!!

-Stevie

Who here is multilingual?

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