Learning Languages

[Johann]

What is your native language and what foreign languages do you speak?

 

[Bolletje]

My native language is Dutch. I speak English very well. I used to be good at German and French at well, but those are very rusty at the moment. I have little problem reading those languages though.

 

[Monachopia]

Technically my native languages are Russian and Latvian, but I speak English much better now. I understand mostly everything in those two languages, but it takes a while to string sentences together if speaking. I also understand some Spanish.

 

[Jeremiah]

My native language is Finnish, and speak English as well.
I should be also speak Swedish but I had lot of trouble with that...

 

[Erek]

Portuguese is my native language, but I speak English and Spanish as well.

 

[Tom]

Technically, before my morning coffee, none.

 

[Wolfnox]

English speaking wolf. Also howl.

 

[Major Tom]

I'm a native English speaker and I speak passable Japanese too.

 

[Bikutoso]

Norwegian in my native language, can also speak English. Have issues in both languages, but lack interest to doing anything about it.
Have also been learning Japanese since January.

 

[GadAbout]

English. Some high school French and college German.

 

[Mary Terry]

English is my native language but I speak a little Spanish, enough to get by in Spanish-speaking countries. It's probably more like Spanglish than Spanish, and I read it better than I can speak or understand it when spoken to me. I know a little French, too, left over from a couple of years of French classes in high school.

I'm always impressed by how many participants on this website are bilingual or multi-lingual. The USA is the only country I know of where "bilingual" is considered an insult, especially if Spanish is one of the languages.

 

[Judge]

English, high school Spanish and college German.

 

[Johann]

My native language is Dutch. I speak English very well. I used to be good at German and French at well, but those are very rusty at the moment. I have little problem reading those languages though.

Yes, your English is great. Did you learn German and French through schooling or self-study?

Technically my native languages are Russian and Latvian, but I speak English much better now. I understand mostly everything in those two languages, but it takes a while to string sentences together if speaking. I also understand some Spanish.

Lativian, that is interesting since I havent come across any Lativian speakers in my personal life. Your English is great as well. How long have you studied English? Was learning English apart of your schooling?

My native language is Finnish, and speak English as well.
I should be also speak Swedish but I had lot of trouble with that...

As a native English speaker, Finnish would be hard for me to learn. Swedish pronunciation can be difficult. Did you have trouble with pronunciation?

Portuguese is my native language, but I speak English and Spanish as well.

Very nice. Did you find English difficult to learn? I am always impressed by anyone who speaks English, to any capacity, and it wasnt their native tongue.

English speaking wolf. Also howl.

I misread what you posted at first. I thought you spoke "Wolof".

Technically, before my morning coffee, none.

Me either. Not a morning person.

I'm a native English speaker and I speak passable Japanese too.

That is considered a category 4 language on the FSI chart. Very very difficult. How did you go about learning the language? Were you immersed in the culture? How long have you learned?

Norwegian in my native language, can also speak English. Have issues in both languages, but lack interest to doing anything about it.
Have also been learning Japanese since January.

Your English is clear. I can understand you without any problem. Congrats on starting/learning a new language. If I may ask, why Japanese? Anime/Culture/An intellectual challenge?

English. Some high school French and college German.

I learned some french in high school but honestly, I left it back in high school. I think I may pick up some German as I have a childhood friend with whom I can practice that lives in Germany now. Was studying a foreign language in College a prerequisite for degree completion?

English is my native language but I speak a little Spanish, enough to get by in Spanish-speaking countries. It's probably more like Spanglish than Spanish, and I read it better than I can speak or understand it when spoken to me. I know a little French, too, left over from a couple of years of French classes in high school.

I'm always impressed by how many participants on this website are bilingual or multi-lingual. The USA is the only country I know of where "bilingual" is considered an insult, especially if Spanish is one of the languages.

Spanish is spoken so fast that it can be very hard to understand. I think, out of the main languages that people speak as dictated by population size, the only other language that is faster is Japanese. However, I could be completely wrong, as the information is coming from conjecture.

I am also delightfully surprised at the forum's language acquisition. If you are from the United States, polyglotism is extremely rare as it relates to the general populace. Outside the U.S, you will find a lot more people who speak 2 languages or more.

English, high school Spanish and college German.

Nice. Was German a personal elective or requirement for your degree?

 

[Johann]

I referenced the FSI chart in a reply but wanted to provide it to everyone in this thread. The chart provides an estimation for how hard(difficulty-level) and how long(number of class hours needed) for a native English speaker to become "fluent" in a foreign language. You can find the chart below:

 

[Tom]

Well, if non-human languages count, I can also speak some dog, bird and am quite fluent in chicken. I also know a few phases in African frog.

 

[GadAbout]

I learned some french in high school but honestly, I left it back in high school. I think I may pick up some German as I have a childhood friend with whom I can practice that lives in Germany now. Was studying a foreign language in College a prerequisite for degree completion?

No, actually, I retained enough French that I "placed out" of the degree requirement in college (passed a placement test at the start of the school year). I was a science major and did not need multiple languages. Later I went back to college as a post-baccalaureate student and took German because I wanted more liberal arts work than I had had in my first degree program. Currently I wish I knew Italian and Spanish and Latin and Greek, but realistically, I may be too old to learn a foreign language.

 

[Bolletje]

Yes, your English is great. Did you learn German and French through schooling or self-study?

School

 

[Isadoorian]

English, though I would also speak the native language (Sm'álgyax, which translates to "Real or True Language") of my people (The Tsimshian) if I knew how (I'm Native Canadian/American, for context). There's fewer and fewer speakers of it, sadly.

 

[Bikutoso]

Your English is clear. I can understand you without any problem. Congrats on starting/learning a new language. If I may ask, why Japanese? Anime/Culture/An intellectual challenge?

While lacking interest in actively fixing my issues with English. I do still passively try to learn. Like Learning Japanese has made me better understand things like sentences and context in English. And my use of the pronoun I is less frequent. (Don't like the I, with its irregular capitalisation)

My current signature says the main reason for learning Japanese, but all the reasons you listed is also true.
Japanese have actually been pretty easy to learn. The biggest issue so far has only been the use of new grammar with previously learned grammar.

Spoiler: Current signature as of writing this.

日本人の友達を作りたいから、日本語を勉強しています。

 

[Jeremiah]

As a native English speaker, Finnish would be hard for me to learn. Swedish pronunciation can be difficult. Did you have trouble with pronunciation?

I guess Finnish can be difficult as a new language, considering it comes from completely differrent family of languages than majority of European languages.

I believe my trouble with Swedish is the fact that I've never found use for it.
I used to have difficulties with English as well, until I started actually finding and using it in internet and video games.