Can you speak a foreign language?

[GBJ]

DuoLingo downloaded.

Duo for me has been brilliant. Like I said, it really gives you a good foundation to build on.

It’s well laid out, simple to use and doesn’t propel you at a rate that you’re not comfortable with. Plus it’s free.

 

[The Big Dady]

My ex regularly called me a Bhenchod....and that's when we were getting on

The question is "Did you?"

 

[GBJ]

I did a 6 month online Welsh course 8 years ago. Keep meaning to pick it up again but never find the time. I'm always amazed at how much I've retained though, it was a great course.

It’s quite amazing how much the mind does retain. On my most recent visit to Spain (last month), I was using words & phrases that I’d forgotten that I even knew.

 

[MK Shrimper]

The question is "Did you?"

Bund Mara mango.

In the nicest possibly way.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

I studied German at university and now work as a translator. Also have a little bit of French and Spanish from my school/university days.

Learning another language is a brilliant thing to do and something I'd recommend to anyone, but sadly it's something us Brits are very bad at.

 

[GrumpyBlue]

It’s quite amazing how much the mind does retain. On my most recent visit to Spain (last month), I was using words & phrases that I’d forgotten that I even knew.

Yes when I go to Spain and France I am always surprised how much I remember. Can get by in Italian as well and a bit of Cornish !

 

[GBJ]

Learning another language is a brilliant thing to do and something I'd recommend to anyone, but sadly it's something us Brits are very bad at.

As I said in the OP, I find it a very good form of brain training. It’s not just improving your memory, but you’re forcing your brain to work in a way that it hasn’t done since you were a toddler.

As I mentioned it earlier, I’ll use conjugsting verbs as an example. Getting your brain around that, IMO, is one of the best forms of exercise you can give it.

Yes when I go to Spain and France I am always surprised how much I remember. Can get by in Italian as well and a bit of Cornish !

I won’t lie though, after siete o ocho cervezas, my Spanish initially turns to Spanglish, and as the day/night wears on, it gets progressively worse.

 

[Napster]

Ah right. And by that logic, once you’ve cracked it with one language, it’s interchangeable with others?

Could be wrong here, but I’m assuming the process is similar to conjugating verbs, for example? I.e. once you’ve learned the correct syntax for conjugation, then you can apply that to everything, barring the odd ones here and there?

well, in some sub-families, the similarities are fairly easy to ascertain, so Italian/Spanish or Danish/Swedish, and Scottish Gaelic/Irish Gaelic.

Syntactically, it can very different even within some subfamilies, so German's word order is very different to English, but English is a Germanic language. Semantics is a whole new area, and never mind evolution of semantics and even dialectology.

But at its core, there's only a finite set of phonemes, there's only a finite set of syntactical constructions, (not looking at SVO order, but clause construction), so logically, there is some crossover with languages.

However, some languages are known as isolates. These are languages where there is little to no correlation with any nearby languages - so no one knows how they originated! Basque and Korean are examples.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I remember seeing a telly programme where people who spoke Waloon (small part of Belgium) conversed in their own language with those who lived in East Anglia and on the whole, they understood each other.

 

[Supernaut]

It’s quite amazing how much the mind does retain. On my most recent visit to Spain (last month), I was using words & phrases that I’d forgotten that I even knew.

I got into the habit of translating English to Welsh in my head every day, just little phrases, but it kept me working through everything I'd learnt. I also used to talk to my dog in Welsh, just to practice! it all helped keep the language fresh in my head.

 

[Supernaut]

I remember seeing a telly programme where people who spoke Waloon (small part of Belgium) conversed in their own language with those who lived in East Anglia and on the whole, they understood each other.

Eden Hazard is Waloon I believe. And architecture critic and all-round legend Ian Nairn once said he wanted to die in the arms of a Waloon tart! As you were...

 

[MK Shrimper]

Eden Hazard is Waloon I believe. And architecture critic and all-round legend Ian Nairn once said he wanted to die in the arms of a Waloon tart! As you were...

Is that like a jam tart? Messy way to die, being covered in conserve....

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

I studied German at university and now work as a translator. Also have a little bit of French and Spanish from my school/university days.

Learning another language is a brilliant thing to do and something I'd recommend to anyone, but sadly it's something us Brits are very bad at.

Yes we probably are but English is widely accepted as the international language so it’s not just us British it’s more than likely any country with English as their first language.

 

[Supernaut]

Is that like a jam tart? Messy way to die, being covered in conserve....

Maybe. Sounds pretty good to me.

 

[GBJ]

I got into the habit of translating English to Welsh in my head every day, just little phrases, but it kept me working through everything I'd learnt. I also used to talk to my dog in Welsh, just to practice! it all helped keep the language fresh in my head.

I do this aswell haha.

I’ll create different conversation scenarios in my head, using what I’ve learned, to try and carry a conversation on, and see how far I can get.

Might sound daft doing that, but it helps to keep your replies quick & concise, in real life.

 

[Napster]

the best thing is to listen to local radio and read local papers.

so for German it's spiegel

for French its for me Lemonde

this is interesting by the way. https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeur...-les-touristes-etrangers_5488767_4355770.html

 

[GBJ]

Yes we probably are but English is widely accepted as the international language so it’s not just us British it’s more than likely any country with English as their first language.

Whilst I fully agree with you, I must admit that I’ve always found it odd, why us Brits hate the idea of learning a new language.

I don’t necessarily believe it’s because we’re arrogant, nor is it due to laziness. Could be a fear of failing, or fear of it being too difficult?

 

[manor15]

Started learning Spanish 13 years ago, wanted to do an Italian course instead but there weren’t enough numbers so got shafted to Spanish. Ended up studying it at uni and now living in Madrid and working in Spanish every day. Amazing the opportunities that languages can open you up to.

Haha foreign insults are exquisite.

Maybe @Tangled up in Blue can confirm this one - that’s if I can remember it correctly - I was told that if you ever said this Spanish term to another Spaniard, you need to put your fists up straight away, because it’ll be on instantly.

Yo mierda en tu familia muerta.

Spanish love to express their need to poo on the genitals of your mother/your dead family/your milk when they’re angry, I guess it makes sense but not sure where it came from.

 

[Napster]

Started learning Spanish 13 years ago, wanted to do an Italian course instead but there weren’t enough numbers so got shafted to Spanish. Ended up studying it at uni and now living in Madrid and working in Spanish every day. Amazing the opportunities that languages can open you up to.


Spanish love to express their need to poo on the genitals of your mother/your dead family/your milk when they’re angry, I guess it makes sense but not sure where it came from.

My uncle went to Spain about 20 years ago, met someone,married them, had kids etc still lives there and he's fluent etc. He made a joke which I didnt get at all - about the gasman being the kids' father. Jokes and swearing in Spanish go right over my head!

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

Whilst I fully agree with you, I must admit that I’ve always found it odd, why us Brits hate the idea of learning a new language.

I don’t necessarily believe it’s because we’re arrogant, nor is it due to laziness. Could be a fear of failing, or fear of it being too difficult?

More likely that in most instances they don’t need to.
Personally I would have kids learning Spanish and mandarin from nine years old.