marie-angelique wrote:The Russians have a joke:
If you are optimist, you learn English,
if you are pessimist, you learn Arabic,
if you are realist, you learn Chinese....
What is your native language and what do you want to do with your language skills?
LOL
good advice all. and thanks!
~reasons for wanting to learn - travel and work (journo, writer, radio guy).
~desire to know so I feel I have more freedom to communicate.
~inherent belief that a freedom to communicate will allow me to pursue my prof. goals as a writer/journo/radio guy/corrrespondent.
drawn to "the 'stans", central asia - want to be flexible in Europe too.
SO
bottom line basics starting out with:
~first language - English (Canadian)
~ knows some French from the public school system: enough to not have to spend a LOT of time brushing up on for some fluency.
~Know some Latin: demanded a credit course when they dropped it from curriculum.
~took 1 year German in University.
~started messing about with 'Arabic for Dummies' and I have fun practicing with the Iraqi fellow who owns neighbourgood convenience store. He is happy that I am interested and really helps with prounciations.
~don't have difficulty grasping the basics of languages, over all.
~not naive enough to think they can be learned without some real dedication and time.
~generally enjoy languages + avid reader - including classic Lit which exposed me to nuances of certain languages ie: Russian and Greek esp.
~so that's the 'reasoning' so to speak (no pun intended). I understand the need to know spanish, too.
~ but it would also be ridiuclous to think one can 'rush' learning a a language.
~ what other languages do many of you know / share?
~ maybe this desire sounds pathetic, but the yen is there!