Mad Matt Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Just wonderin' how many of you have linguistic skills (down boys!) in another language. I might be taking up a second language, soon. Just curious. When did you learn it and how difficult was it to pick up? You will be flogged. And God willing, come morning, you will be flogged some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tudor MercWench Smith Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 I took five years of french. And I'm still far from fluent. But that is prolly only because of lack of practice and dedication. I can read it and understand it pretty well, but can't speak it or write it much. Just couldn't wrap my head around all the vocab and grammer. But some of that is a personal thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Black Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 I speak Japanese. I took about 4 years of it in college, studied abroad, and then worked there for 2 years. I work for a Japanese company now and still use it. Like anything, without constant use it degrades. My wife is Japanese, though we only speak English unless her family or friends are around, so I have some practice for speaking/listening. However, my reading/writing has seriously worsened from lack of use. I originally took Italian in high school, but it just didn't click with me. So, if you don't seem to enjoy a language at first, I would suggest trying a different one. I'm now thinking of moving on to French next... Sea Captain: Yar, that be handsome pete, he dances on the pier for nickels! Sea Captain: Arrr... you gave him a quarter, he'll be dancin all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charity Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Well, obviously Dutch is my first language, then i speak English and German resonably and one or two words/lines in French and Spanish but that's hardly worth to mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Matt Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Wouldn't the first phrase they teach you in French be, "I surrender"? You guys would be a big help in New Orleans, though. You will be flogged. And God willing, come morning, you will be flogged some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Black Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Wouldn't the first phrase they teach you in French be, "I surrender"? Let's not get political about this! Sea Captain: Yar, that be handsome pete, he dances on the pier for nickels! Sea Captain: Arrr... you gave him a quarter, he'll be dancin all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 I've picked up some Spanish here and there. Certain things I know, but otherwise English is my only language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumba Rue Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Well ye see, not necessarily another language, but I did have ta give up speaking with an Irish accent at events. The brough got so heavy, that no one could understand what I was sayin' 'cept the Irish at Irish Faire. I have even been mistaken for bein' pure Irish an' have been asked what part of Ireland I'm from. That's when I break character and talk in normal English, really throws people for a loop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbead Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Ich kann ein bischen Deutsch . . . but not nearly so much as I could a few years ago, back when I lived there while I was in the Army. "In the end, it's not the gold that sets our sails, 'Tis freedom and the promise of a better life That raises our black flags." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Matt Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Charity, my sister. My family heritage is said to be Dutch! Thought about learnin' that at one point, but just couldn't see myself speakin' it once I heard it out loud! You will be flogged. And God willing, come morning, you will be flogged some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rummy3 Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Living CA, I thought I should learn Spanish in school. 2 years and (22 married to a Mexican) I can understand a lot more than I can say conversationally. Takes practice, Mad Matt - make sure you have someone around that knows the language you want to learn so you can practice with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tishsparrow Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 i take german in school, but still wouldnt be able to find my way about if i were lost. i cant say 'bathroom' to save my life. we had a few exchange students here last week, they all spoke perfect english. what is the point, i ask you? ich bin schnappi, das kleine krokodil! sorry, we had to watch that in class. frickin' little cute singing german-egyptian crocodiles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Matt Posted November 3, 2005 Author Share Posted November 3, 2005 The point, m' lady, is to be able to inerrog...uh, I mean ask questions of people. I would also prefer when traveling to a foreign country, to be able to speak their language. Growing up and living in the Southwest, I too often hear, "You speak Spanish?" Gettin' really sick of it. I would expect to be bludgeoned and robbed if I visited another country where I couldn't speak the language. Plus, me thinks Russian sounds very (dare I say it) manly, as far as languages go. Hmmm. Russian pirates? KGB probably is closest thing! HAHA You will be flogged. And God willing, come morning, you will be flogged some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Marcus Keys Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Born and raised in Miami Fl. Can't speak a lick of Spanish. I understand most of the usual words but don't speak it often enough. I can tell you this, if you learn spanish you can learn just about every other language easier. Spanish is the hardest so ive been told. When I worked with a spanish coworker it was alot easier to learn the language and to have someone to use the language with. http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/147/147037/folders/94920/1711395081b.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Handed Jill Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Well, I used to speak French, but not since 1967, so I'm a wee bit rusty (as in my ability to speak French is almost nonexistant.) And I grew up in San Francisco's Mission district, so I learned some colloquial Spanish and took Spanish for Native Speakers in high school, but that was 25 years ago, so I'm more than a bit rusty in that as well. I picked up one of those "Learn to Speak French" CD sets and as soon as my work schedule backs off a bit, I want to spend some time reacquainting myself. Probably won't happen for several months, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentleman of Fortune Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 I AM living in Germany now. Have been here for 3 years and my German is ok. My wife and I are part of the DoD base support (school teachers) and we spend a lot of time on base (which is like a little American City). We live off post though and my 3 year old is going to German kindergarten. I have had to ratchet up my German so that I can communicate with her teachers more effectively. A lot of German speak great English... except the ones that you NEED to speak english to (The Telepnone company, The Bank, Internet Service Provdier help desk etc) If a German can speak English, they are excited to try their English out and I have been lazy and usually let them speak English instead of me trying to use my German to them. GoF Come aboard my pirate re-enacting site http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/ Where you will find lots of information on building your authentic Pirate Impression! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjohn Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 None these days. A long time ago I had Spanish and Latin down pretty good, and knew a smattering of German. My Home on the Web The Pirate Brethren Gallery Dreams are the glue that holds reality together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Matt Posted November 3, 2005 Author Share Posted November 3, 2005 GoF, Why don't you just reply in German? They get a chance to speak English and you can correct them (if need be) in their native tongue. Same thing happens when you take a language class, right? That would at least get you to speak your German more. Did you know the language before your transfer in to Germany? You will be flogged. And God willing, come morning, you will be flogged some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PyratePhil Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Spanish; a bit of French, Italian, and Japanese; Mandarin and Cantonese. Oh, and a little English. ...Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum... ~ Vegetius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull pyrate Carter Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Less see. I pretty much failed two years of German in high school. I mean I barely passed, two years. I made up a lot of words just to get extra credit. I would add a Die, Der or Das before english words I didn't know the German equivalent. I spent two years in College, e seite anos en restarauntes aprendo espanol. Yo hablo un poco espanol, pero practico as much as possible. I wanted to teach myself Japanese, especiallly the writing and I was starting to learn the Kanji, but out of the 4000+ symbols, I know about 15. I can say hello, thank you, dog, and sir in Hangul (Korean). That's about all I learned after living one year in that god forsaken country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Black Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 I wanted to teach myself Japanese, especiallly the writing and I was starting to learn the Kanji, but out of the 4000+ symbols, I know about 15. Skull pyrate Carter! Don't be discouraged! You just started out with the hardest part of Japanese! It's like teaching yourself math and starting with calculus! Besides, you only need to know about 1000 to be passable, 2000 to read the newspaper... Sea Captain: Yar, that be handsome pete, he dances on the pier for nickels! Sea Captain: Arrr... you gave him a quarter, he'll be dancin all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull pyrate Carter Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Is that all? I picked it because I find the concept of their language fascinating, and Kanji really encompassed what I found fascinating, unfortunetly I just cannot find the time to study. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Santana de la Vega Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 I see dead people! Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a knife in your back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 How about the OP language, does that count? For example, the sentence, "My name is Christine" would be: "Mop yop nop a mop e i sop Cop hop rop i sop top i nop e." You put op at the end of the letters, excepts for the vowels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirate Petee Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 What in the hell, now your just makin that up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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