Foreign Languages, and the learning thereof

[Gewehr98]

Bemidjiblade, about that...

I need to pick up Greek because I want to be a Lutheran Pastor some day.

The Greek is fine, but skip the latter part, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  

[Bemidjiblade]

Gewehr,

Either way, I still want to learn Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.  I had a speaker one day who had a Bible of the Masoretic text and the Koine greek.  She was so good w/ the original languages that she read them outloud in English.

Ordination or not... my eyes crossed like a gearhead looking at a high-end car.  I've GOT to get me one of those some day.

But first I've got to earn it, and I've got 2 languages to go.  But I've found so many amazing things in the Masoretic (Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensia) that I've only whetted my appetite for more.

[Jamisjockey]

Gewher:
I'm referring to Americans, not our invaders from the South.  If our American born population was more educated, including foriegn languages, we'd stand a better chance in the world economy.  Instead, our fearless leaders attach federal monies to things like teaching Abstience...which doesn't do diddle to prepare a young person to deal in the global market.

[Bemidjiblade]

I dunno.  I think not being a father at 16 helps a lot with educational opportunities.  It's pretty hard to get through college and compete in the global market while working full time at McDonalds to support your family.

[Jamisjockey]

I dunno.  I think not being a father at 16 helps a lot with educational opportunities.  It's pretty hard to get through college and compete in the global market while working full time at McDonalds to support your family.

Sexual education should be taught, but the federal government mandates that it be taught a certain way, and then attaches federal money to it.  And the parents have way more culpability in this than the schools.
Good job not knocking up your girlfriend, Joey, but how many words per minute can you type?  None?  Oh, but you can text pretty fast....yea, that doesn't do us any good.  What about languages?  None....hmmmm....we'll let you know....

[K Frame]

Spanish and French.

I can be slapped by pretty girls in both languages.

I tried Russian, but we hit declensions and my head exploded.

[Iain]

I was truly awful at French.

I keep meaning to learn Spanish. I even got hold of a free mp3 from an American site a while back. Unfortunately I don't want to be the English guy in Spain who speaks with a thick Mexican accent.

Languages aren't my thing, despite my very passable English. I need to really sit down one day and begin to get a handle on English grammar, I reckon that will help future foreign language endeavours.

[Typhoon]

Hee - I can relate.

My Japanese crowds my French and vice-versa.

But I can order in restaurants, at any rate...

Edited to add...

I always wondered what happens when one becomes fluent in a foreign language.  Does one begin thinking in that language?

Seems to me to be a good insight into another culture...

[JAlexander]

Besides English?  My Spanish is pretty good, and when I use it regularly then I'm pretty fluent.  I can understand spoken French and Italian, and I can read Portuguese.

My darling bride can sing in French, Italian, Russian, and Yiddish.  Do those count?

James

[The Rabbi]

Gewehr,

But first I've got to earn it, and I've got 2 languages to go.  But I've found so many amazing things in the Masoretic (Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensia) that I've only whetted my appetite for more.

The Biblia Hebraica is a joke.  A bunch of Germans think they're dealing with Homer.  Skip it for a traditional text.

[Typhoon]

Thomas the Danish immigrant answered the question I posed re: "What language are you thinking in?"

With: "It depends."

Sigh.  No help at all...

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

I always wondered what happens when one becomes fluent in a foreign language.  Does one begin thinking in that language?

Seems to me to be a good insight into another culture...

When you are immersed in a culture that speaks another language, eventually, two things happen:
You beging to THINK (short phrases at first, stream of consciousness later) in that language,
and then...
You begin to DREAM in that language.
Very surreal.

El Tejon, there WAS a latina girlfriend once.  Just long enough for me to wise up and marry a big blonde 'Murikan woman.


Las latinas tiene sangre demasiado caliente por mi.
Loosely, Latinas are too hot-blooded for me.

[Modifiedbrowning]

Four years in High School and four years in college of German. I graduated college in '93, and have had little practice. I still know some good cuss words, though.

[igor]

Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, German, French and English, all on a fluent working level. I can manage as a tourist in Spanish and Estonian on top of those. Learning Russian would be a smart career move here but the threshold in that linguistic direction seems pretty high.

In Finnish public schools everybody's required to take at least one foreign language for seven years in addition to the second domestic official one which one takes for three years. 6% of the people have Swedish as their first language so they take Finnish, the rest of us vice versa. Most do English as first foreign language, obviously, with German a distant second. In practice everyone speaks English at least on the level of our Formula 1 Grand Prix stars... and many take a second foreign language too. Swedish is generally understood but not very well spoken. Russian is still not popular at all.

[Bemidjiblade]

Rabbi,
Can you suggest a better copy of the Masoretic text?  I'm more than willing to look into it.

[K Frame]

"Does one begin thinking in that language?"

Yes.

I was getting very close to being fluent in Spanish. I really needed to do some traveling to break through the final barrier, but there were a number of times when I suddenly realized that I was thinking in Spanish.

[The Rabbi]

Rabbi,
Can you suggest a better copy of the Masoretic text?  I'm more than willing to look into it.

Any copy of Chamishei Chumshei Torah will do.

[280plus]

Well, I used to teach a few Puerto Rican guys some stuff about HVAC and they told me the best way to learn Spanish was to date a pretty Spanish girl. They said, "You'll learn Spanish in no time!" Sounded like a great recommendation to me. My WIFE probably wouldn't like the idea however...

[Standing Wolf]

I've studied Greek, Latin, French, and German, none of which have stayed with me except in bits and pieces.

That said", the mental effort involved in studying other languages enabled me to master English, and the discipline has proved of great value innumerable times.

[Guest]

I'm at the DLI in California right now. Going to be learning Arabic once my class starts. I like the shirts around here:

"DLI - We learn Arabic so you don't have to." (Insert language of preference where Arabic is.)

[wmenorr67]

3 yrs German in High School.  I can remember some of it when I want.

[thebaldguy]

German (high school and college) and Spanish (bartender for a Mexican family who owned a Mexican restasurant. One summer at college my sister and I took immersion German. Four hours per day, five days a week for 13 weeks. You WILL learn a language with that type of use. Same with my Spanish. Six to eight hour bar shifts 4-5 days per week for over six years. You learn fast.

[White Horseradish]

I like to think I've done pretty well with learning English...

Really. English is nowhere near as hard as people make it out to be.

[Tallpine]

Tha mi ag ionnsachadh Gaidhlig

[The Rabbi]

Tha mi ag ionnsachadh Gaidhlig

Trans:
Eat At Joe's!