Languages and linguistics

Random irrelevance that just didn't fit into other forums. Talk about anything.

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bbguimaraes
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by bbguimaraes »

  • (Brazilian) Portuguese: native. Nice language.
  • Portuguese: by extension, but the pronunciation is incredibly different, so it's hard to understand people talking fast (which they usually do).
  • English: studied since I was a kid.
I've always liked languages, even though I never studied anyone apart from English. Maybe if I had two or three lifes...
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Skomakar'n
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by Skomakar'n »

Imrooniel wrote:-Polish (native) - Cypriots are telling me that it sound like snake having sex with machine gun. I personally consider it one of most useless languages in the world, albeit good for poetry.
Polish sounds like a normal Slavic language. It's nice. Not useful for business doesn't mean useless!
Imrooniel wrote:Also I heard somewhere it's one of 5 hardest languages in the world
I hear that about just about every language these days, including my native one. I wouldn't trust it.
Imrooniel wrote:-Greek (almost-native I suppose?) - I spent on Cyprus my last 7 years, and even though I learned it quite well I still sometimes have troubles with word's endings (I'm just terrible at languages, lmao), have tendency to incorporate weird (although technically speaking correct ones) syntax and completely fail at grammar. I still had good grades tho D:
:D
Imrooniel wrote:-English (pffft, fluent) - heck, I use it daily since I was twelve.
-Russian (limited) - I spent lots of time hanging out with Russian speakers, also its fairly similar to polish so I can communicate with Russians at some level. I can understand more than I can say simply because I never sat down and studied it.
-German and French (eeee?) - only basics of it, although I like them, being linguistic cripple I am I never could learn them as well as I'd like to. Though, if I'd never had to move either German or French language country I'd have no problems picking them up.
This is a lot! Awesome.
bbguimaraes wrote:
  • (Brazilian) Portuguese: native. Nice language.
  • Portuguese: by extension, but the pronunciation is incredibly different, so it's hard to understand people talking fast (which they usually do).
  • English: studied since I was a kid.
I've always liked languages, even though I never studied anyone apart from English. Maybe if I had two or three lifes...
You've probably got more than a third of your life left, anyway, so it's not like it's too late. Getting fairly good takes a few dedicated years. Not a few lifetimes. If you're interested in some language, give it a go.
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eatcomics
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by eatcomics »

Skomakar'n wrote:Oh, come on. I've been away from these boards for a long time, but nothing new here? :(

I've started a bit more seriously with Finnish since last time and I've learned most of the Arabic script and some Persian.
I also found eight dictionaries for only about 5 € recently. :D
If you're still into persian/arabic (mainly persian) I'd love to learn with you. I've been working on it off and on for about a year and a half now. I would love to learn some German, and my spanish is decent.

My friends and I like to dabble in all sorts of languages when it suits us.
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by Skomakar'n »

eatcomics wrote:
Skomakar'n wrote:Oh, come on. I've been away from these boards for a long time, but nothing new here? :(

I've started a bit more seriously with Finnish since last time and I've learned most of the Arabic script and some Persian.
I also found eight dictionaries for only about 5 € recently. :D
If you're still into persian/arabic (mainly persian) I'd love to learn with you. I've been working on it off and on for about a year and a half now. I would love to learn some German, and my spanish is decent.

My friends and I like to dabble in all sorts of languages when it suits us.
At least the script is something I could definitely be helpful with. A little less so with grammar at the moment (and I already feel more confident in Arabic than in Persian, I'm afraid).

I interestingly stumbled over a neighbour recently who is interested not only in learning Arabic, but works with (mainly web) programming and used to run a company of his own for a decade. These awesome coïncidences. I've offered my help with the script, which he finds a bit difficult.
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eatcomics
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by eatcomics »

That's cool. I share the same problems as others on here mentioned. Living in America its hard to find people around you who are decent enough in other languages to be helpful in these matters. Plenty of spanish speakers, but their english isn't very good lol
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by dandymcgee »

eatcomics wrote:Plenty of spanish speakers, but their english isn't very good lol
Lmao. I don't even have that really, being in New Hampshire I almost never hear a foreign language unless I go to "big" cities.
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by Imrooniel »

eatcomics wrote:That's cool. I share the same problems as others on here mentioned. Living in America its hard to find people around you who are decent enough in other languages to be helpful in these matters. Plenty of spanish speakers, but their english isn't very good lol
Actually that's the best way to learn language. You're forced to relay on it, instead of making it easy with English.
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eatcomics
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by eatcomics »

Imrooniel wrote:
eatcomics wrote:That's cool. I share the same problems as others on here mentioned. Living in America its hard to find people around you who are decent enough in other languages to be helpful in these matters. Plenty of spanish speakers, but their english isn't very good lol
Actually that's the best way to learn language. You're forced to relay on it, instead of making it easy with English.
True, but that is just one language. I would like to learn more.
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Re: Languages and linguistics

Post by Skomakar'n »

"Twenty minutes a day is better than two hours a week."
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