Learning a new language - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

SgtWKPII · 03-10-2008, 09:15 AM

Fellow enthusiasts,

I am wanting to learn a new language, and I was wondering which one I should learn. I want to learn it for my own knowledge, but it would also be great if I also benefited from knowing it. What are your opinions?

shyi3t · 03-10-2008, 09:22 AM

ebonics? lol j/k how about spanish ..

**jmichna** · 03-10-2008, 10:29 AM

My daughter had Spanish class in grammar school for three years (6-8 grade); when she became a high school freshman, she decided to try German... she loves it, and is now in Honors German. She enjoys the similarities between German and English. English has a lot in common between the Germanic languages and the Romance languages (Latin, Italian, French, Portugese, and Spanish).

Japanese or Chinese would also be interesting to learn.

Requiem · 03-10-2008, 10:32 AM

Currently in the US Spanish would be the most beneficial. It's amazing and funny how often the "....." here are saying crap about folks and they don't think anyone can understand them.

I also studied some German a few years back and found it was a fun language. I'm not fluent in anything other than bad english though.

Brickboy240 · 03-10-2008, 10:37 AM

Spanish or Arabic.

Seriously! The other languages are just for novelty sakes unless you're planning on living in a country that speaks a particular language.

French used to be one of the more common international business languages but thats giving way to English every year. Many European and Far Eastern countries teach their schoolage kids English as they will have to deal with American and many British commonwealth peoples as they enter the busieness world. All my cousins that live in Sweden can speak very good English with very little accent. Amazing. Yes, English IS becoming the international language of business.

Spanish will be easier to learn since its Latin based. If you ever had Latin in high school (like me) Spanish will be easier to learn. You will also be able to decipher written Spanish, French and maybe Italian.

I know alot of Spanish, living in a border state and being around many latin peoples...it will rub off. I can read Spanish pretty well and although I cannot speak it fluently, I can often listen to someone speaking Spanish and know what they're talking about. I am always trying to improve my Spanish and have already taught my 9 year old daughter alot of Spanish words.

My grandparents on my mothers side spoke fluent Swedish, as they were immigrants and this was their first language. When they came to America (and my mom was 2 years old) they decided then to only teach my mother to speak English. This was in the early 40s and they learned English as fast as they could. Remember, blonde haired blue eyed peoples speaking a foreign tougue in middle America back then were often mistaken for Germans and you did not want to be thought of as German in 1940s heartland America! Even today, Mom's Swedish is very limited. That is a VERY hard langauge to learn! I'd rank all Scandinavian and Far Eastern languages as the most difficult for Americans to learn.

Yes, I'd say start with Spanish and then maybe Arabic. Chinese would be third on the list.

- Brickboy240

afmo · 03-10-2008, 10:50 AM

spanish would be of the most use...if you want to make the ladies swoon, its french all the way

I would suggest the Rosetta Stone software for learning whichever one you choose though...

SgtWKPII · 03-10-2008, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afmo

spanish would be of the most use...if you want to make the ladies swoon, its french all the way

I would suggest the Rosetta Stone software for learning whichever one you choose though...

The Rosetta Stone is what I plan on, but for $200 I want to be sure I choose the right language!

chupacabrachus · 03-10-2008, 02:17 PM

The most practical would be spanish.

bat1159man · 03-10-2008, 02:43 PM

The three languages that I would recommend to anyone in order of importance -

1) ENGLISH - good to have the basics.

2) Spanish - it is the second (?) language in the U.S.
3) Putonghua - 1.4 billion members and growing

Glock Killer · 03-10-2008, 02:45 PM

German

03-10-2008, 09:15 AM	#1
SgtWKPII XDTalk 15K Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Camano Island, Warshington Posts: 19,860 Blog Entries: 19	Learning a new language Fellow enthusiasts, I am wanting to learn a new language, and I was wondering which one I should learn. I want to learn it for my own knowledge, but it would also be great if I also benefited from knowing it. What are your opinions? __________________ The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. ~Thomas Jefferson

03-10-2008, 09:22 AM	#2
shyi3t XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Houston Posts: 2,148	ebonics? lol j/k how about spanish .. __________________ SA-XD sub-compact 9mm SA-XD service 9mm "Guns in the right hands prevent death." Survival means continuing to live no matter what. Running away is not cowardly — it is prudent. It may go against the grain of the macho types out there, but protection of your family IS YOUR ONLY DUTY.

03-10-2008, 10:37 AM	#5
Brickboy240 XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 9,853	Spanish or Arabic. Seriously! The other languages are just for novelty sakes unless you're planning on living in a country that speaks a particular language. French used to be one of the more common international business languages but thats giving way to English every year. Many European and Far Eastern countries teach their schoolage kids English as they will have to deal with American and many British commonwealth peoples as they enter the busieness world. All my cousins that live in Sweden can speak very good English with very little accent. Amazing. Yes, English IS becoming the international language of business. Spanish will be easier to learn since its Latin based. If you ever had Latin in high school (like me) Spanish will be easier to learn. You will also be able to decipher written Spanish, French and maybe Italian. I know alot of Spanish, living in a border state and being around many latin peoples...it will rub off. I can read Spanish pretty well and although I cannot speak it fluently, I can often listen to someone speaking Spanish and know what they're talking about. I am always trying to improve my Spanish and have already taught my 9 year old daughter alot of Spanish words. My grandparents on my mothers side spoke fluent Swedish, as they were immigrants and this was their first language. When they came to America (and my mom was 2 years old) they decided then to only teach my mother to speak English. This was in the early 40s and they learned English as fast as they could. Remember, blonde haired blue eyed peoples speaking a foreign tougue in middle America back then were often mistaken for Germans and you did not want to be thought of as German in 1940s heartland America! Even today, Mom's Swedish is very limited. That is a VERY hard langauge to learn! I'd rank all Scandinavian and Far Eastern languages as the most difficult for Americans to learn. Yes, I'd say start with Spanish and then maybe Arabic. Chinese would be third on the list. - Brickboy240 __________________ The top 25% of wage earners in America pay 86% of all federal income taxes collected. (according to 2007 IRS website data) Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado Volvo...the Swedish Brick! Last edited by Brickboy240; 03-10-2008 at 10:45 AM.

03-10-2008, 10:50 AM	#6
afmo XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northern California Posts: 3,607	spanish would be of the most use...if you want to make the ladies swoon, its french all the way I would suggest the Rosetta Stone software for learning whichever one you choose though... __________________ I survived 8 years of vitriolic hate directed towards George W. Bush. The shoe is on the other foot now: Barack Obama is NOT MY PRESIDENT. Ruger 22/45 MKIII Springfield XD-9 Service Stevens Model 67 Series E 12g 1948 M44 Mosin-Nagant

03-10-2008, 02:43 PM	#9
bat1159man XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chicago, Illinois Posts: 4,418 Blog Entries: 2	The three languages that I would recommend to anyone in order of importance - 1) ENGLISH - good to have the basics. 2) Spanish - it is the second (?) language in the U.S. 3) Putonghua - 1.4 billion members and growing __________________ "On Iwo Island, Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue" - Admiral Nimitz, March 16, 1945 on Marines fighting on Iwo Jima Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary. Gen. A. M. Gray, USMC Commandant of the Marine Corps http://www.nationalgunforum.com

03-10-2008, 10:29 AM	#3
jmichna XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: NE Illinois Posts: 2,503	My daughter had Spanish class in grammar school for three years (6-8 grade); when she became a high school freshman, she decided to try German... she loves it, and is now in Honors German. She enjoys the similarities between German and English. English has a lot in common between the Germanic languages and the Romance languages (Latin, Italian, French, Portugese, and Spanish). Japanese or Chinese would also be interesting to learn.

03-10-2008, 10:32 AM	#4
Requiem XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Inwood, WV Posts: 149	Currently in the US Spanish would be the most beneficial. It's amazing and funny how often the "....." here are saying crap about folks and they don't think anyone can understand them. I also studied some German a few years back and found it was a fun language. I'm not fluent in anything other than bad english though.

03-10-2008, 02:17 PM	#8
chupacabrachus XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,431	The most practical would be spanish.

03-10-2008, 02:45 PM	#10
Glock Killer XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Springfield OREGON Posts: 655	German __________________ Don't blame me, I voted for McCain. Never trust a liberal, they lie, and then accuse you of lying.

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