[POLL] 0N3 C0MM0N 14N9U493

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

1. What language is your native tongue, and were you lucky to be raised in a bilingual household?

Finnish. In the west coast, there are lots of Finnish-Swedish families, though.

2. What other languages do you know other than your first language? If you care to explain, when and why did you learn them?

The foreign languages I have studied, in chronological order:

English
Swedish
German
Japanese
French
Chinese
Russian
Spanish

English - I think here in Finland we start learning it mostly at the age of 9 at school. Of course I learn plenty of words by playing video games, watching movies and TV programs, listening to music, and reading manga in English. And perhaps most importantly, via TPM.

Swedish - I don't know about the latest turns of events, but here in Finland most of us have had 'pakkoruotsi' i.e. oblicatory Swedish. We have to start it mostly at the age of 13. Me too. And then we watch Sailor Moon in Swedish. And Pokémon's Orange Islands League!!

German - I studied this optional language at school for two years, when I was 14-15 years old. Now it has had a renaissance because I listen to German Sailor Moon music.

Japanese - never had this one at school. Learned through books, anime, movies, internet, videogames and manga. Plus I'll have to teach it next week!!!!!

French - On 2001, when I was 16, I entered lukio (somehow equivalent to High School). Began to study this instead of German. I wanted to keep studying German, too, but the headmaster of Haapaveden lukio said I would have too much courses.

Chinese - I became interested in this language when at lukio. It wasn't until 2006 I had a chance to study it at a school named Ylivieskan kansalaisopisto.

Russian - only one course at lukio. Don't remember a thing.

Spanish - started last year at kansalaisopisto.

To summarize, from my best to my worst, like this:

Finnish (my mother tongue, if you didn't read answer 1)
English
Japanese
Swedish
French
Chinese
German
Spanish
Russian

3. Which language do you use most frequently, and which language do you prefer the most?

Finnish and English. I do enjoy speaking other languages, too, so I comment on things sometimes in Japanese, for example.

4. What would you think of your vocabulary level? What is probably the most complex word you use on a daily basis?

I use a lot of fancy words when I speak Finnish but what comes to other languages, I even had to check some words for this post. 'Mielenterveyskuntoutuja' is the most complex word, and don't ask what it's in English!!

5. How's your handwriting? Is it legible, or do you think it's too sloppy?

If I don't pay attention all the time, it becomes very obscure.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3987/img283rz2.jpg

6. Do you happen to be a Grammar Nazi? Or are you fairly lenient on the grammar of others?

I'm sometimes angry when people let English affect their Finnish, but come to think of it, I myself let Finnish affect my English.