POLL: Languages

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

Polls are now in Misc. forum. What polls? Seriously, how long has it been since you saw a real poll at TPM? I will change it all with this topic.

1. What languages have you studied?

At school, English, Swedish, German, French, Russian. Outside school, Japanese and Chinese, and I also took up Spanish lessons later.

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

Must be English. I'm quite fluent, and I keep my skills up every day at TPM.

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

I'd like to take French or German lessons again.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Swedish sounds crazy to my ears.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Hard question. I'd say Sami, the language spoken in Lapland.

6. Do you like grammar?

YESSSSS

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

No.

Other than these questions, you can also use this topic to talk about languages in general.

[shazza]

1. What languages have you studied?

At school I have studied Indonesian. Outside school I tried to get into French and Italian but my pursuits so far have been futile.

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

aussie m8

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

French.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

aussie m8

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Mandarin

6. Do you like grammar?

ok

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

yes

[Lady Vulpix]

1. What languages have you studied?

English and Mandarin Chinese. I admire you for having studied so many!

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

English. Same reasons as you. :)

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

There is no such language, but I'd really like to have Chinese lessons again. My learning of the Chinese language has been quite irregular since my class disintegrated.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

I haven't heard any language that sounded funny to me, but there are some people who speak German in a way that everything they say sounds like an insult, even if they're trying to be nice. I find that kind of funny.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Every language I don't speak. I wish I could learn them all. I think Hebrew's at the top of the list, though. I learned a little bit in kindergarden, and I've taught myself to read the Hebrew alphabet, but I don't really know the language and I feel like I'm missing something important.

6. Do you like grammar?

Yes, I do.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

Hardly any, but I know a few signs. For instance, I know how to say 'love' in Spanish sign language, and 'maybe' in English sign language.

[Telume]

1. What languages have you studied?

French, Japanese and Portuguese on my own time.

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

Spanish, my family speaks it all the time. Some people don't believe I can speak spanish and are surprised when I answer them in good Spanish.

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

Well, I wanted to learn French, but I had a terrible teacher in High School, now that I'm out of it, though, I'd like to pick up French again.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Those crazy Finns.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

It's a tie between Hebrew and Arabic.

6. Do you like grammar?

Teachers in the US aren't renowned for teaching grammar.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

A little. I had classmates who used sign language and I had 3 classes with them so, I learned some signs from them. Can't say I know sign language, though.

[Gavin Luper]

1. What languages have you studied?

Italian, Japanese and French.

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

French is my strongest foreign language, I speak it at a pretty decent level. But I find Italian is an easier language to learn, generally.

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

Italian for sure, since I would love to speak it fluently, and also Japanese, most of which I have forgotten.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

I dunno, maybe Swahili or something like that, I have some friends who speak it and it is very different to the European languages.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

It's a tie between Arabic and Russian. Or maybe Spanish, actually, or German.

6. Do you like grammar?

Hm, it's pretty dry as far as hobbies go and I wouldn't say I "like" grammar, but I do like to have a mastery of it.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

None, except the one-finger salute.

[Asilynne]

1. What languages have you studied?

Mandarin and Russian in Middle School. French and German in High school. Japanese outside of school.

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?
Honestly, Japanese. I've forgotten most of the other languages :(

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

German.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Welsh and Gaelic have crazy spelling/pronunciation

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Gaelic.

6. Do you like grammar?

Meh. lol

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

I know the alphabet! and a few signs. Would like to learn :)

[Magmar]

1. What languages have you studied?

Besides English, I've studied Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. Might be trying to learn Mandarin this summer! :)

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

I'm most comfortable with Italian, despite knowing far less Italian than I know Spanish. I'm fluent in Spanish, but Italian is something I grew up learning and understanding!

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

Italian for sure. I can't control my use of Italian. It just comes out now and then.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Serbian... for reasons I can't discuss LOL (work-related)

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Hebrew for sure.

6. Do you like grammar?

Yes, I've worked as a copy editor and a developmental/substantive editor.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

No.

[Katie]

1. What languages have you studied?
Spanish for 2 years in high school! Can't say I remember much more than to ask where the bathroom is or "more beer please!" (though I think I learned that one after high school)

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?
I haven't learned anything else :(

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?
I tried to learn some Japanese in my anime phase 10 years ago (!!!) but am not particularly interested in picking it back up.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?
Chinese! I am seriously surprised those little syllables form sentences. Each one is so abrupt, it doesn't sound very flowy.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?
German would be cool! I have all this phlegm I'd like to expel.

6. Do you like grammar?
Er, "like"? I am neutral. I know enough to get by in a professional office setting (emails, proofing/drafting documents, etc) but I'm horrible at punctuation. I use commas too often, and forget the rules for which piece of punctuation comes first when you use more than one thing in a row.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?
I can spell my name!

[Crystal Mew]

1. What languages have you studied?
spanish for 2 years in high school then I had a semester of it in college

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?
probably spanish, I hear it often because of where I live

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?
I thought I could learn Japanese like 12 years ago, because of pokemon and because I am part Japanese but...yeahhh nothing ever came of that and I really have no desire to go back to learning it

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?
probably Navajo

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?
spanish, so when people are speaking it around me I can know what they're saying. although I can get an idea of what people are saying in spanish now if they're talking around me. at work it used to be a lot of talk about affairs going on between married women... smh

6. Do you like grammar?
yes, but mostly just the proper use of your, you're, their, there, they're, to, too, two...etc. punctuation and capitalization..not so much

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?
I know the alphabet and a few other words

[Perfect Chaos]

1. What languages have you studied?

Tamil (my parents native language). Took 5 years of Spanish in high school, can't remember too much of it. I can fairly understand it when someone talks to me but answering back is a totally different story. Picked up some Sudanese Arabic while I was in India, I know totally random

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

Definitely Tamil. I was in India for 4 years in my parents' state, so had to learn to speak it to get around. Can't read it for shit though.

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

Trying to pick up Spanish again since I live in SoFL and its really helpful for any job that you apply for.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Sudanese Arabic and I guess Arabic in general. Not funny-sounding but it sounds like they're speaking poetry whenever I hear it.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Hindi, Arabic, Japanese.

6. Do you like grammar?

Damn straight.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

Does flipping the bird count? ;O

[mvtm]

1. What languages have you studied?

I have studied English and Spanish at school. French and Italian outside school (I'm Italian too)

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

English, i have learn it since i was 3 at school, so mine is really good. I even get compliments in the states, whenever they see me translating.

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

French. I took about 2 years of French. Intermediate-Advance at the Alliance Française, but i didn't have time and dropped it. That was around 2005.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Have not run in a funny language that i remember. They are just languages, i don't think they are funny. Well, i have run into Afrikaans and Zulu. Interesting but i don't laugh.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Italian, I'm an Italian Passport holder. I vote in elections, and i'm Italian, but i don't speak Italian. I do understand it perfectly and can read, but i don't speak it. I have been in clases with my brother but he dropped out, so i abandoned too. I promise to learn Italian and i am determined to in some point in life, as i am Italian. lol

6. Do you like grammar?

Yes

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

Nop

[RaZoR LeAf]

1. What languages have you studied?

French and Welsh.

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

Welsh is the mother tongue of my country, but i've never learnt enough of it. So English is the only language I know.

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

Knowing more Welsh would be nice, but I have no aptitude for learning languages.

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Afrikaans.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Russian. I love the sound of russian words.

6. Do you like grammar?

Respect it, yes. Like it, no. So damn complicated.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

I know 'slice of pizza' and 'vagina' are very similar so be careful when placing an order

[abunaidesu]

1. What languages have you studied?

English, Laotian, & Cantonese.

2. Other than your mother tongue, which language are you most comfortable with?

English.

3. Do you miss a certain language? I mean is there a language you have studied once but not for a long time and you'd like to get it back?

n/a

4. What is the funniest-sounding language you have run into?

Vietnamese isn't funny sounding, but it is a complete ear sore.

5. Is there a language you have never studied but would like to learn?

Probably French.

6. Do you like grammar?

Yes.

7. Do you have any experience on using sign language?

No.