[POLL] 0N3 C0MM0N 14N9U493

[Lady Vulpix]

1. What language is your native tongue, and were you lucky to be raised in a bilingual household?
Spanish, and yes, both my parents spoke English too (they spoke it when they wanted to discuss things they didn't want me and my brother to hear, but stopped when I started understanding them).

2. What other languages do you know other than your first language? If you care to explain, when and why did you learn them?
English, obviously (otherwise I wouldn't be posting this). I'd like to learn more, but for now that's the only other language I speak fluently. I started learning it at school, then took private lessons for about 11 years, and I'm still learning more by talking to English-speaking people, reading books in English, doing things online and watching movies, TV, etc.

3. Which language do you use most frequently, and which language do you prefer the most?
I use Spanish most frequently in my everyday life, and English online. I like Spanish better, but English has good things too, and I'll use the language that helps me communicate with my interlocutor, whichever it is.

4. What would you think of your vocabulary level? What is probably the most complex word you use on a daily basis?
I think it's quite good in Spanish, and decent in English. I'm still missing some everyday terms and expressions. I don't know what the most complex word I use on a regular basis is, maybe 'paradigms' or something computer-related. Yesterday I caught someone off-guard with the word 'heuristically', he had to look it up.

5. How's your handwriting? Is it legible, or do you think it's too sloppy?
It's clear and legible, provided you have good eyesight. It's neat, but tiny.

6. Do you happen to be a Grammar Nazi? Or are you fairly lenient on the grammar of others?
I make an effort to hold myself when I think my remarks about grammar are likely to hurt another person's sensitivity. I don't always manage it, but I can stop myself a lot more often than, say, when I was 12. Does that answer the question? In any case, I wouldn't want the word Nazi to be associated with me in any way.

[Zak]

I make an effort to hold myself when I think my remarks about grammar are likely to hurt another person's sensitivity. I don't always manage it, but I can stop myself a lot more often than, say, when I was 12. Does that answer the question? In any case, I wouldn't want the word Nazi to be associated with me in any way.

If you mean here, it's not that people get offended when you correct their grammar, they just think it's ridiculous and laughable that you consider grammar a big deal on the internet. I can understand putting your foot down on a bunch of incoherently typing 12-year-olds but in ummmm and on this board is a whole different level.
Also "grammar nazi" is a common modern-day English figure of speech, get over it. And you are one.

(no hard feelings, of course).

Anyway...


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

Well, I was born in the states so I would say English, but I do live in a bilingual household because when I was two we moved to Israel for six years, so everyone in my family picked up Hebrew fast and are fluent. My dad was Israeli so there were few times we spoke Hebrew at home, but now we pretty much always speak English.

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

World languages? Just English and Hebrew. For those see above. Other "languages" I know include Pig Latin, Ubbi Dubbi, and Al Bhed (lol).

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

I use English the most but I was just in Israel for a whole year last year so I kinda got back into using Hebrew as default.

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

I don't bother trying to impress people with big words.

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

Shitty, only legible to myself.

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

I'm mostly lenient, but if you see above the only cases in which I would call someone on it would be if:
-They were an incoherent 12 year old that constantly talked like a prep.
-What they had actually has a funny different meaning than what they meant.
-They were a foriegner that actually said something comical like the kind of stuff you find on Engrish.com.

[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.