Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
I'll go with both definitions - a lot of folks THINK they're God's gift to mankind around here! 
besides I can always start using flyboy words.
besides I can always start using flyboy words.
The British. Multilingual Failures
- Thread starter Maximowitz
- Start date
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What a coincidence
I was actually born in Veendam and raised in Winschoten (both not very far from the city). I did part of my study in Groningen, though
Even though I do not speak Dutch, I for don't have a problem understanding someone when they are speaking Dutch. I find the language is pretty similar to German. Sure I do not know all the words, but from the words that are similar I can usually pick them out and we can carry on a conversation.
DBII
Senior Master Sergeant
The only problem with learning a second languages in the States is that you never use it. I took a year of French and then moved over to German in high school (did not like the French teacher, what a surprise). I took 2 years in high school and then another 2 years in college. With the exception of my tour in Europe, I have never needed a second language.
I was one of about 6 people not from New York during basic training. I had to translate from Alabama to English
and half to time I did not know WTF he said. 
DBII
I was one of about 6 people not from New York during basic training. I had to translate from Alabama to English
and half to time I did not know WTF he said. DBII
it's true, albeit tricky. Similar words sometimes means different thing. For instant the German "See" is in Dutch "meer" and the German "Meer" is in Dutch (you guessed it) "zee".
Another notorious one is the first sentence I had to learn at school when I was about 12 years old: "Der Zug donnerte vorüber" (=the train raced pass us) . He asked me to translate it and in my ignorance "translated" it as "De zeug donderde voorover" (=the sow fell forward)
Catch22
Major
I was in a split Academic Challenge class in Grade 3/4, when I was in Grade 3 (supposedly the smart class, and there were a lot of smart people in there, but we also got some characters that seemed to be just stuffed in our class because they didn't know where to put them...), and in Grade 4 you being to learn French, so I had an extra year of it. My mom also imposed it as an option in both Junior High School and High School, so in all I had 8 years of French, because if you had French 9, you could skip French 10, so I did French 20 (Grade 11) and 30 (Grade 12). I remember almost nothing of it, despite taking it for 9 years. Part of it is me just not liking it at all and only taking it because I was forced to (my brother escaped that fate). I also took German in high school just because I wanted to, and I remember a lot more German than French, so I guess it's just your level of interest which can really determine how much you learn. We had the same teacher for both German and French, and I liked her, so it wasn't that that cause it. In German 30, it was a 20/30 split and there were only 4 of us 30's . The 20's seemed not to have much upstairs so we got far less teaching attention, but all 4 of us still did well. It was a hoot though, especially being the only guy in the 30 class...
. The 20's seemed not to have much upstairs so we got far less teaching attention, but all 4 of us still did well. It was a hoot though, especially being the only guy in the 30 class...
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
???? 
RabidAlien
1st Lieutenant
????
Translated as: "You guys are the best! I love you all and think of you often, especially while drunk. You're all the bestest!"
seesul
Senior Master Sergeant
Learned Russian in the elementary and high school as we had to, till 1989...today I don´t know anything as I don´t use it since the school.
Learned German for 2 years in the elementary school and 2 years in the high school. Worked in Germany in 1999 which improved my German a lot. But since that time I don´t use German so often and that´s a problem.
Never learned English in the school. I´m self-taught. I always liked a music and I wanted to know what they sign about...today I use English almost every day while speaking with our Italian supplier which helps me a lot...but I still call my English Czenglish. When I speak English with German or Italian- no prob, but with an American or Brit I get lost...accent and phrasal verbs are the night mare for me...
Learned German for 2 years in the elementary school and 2 years in the high school. Worked in Germany in 1999 which improved my German a lot. But since that time I don´t use German so often and that´s a problem.
Never learned English in the school. I´m self-taught. I always liked a music and I wanted to know what they sign about...today I use English almost every day while speaking with our Italian supplier which helps me a lot...but I still call my English Czenglish. When I speak English with German or Italian- no prob, but with an American or Brit I get lost...accent and phrasal verbs are the night mare for me...
RabidAlien
1st Lieutenant
Seesul, you speak/type better English than alot of native English-speakers that I know!
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Yea, Seesul, you're kinda embarrassing some of us here. Stop it!
CharlesBronson
Senior Master Sergeant
Well In fact the englsih is somewhat a resumed language, compare with german for example in wich you got the die,der,den,etc and in english you got just "the". Is relative easy, normally you use a lot less words that in you mother language, probably is not very accurate to describe a very precise idea, but is practical talking in general.
Is spanish generrally you got a specific word to describe an specific objetc, in english there are several cases that a word could describe several types of objects.
And by the way i can undesatand and write the englsih, but that doenst mean I speak it well.
The only foreign language I speak very well is italian, ( you need to move tha hands a lot also) completely useless wolrdwide unless you are in some part of Argentina, Italy of switzerland.
Take no offence but really the two big languages of the world are the english, spanish and maybe, maybe some chinese.
Is spanish generrally you got a specific word to describe an specific objetc, in english there are several cases that a word could describe several types of objects.
And by the way i can undesatand and write the englsih, but that doenst mean I speak it well.
The only foreign language I speak very well is italian, ( you need to move tha hands a lot also) completely useless wolrdwide unless you are in some part of Argentina, Italy of switzerland.
Take no offence but really the two big languages of the world are the english, spanish and maybe, maybe some chinese.
Arsenal VG-33
Senior Airman
French and English were my first languages since I learned how to speak. Took 4 years of Spanish to the point where I can speak it without too many worries. Never cared for German, Russian or Japanese, though I know enough Italian to get around but thats all. As of lately I've been vacationig in Martinique, so Creole has been my latest interest.
Interestingly enough, I've met more than one language professor who insist that "American" English has evolved enough in historical and cultural terms that it is to be differentiated from "British" English. Not enough to be a seperate language entirely, but enough warrant a distinction - much in the same way Quebec French is different from that the French spoken in France.
Interestingly enough, I've met more than one language professor who insist that "American" English has evolved enough in historical and cultural terms that it is to be differentiated from "British" English. Not enough to be a seperate language entirely, but enough warrant a distinction - much in the same way Quebec French is different from that the French spoken in France.
Clay_Allison
Staff Sergeant
- 1,154
- Dec 24, 2008
I'm planning on learning Gaelic this year. Because I wanted a language nobody will understand.
Screaming Eagle
Senior Master Sergeant
besides I can always start using flyboy words.
I was waiting for a flyboy joke!
They tried teaching me French in Year 6, did ok, but didn't have the time for it and whatever I may have learnt has now been forgotten!
