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Poll: Which language would you study?

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My father was born in Kyoto and can watch Japanese shows, read newspapers and converse with native speakers with ease. He never passed it on to me so I've always been a curious and a bit jealous, but never diligent enough to learn it- that's got to change.

This would just be a fun challenge since I've got no practical use of it for now.

 
i would choose in order, as an american:

french, german, spanish, portuguese, arabic, japanese, chinese.

this of course can vary based on what you want or need
 
Originally posted by: scott
Originally posted by: Red Irish

Scott, are you bitter against Mexicans? Are they to blame for your sorry condition?

I think you place more importance on your honesty than it merits, are you drunk?

It's unfair to label me "bitter." I'm realistic.

Originally posted by: Red Irish

Scott, are you bitter against Mexicans? Are they to blame for your sorry condition?

I think you place more importance on your honesty than it merits, are you drunk?
Aren?t you very clever!
The wide spectrum of possible ways to take your ?sorry condition? phrase makes it interesting.
?sorry condition? ? attitude toward millions (millions, do you get that? literally millions, not just a handful) of illegal Mexicans already flooded into California to suck the government teat, with millions more on the way . . .well, Red Irish what?s YOUR opinion of that?

Don?t repeat your egalitarian classless society ideal, and the ridiculously wrong ?official gov?t estimates of 12 million nationwide,? but the true numbers of several million in just California alone, but your real honest gut feeling (if AT mods don?t kill that)?

Do please remember, we?re talking literally M I L L I O N S in California alone, who have destroyed most of the public infrastructure (public schools, courts, jails, hospitals, etc.) so far, tons more pressing their way in, no resistance.

So my ?sorry? attitude is plain. I plainly see the real circumstances and hate the situation.

My ?sorry condition? lifestyle & income & education & social & romantic lives are almost certainly far above what you or your descendants will ever know, so not sorry there.

No, I?m a real positive, successful guy, not remotely in any ?sorry condition.? Yeah, I cop to the attitude.

Sorry is a synonym of pathetic in this case, your lifestyle, income and perceived success do nothing to change that fact.


 
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
I'm curious how German and French are "very" useful to you. Work? Travel?

The language I should learn, which I could certainly label as "very" useful in Colorado, is Spanish.

German is extremely useful for the many, many technical articles written in German. French is extremely useful in that not inconsiderable swath of the world which is still first or second language Francophone.

You need to get out more.
Don't misinterpret my post. I'm not saying they're not useful. I was wondering what the OP's circumstance was that made German and/or French "very" useful compared to the other languages he listed, or Spanish (which he apparently already knows enough). Hence the abbreviated questions: "Work? Travel?"

I need to get out more? :roll:
 
I would love to learn German for sure. Going to Germany and being able to speak their language would be kick azz

However, learning Chinese would be much more useful.
 
German can too be a sexy language, you have to say it properly though. With a sultry voice. And preferably in a g-string...because then they won't even focus on what you're saying 😀
 
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
Originally posted by: hanoverphist
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

The language I should learn, which I could certainly label as "very" useful in Colorado, is Spanish.

spanish (or messicin) is useful in every state of the union.

Very true...but one might argue that knowing Spanish would be a bit more useful to me in Colorado than, say, when I lived in Wisconsin. 😉

I'm guessing you didn't live near Kenosha.

Originally posted by: Parasitic
For future usefulness, I'm going to suggest Chinese, especially Mandarin. Think of the business opportunities!

This.

God knows they're going to take over sooner or later. Might as well make yourself useful.
 
Russian would be cool, I think the Cyrillic alphabet looks neat.

If you go German, I don't think you'll have a difficult time. I had one semester of it in college, and barely studied (idiot), and didn't have any trouble getting an A in the class. I was surprised at the similarities between English and German. Ich spiele die Gitarre ftw!
 
Originally posted by: jonnyGURU
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
Originally posted by: hanoverphist
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

The language I should learn, which I could certainly label as "very" useful in Colorado, is Spanish.

spanish (or messicin) is useful in every state of the union.

Very true...but one might argue that knowing Spanish would be a bit more useful to me in Colorado than, say, when I lived in Wisconsin. 😉

I'm guessing you didn't live near Kenosha.

I just don't remember ever not being able to get by on English alone in Wisconsin. I did do apartment maintenance in Kenosha, Racine and South Milwaukee.

*shrug* I haven't been gone THAT long, but maybe things have changed more than I realized.

Originally posted by: Parasitic
For future usefulness, I'm going to suggest Chinese, especially Mandarin. Think of the business opportunities!

This.

God knows they're going to take over sooner or later. Might as well make yourself useful

LOL. I can totally see a mixed language in the future. A la Firefly.
 
Originally posted by: clamum
Russian would be cool, I think the Cyrillic alphabet looks neat.

If you go German, I don't think you'll have a difficult time. I had one semester of it in college, and barely studied (idiot), and didn't have any trouble getting an A in the class. I was surprised at the similarities between English and German. Ich spiele die Gitarre ftw!

I got interested in Russian for the same reason I got interested in Nazi Germany: They were "completely evil". I always wondered what kind of horrible monsters the Nazis and the Soviets must have been. It was interesting.

Of course later I learned the truth, but the interest is still there.
 
Originally posted by: nerdress
German can too be a sexy language, you have to say it properly though. With a sultry voice. And preferably in a g-string...because then they won't even focus on what you're saying 😀

Think Marlene Dietrich.

Other than that, though, mho is that German is a decidedly unsexy language -- although the German speaking Swiss' Suisse Deutsch imparts a lovely, far more relaxed lilt to the language, akin in my mind to a Southern US accent.

Basically, the farther south you go in German speaking lands, the softer and "nicer" it gets -- from Prussia, etc. down through Bavaria on into Austria and Switzerland.
 
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: nerdress
German can too be a sexy language, you have to say it properly though. With a sultry voice. And preferably in a g-string...because then they won't even focus on what you're saying 😀

Think Marlene Dietrich.

Other than that, though, mho is that German is a decidedly unsexy language -- although the German speaking Swiss' Suisse Deutsch imparts a lovely, far more relaxed lilt to the language, akin in my mind to a Southern US accent.

Basically, the farther south you go in German speaking lands, the softer and "nicer" it gets -- from Prussia, etc. down through Bavaria on into Austria and Switzerland.

Hey, I could totally get down in Austria or Switzerland.
 
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