How many here have a foreign language?

[Anguille]

I took a year of Russian in high school, speak a smattering of Spanish and read a bit more, and can communicate effectively in ASL, which is classified as a foreign language by most colleges in that they will accept it to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Funny story: My husband took ASL as his foreign language in college, as did his fiancee at the time. One day, they were having lunch together in the Student Union and he made her an indecent proposition in sign language. He noticed that the man at a nearby table looked very startled and left quickly. He found out later that week that the man was the new ASL adjunct professor.

LOL! I like listening in on conversations between foreigners on public transportation who assume Americans only understand English. One time two Italian guys were rating my looks and when I got up to get off at my stop I turned to them and said yes, I am naturally blond. They had said some pretty vulgar things so it was fun to see their mouth drop open.

 

[dilloduck]

I took a year of Russian in high school, speak a smattering of Spanish and read a bit more, and can communicate effectively in ASL, which is classified as a foreign language by most colleges in that they will accept it to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Funny story: My husband took ASL as his foreign language in college, as did his fiancee at the time. One day, they were having lunch together in the Student Union and he made her an indecent proposition in sign language. He noticed that the man at a nearby table looked very startled and left quickly. He found out later that week that the man was the new ASL adjunct professor.

LOL! I like listening in on conversations between foreigners on public transportation who assume Americans only understand English. One time two Italian guys were rating my looks and when I got up to get off at my stop I turned to them and said yes, I am naturally blond. They had said some pretty vulgar things so it was fun to see their mouth drop open.

Don't you hate when they stare at your armpit hair ?

 

[Skeptik]

I took russian in college. I am miserable at foreign languages, (I also took a term of Hebrew, but cratered) and even now, conversation with a Russian 3 year old is beyond my capacity.

But I think it was very useful. It was a huge education in the fact that other people really don't think the way we do. The grammar is different in so many ways, and the grammar enforces constructs that are the reverse of english. Russian requires double negatives, passive voice is not only acceptable, but required. In english, Passive voice seems rude. Russian like most languages keeps the thou form, and you use it incorrectly at your peril, while in english it vanished except for poetry in the time of Shakespeare. (I read somewhere that Korean has three second person conjugations, not just two, and you need to be very careful about all three of them)

So I think Russian was very helpful to me. Even though I can't speak it at all.

What is your experience?

I speak 2 1/2 languages, English, Spanish, and half way French. French requires double negatives, Spanish uses them too, but doesn't go so far as to require the pas to make all negatives double. Spanish uses the thou form, as well as second person plural, "y'all" in English.

Spanish, like English, has different dialects in different places. A Mexican can talk to a Spaniard, just as a southerner can talk to a northerner or an Englishman, knowing immediately that the other person is not a local boy. I learned in college, then in Bolivia, then in California teaching the children of Mexican immigrants, so I'm quite aware of different dialects.

The idea that "I learned Castilian Spanish, so I can't talk to Mexicans" is nonsense. It is much like saying that I learned English in England, so I can't talk to Americans.

The advantage of being really bilingual, as opposed to translating each phrase from one's native language, is difficult to explain unless you have experienced it. Suffice it to say that bilingual people tend to have a better understanding of both languages than monolingual speakers do. Everyone should make an effort to learn a language other than their native language.

 

[Baruch Menachem]

I was going to college back in 1980 which was a very raucous election year. The college I went to had a large ASL program, as this was when they were starting to move folks with disabilities into the mainstream in a big way. The school was almost suburban, so this one busline that went downtown usually was 60% students for the whole trip, and I remember the ASL students having vigorous debates on the bus during the election.

In a way it was very entertaining, even though I had know idea whose side I was on.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Adequate in Spanish, I can read French and Latin well enough, and from poor to really poor in French and Korean and Norwegian, to which I have been exposed in my professional life. My wife is fluent in Spanish and OK in French, and each of my children speak Spanish, Portuguese, or Japanese. I firmly encourage all parents to enroll their children in foreign language (preferably Spanish) as soon as possible in their schooling.

 

[Care4all]

i can speak and read italian, can get by with spanish...that's it!

my mother, who is foreign born, is fluent in 7 languages....in fact she's better than i am with english grammar and spelling and it is a second language to her....

 

[Si modo]

I took a year of Russian in high school, speak a smattering of Spanish and read a bit more, and can communicate effectively in ASL, which is classified as a foreign language by most colleges in that they will accept it to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Funny story: My husband took ASL as his foreign language in college, as did his fiancee at the time. One day, they were having lunch together in the Student Union and he made her an indecent proposition in sign language. He noticed that the man at a nearby table looked very startled and left quickly. He found out later that week that the man was the new ASL adjunct professor.

LOL! I like listening in on conversations between foreigners on public transportation who assume Americans only understand English. One time two Italian guys were rating my looks and when I got up to get off at my stop I turned to them and said yes, I am naturally blond. They had said some pretty vulgar things so it was fun to see their mouth drop open.

When I was living in France, I was checking out at a grocery store - buying some produce - and two English guys were in line behind me. They were getting pretty vulgar, too - wondering out loud what I planned on doing with my produce on that Friday evening. I didn't say a word. But when one of them said to the other that he better be careful with what he says because a lot of French understand English, I couldn't resist walking through that door. I turned to them and said, "A lot of Americans understand English pretty well, too."

The most vulgar one turned pink, then red, then a very unusual shade of lavender. The other limey was doubled over with laughter. Juuuuuuust a bit embarrassed. It was fun doing that.

 

[Care4all]

I took a year of Russian in high school, speak a smattering of Spanish and read a bit more, and can communicate effectively in ASL, which is classified as a foreign language by most colleges in that they will accept it to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Funny story: My husband took ASL as his foreign language in college, as did his fiancee at the time. One day, they were having lunch together in the Student Union and he made her an indecent proposition in sign language. He noticed that the man at a nearby table looked very startled and left quickly. He found out later that week that the man was the new ASL adjunct professor.

LOL! I like listening in on conversations between foreigners on public transportation who assume Americans only understand English. One time two Italian guys were rating my looks and when I got up to get off at my stop I turned to them and said yes, I am naturally blond. They had said some pretty vulgar things so it was fun to see their mouth drop open.

When I was living in France, I was checking out at a grocery store - buying some produce - and two English guys were in line behind me. They were getting pretty vulgar, too - wondering out loud what I planned on doing with my produce on that Friday evening. I didn't say a word. But when one of them said to the other that he better be careful with what he says because a lot of French understand English, I couldn't resist walking through that door. I turned to them and said, "A lot of Americans understand English pretty well, too."

The most vulgar one turned pink, then red, then a very unusual shade of lavender. The other limey was doubled over with laughter. Juuuuuuust a bit embarrassed. It was fun doing that.

When I was a young teen, I lived in Italy for a few years.... We used to go to the Market on Saturdays and I suppose we just stood out like a sore thumb, as Americans. Some of the booth owners would say things like, these are clearly Americans, when they ask you how much the item is, make sure you double the price....they will pay anything! Then my good ole mom, would come out blasting them for being so deceitful in fluent Italian! It was awesome to see her blow her top at them...which was a rarity with my mom, but this really made her mad!

 

[Navy1960]

Understand and speak Spanish and a little Russian, the spanish though you just sort of pick up in this part of the world. I think it's a good thing when young people or anyone learns another language beyond their native one.

 

[Skeptik]

Remember when Obama said we should all learn a foreign language, and all of the heat that statement generated among his political opponents?

He was right.

 

[AkronGuy]

I know enough Spanish to find my way around a Spanish speaking community or country, but not conversational. I speak Standard American English and Appalachian English.