How many languages do you speak?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

3

[vicmo 1]

I can speak 3 languages:

- Spanish: My native language

- English: Learned @ school

- Polish: Learned through my wife's family and some courses (Wife is Polish, naturalized USC)

I also took some French in college, and I can understand many things when I read it, but I forgot how to speak it.. Polish took its place

[SpiritAlight 1]

At one time, many years ago, I was reasonably fluent (conversational) in 7 languages, aside from my native tongue, English: Japanese, Chinese (mandarin), Russian, Frensh, Spanish, Italian and German. Not using some of them on a regular basis for years, however, I find I am only able to muddle though basic written text, and totally uncomfortable with the spoken language. Nonetheless, when someone speaks to me, it all sounds very familiar, but my brain needs a lot of time to keep up. Oftentimes, the proper translation occurs to me hours afterwards!

WOW!

You blow the curve!

Good work Diadromos Mermaid. And I suppose you know what your first name means?

Hee, hee.

As for the second bolded text, this I call a memory bubble.

They sometimes take time to be located and burst wide open.

[SpiritAlight 1]

When I was a kid (and only bilingual at the time), I met a kid from Switzerland who was teaching us how to say things in some of the 7 languages he spoke. From that moment, I swore I would be that multilingual by the time I grew up.

Sadly, I'm only trilingual at this point. English, Spanish, Italian (and that's only up to a conversational level). Guh. But our baby's going to be raised with all 3 and hopefully French as well. Plus my husband started picking up German for fun. We'll see where that gets us...

I wish more Americans saw the value of speaking multiple languages. Where I grew up, speaking TWO was considered un-cool, and lots of people abandoned their home language by the time they hit junior high.

Babies/young ones learn languages like they learn to breathe.

Effortlessly.

This great!

3

A person of few words.

I am mind boggled at the number of people that responded here with more than one language under their belt.

I imagine VJ beats the "normal" curve/graph.

Thanks all for responding!!!

[ruby_mtl 0]

I speak, French, English, Spanish, and Creole (Haitian)

[liraC 2]

Hello VJers,

Out of curiosity, as this comes up every now and then.

Awhile back I heard a report on CBC radio that multi-lingual people think faster than unilingual people.

That their brains have learnt to compute and solve problems quicker.

Interesting.

What I like about being tri-lingual, with bits and pieces of a few other languages, is how that opens one up to the various cultures.

What say you?

Hello to all the member's here,

Aside from my own language,i can speak japanese and english...I wish i could speak more....lol

[diadromous mermaid 36]

Yes, I picked that ID because I thought it quite appropos. I once considered myself a mermaid that traveled from the coast inland to freshwater, with particular intent in mind

At one time, many years ago, I was reasonably fluent (conversational) in 7 languages, aside from my native tongue, English: Japanese, Chinese (mandarin), Russian, Frensh, Spanish, Italian and German. Not using some of them on a regular basis for years, however, I find I am only able to muddle though basic written text, and totally uncomfortable with the spoken language. Nonetheless, when someone speaks to me, it all sounds very familiar, but my brain needs a lot of time to keep up. Oftentimes, the proper translation occurs to me hours afterwards!

WOW!

You blow the curve!

Good work Diadromos Mermaid. And I suppose you know what your first name means?

Hee, hee.

As for the second bolded text, this I call a memory bubble.

They sometimes take time to be located and burst wide open.

[emmajr 0]

Hello VJers,

Out of curiosity, as this comes up every now and then.

Awhile back I heard a report on CBC radio that multi-lingual people think faster than unilingual people.

That their brains have learnt to compute and solve problems quicker.

Interesting.

What I like about being tri-lingual, with bits and pieces of a few other languages, is how that opens one up to the various cultures.

What say you?

English and now spanish as my finace does not really understand me when I speak english...

[JKMac 0]

English, Spanish, and German for me. I was an exchange student in Guadalajara, Mexico for a year and I still have lots of practice working with ELL (English Language Learner) students.

My fiancee is a native Russian speaker but she also speaks Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, and English. I am trying to learn Russian so I can speak to Mama, but it is very difficult.

Я люблю мою Русскоязычную жену!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

3

A person of few words.

[Kevin&Leilei 1]

I wish I could say I was at least bilingual, but I'm fluent only in English. I know a few words here in there in some other languages, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Mandarin. I should be learning Mandarin now, but my fiancee's English is quite good, so I've been lazy about it. Her mother (who speaks no English) wants me to be conversational in it in ten years, so I can talk to her directly. Not sure if that will happen, but if my fiancee and I decide to have children together, they will be bilingual.

[Benika 1]

2 - English and Afrikaans. Afrikaans is a Germanic language so I can understand a lot of Dutch and even a lot of writen German. My sister lived in the Netherlands for 6 months and said that after she got used to the new accent and structure she could understand most things said to her.

- and I speak what we call taxi-Korean. I can tell a taxi driver, who I am, what I do and how to get me home. Due to being a teacher to young kids I can also name about 50 animals in Korean. I cant have a conversation, but I know enough to get along.

[haiti 0]

Creole, French, English and a good bit of Spanish and some Dutch!

[Dr. Obvious 49]

English: Native speaker.

German: Functional second language.

Dutch: This is just a consequence of knowing English and German. I can read and understand it pretty well. Speaking I have never really tried.

Spanish: I am really surprised by what all I can still read in it. Otherwise, at a first year college level. Nothing fantastic.

French: All I know, I was taught by watching L'ane Trotro. My kid watches it a lot so I have been learning just by watching.

[redglasses 1]

I speak only two languages, English and Japanese.

There was a time I learned some other languages from friends and co-workers,

but I've forgotten them all since I am no longer in touch with them.