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What (or which?) language(s) other than English can you speak and/or read and/or understand and/or write, if any?Again, I won't post a poll because there are so many languages possible.
Sadly, for me, none. Not for lack of trying, however. Over the years, I've taken classes in French, Spanish and German. Failed miserably in all of them. I've just started learning yet another new language, Japanese. So far, I'm really enjoying it and I think I'm "getting" it, bit by bit. We'll see how it goes.
The good news is I'm pretty much aces in English. Thank goodness, given how lousy I am in all those others . Oh, and I'm good at pig-latin -- does that count? .
I know a little Spanish, I took 2 years in HS. I wish schools would teach more language, especially at younger ages. IMO, Latin would be a great language to know.
Growing up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, French was taught in the elementary schools, and as a child I loved it. I think being exposed to another language fostered an interest -- that, and I have a natural talent with language. I majored in English in college, and taught English (language, literature, grammar and composition) at the HS level for 15+ years. The rest of my career was as an In School Suspension teacher, where I had to learn the language(s) of the street kids.
I took French in JR HS and HS, and another four years of it in college. At one time, I was quite fluent, and can still read and write in French. I think if I immersed myself in it -- ie. a trip to Paris say, like I have begged my husband to do -- it would come back to me. I can watch a film in French and understand quite a bit of the dialogue.
I taught with a woman whose children were trilingual. She was Cuban, so the children spoke Spanish, and she majored in English and French in college, and taught French at the HS. It was great fun at her house, listening to the kids skip from one language to the next.
Because my daughter was interested in the sciences, but was talented with language, too, I encouraged her to study Latin. By contrast, my husband, who studied Latin felt it had been a waste, and contends German is the language used by scientists today.
Globally, I think young people would do well to study Chinese, Arabic, or Spanish.
After about 15 years of independent study I speak, read and write Russian pretty well. It helps that I have a native-speaking tutor at work, in the evenings. Currently reading "Master and Margarita" in original Russian.
I can get by in French - learned in grammar school, high school and a 3-year relationship with a Frenchman. I understand better than I speak, speak better than I read.
I still have a little German after living there while a kid (admittedly in US Military housing) and having courses then and subsequently. Haven't used it in a decade or two.
Sadly, for me, none. Not for lack of trying, however. Over the years, I've taken classes in French, Spanish and German. Failed miserably in all of them. I've just started learning yet another new language, Japanese. So far, I'm really enjoying it and I think I'm "getting" it, bit by bit. We'll see how it goes.
The good news is I'm pretty much aces in English. Thank goodness, given how lousy I am in all those others . Oh, and I'm good at pig-latin -- does that count? .
How about you?
What does pig-latin mean?
I'm quite fluent in Indonesian (not Bahasa!), English, and German.
I also know some basic Spanish.
"Pig-latin" is a goofy little "language" we used to play around with when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure kids still do it . I know my son and his friends got a big kick out of it when he was young. He and I used to play-speak it, too. Maybe it's a USA thing? I don't know.
Basically, you start with a word (for example, let's use the word "book"). First, you take off the first sound. In our example, "book", we'll take off the first sound, which is the B (buh) sound.
Next, we add the sound "ay" to that first sound. In our example, we now have a sound "bay" ("buh" + "ay" = "bay").
Lastly, we take that "bay" and tack it on to the end of our original word.
Thus, in pig-latin, the single-syllable word "book" becomes a two-syllable word: "ook-bay". Similarly, car would be "ar-cay" and jump would be "ump-jay". Multisyllable words work the same way. Baby becomes "aby-bay". Television becomes "elevision-tay" and so forth.
There is a couple of special rules:
When a word starts with a vowel sound, most often, you say the word and tack a "yay" onto it. Examples would include "idea" ("idea-yay") and "open" ("open-yay"). Occasionally, you just say the word as it is and tack "ay" onto it. Do whatever sounds better. For example, for the word English", I'd probably say "English-ay" because it flows off the tongue easier than "English-yay".
When a word starts with a blended sound, such as "chair" or "street", the entire first sound used. "air-chay" and "eet-stray" would be the pig-latin for these two examples.
And that's about it! Easy to use once you get the hang of it. And the rules aren't set in stone -- if you come across a word you can't quickly change into pig-latin, just say it in English. No one will fault you for it. .
With practice, one can become very fast at pig-latin (it's faster to speak than to spell) and it's fun to play around with! Kids seem to get a big kick out of it, probably because they think it's a "secret" language parents can't understand. Of course, they don't realize that their parents most likely know it, too .
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. Oh, and I'm good at pig-latin -- does that count? 
Makasih
