How multilingual are we?
 

In England we sort of assume that the rest of the world speaks our language. So have any of us made the effort to speak anything else. Let's be honest, could we survive in any other country if we met someone who couldn't speak English - quick poll?

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Got myself a learn Irish program on the computer. Irish Gaelic that is.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I speak English and Rubbish......I understand quite a bit of Spanish, but can't really converse in it......I think I could get by though.....if I really had to.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

English, French and semi-fluent Italian, oh and a little Spanish.

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I should have added an option for - Only speak English - oh, well, never mind!

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I prefer to see it written down to understand rather than spoken but I can get by with a few different languages.

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i think the percenages are buggered.
adds up to 175% at the mo!

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That's because I allowed it so that you could vote on more than one answer!

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

ahhhh i get it now!!
silly maleness, v sorry.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Je parle un peu francais mais je ne parle pas trop bien. C'est depuis quatorze et quatre ans que j'ai étudié francais. Ce n'est pas facile. :p

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I could get by using modern Greek (I wouldn't go hungry or thirsty and I could buy fuel for the car) but as for being able to hold a conversation, that is another matter.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Naughty naughty.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I struggle enough to understanding those supposedly young exponents of the English language let alone a second one. I took French like most people my age and promptly forgot it after leaving school and to be honest I couldn’t care less. I would like to learn a good stock Gaelic Language, something I feel is much more important than a European Language.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I had french and german at school, I used to argue for hours on end that it was pointless and I would never need it! Now look at me! I spend majority of my time in foreign countries. If only I could speak german or french I would be much better off!!! Anyway, I am now not to bad at Russian and could just about hold a conversation, so I ticked other...
Schools should teach a foreign language starting from the age of 4. As they do in the rest of Europe/Asia, thats why they can all speak other languages and the English just seem like they are totally ignorant of everything.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I've just added the other option you wanted gayle, non I only speak english. Otherwise we'll end up with people who can't speak another language picking other stuff and the result will be unreliable ;)

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I've had loads of conversations without sharing a common language, using only the language of lurrvve.;)

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I will have to tick other because I speak the traditional English version of the International language Esperanto,
Although the language of Esperanto was developed to ease the idiosyncrasies found when attempting to learn a foriegn language, it still takes time and effort to master.
With the English version however such effort and dedication is not needed, because wherever you are in the world you can just plonk yourself down in a cafe and if they didn't understand you the first time you just repeat your order a little louder, if again they don't understand you a further increase in volume until at last they take the bother to listen to what you said and hey presto you get served!

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I tried to learn Spanish at night school before moving here but I must admit that I retained very little. After having lessons here and needing to use the language every day, I find it is getting easier. So there is the key, I reckon, usage.

Now, after four years, I can hold conversations and after a brandy or three I'm fluent!!

Feliz Navidad x

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I learnt french at school and then forgot it all. Then 5 years ago i went to night school to relearn french - i've forgotten it all again! Dont say much for my memory does it!

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blame the teachers...ALWAYS blame the teachers! :D

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

English and Canadian?? Oh yes and watching Stanley in the late 50s, I learned a lot of Scottish.

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I can order beer and grub in french and spanish but other than that its English only. I find it quite strange that whilst I really struggle to learn different spoken languages( highest mark at german in scoool was 24% ) I can happily switch between loads of different conmputer programming languages with their differing syntax structure and form with no probs whatsoever.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I can just about hold a very basic conversation in Spanish which, when you consider that I've been married for nigh on 20 years to a lady whose first language is Spanish, is pretty disgraceful really.

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Hehehe, I was taught French and German at school and promptly forgot them. I find that if I spend any length of time in a country then I pick up some of the lingo. After spending a couple of weeks in France a few years ago, I was conversing quite happily but I have since forgotten it again. I can get by in Spain and Greece when it comes to getting food and drink and pleasantries, good morning, thankyou, goodnight etc..

I had one of the translators at work write a few sentences for me phonetically in Urdu, so that I could ask the ladies questions regarding their health. It went very well and I learned a few sentences but unfortunately the women thought that I could speak Urdu and would pour out their problems to me and I wouldn't understand the replies..:D Ah well, you've got to love a trier...

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Less you also talk another language when in the stag sometimes its called rubbish and you are very good at it after a few pints hehe
its funny but i can understand you very well too

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Thanks Roy, that's brill!

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Well Mick I didn't want to brag but 'rubbish' is my first language, I only resort to English when talking to people with no sense of humour.

The Reason you understand it is not because of the amount of beer I've had, it's down to the dulling of your own senses so that you can get down to my level.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_2_103.gif

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I am fluent in Slurrrrrrrrr last Shaturday ov feach mumph!

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I can hold a conversation in French. I agree with Lettie though, a few phrases can lead to the person you are talking to thinking that you can happily converse away in their language. I used to go out with a Japanese girl, who because I used to have so many Japanese customers, taught me phonetically over a hundred useful phrases. Thus I could greet people, and happily make a comment about the day's weather, but as soon as they responded it left me having to resort to smiling bows and miming again.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

That is the problem with phrase books too......you say something in the local lingo and then the answer you get is incomprehensible because you only have the phrases not the language. My mum told me that when you start to dream in a foreign language you can consider yourself fluent.....she speaks 13 languages.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

there ARE 13 languages?!:eek:

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I used to like to sit on the bus in Spain and listen to the conversations......I could understand most of them.....but I just couldn't formulate the sentences quickly enough to converse

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Yes.....Shaker, there are. I know she has struggled to learn Russian.....she puts that down to her age and her failing memory....she's 78

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I must say i feel rather inferior speaking english french spanish & italian!
i have a way to go yet!

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Don't allow yourself to feel inferior......you are doing better than most of us.

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oh !!! dear spugs seek help ....
i think the reason why we are not keen to learn a foreign language is we have that island mentality we have no real neigbours who we have any difficulty understanding ,well theres maybe the scots and the northern irish ..unlike france who have close borders with holland ,germany even spain ..we just dont feel the need to learn which is a shame really ..
i give you an example some one living near the border between france and germany has a necessity to speak 2 languages were'as we are stuck on a rather large set of islands that all speak english to a certain extent ,so we are not really taxing our brains ,and we are missing out on an oppertunity of making some interesting new friends !!

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

having lived in spain,i can honestly say my grasp of the language is shamefully low,in my defence- i did try to learn and experimented with my spanish customers,but when i spoke to them in my best spanish- they always answered me in english lol so i gave up bothering, the moral i think is that they are keener to learn english,than we are to learn their language, blowed if i know why?but thats the way it seemed to me. what i would say though if you speak to them in spanish (no matter how poorly) they love you to bits,lovely people!!:)

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I can speak quite a lot of Malay, Indonesian, and a lot of French.
Selamat Pagi

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Oh, and my son speaks, and writes Japanese, and both my kids are learning Mandarin. Mandarin is the one to know for the future.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Like others on here I can understand French but I'm not very good at speaking it. My 7 year old wants to learn French, (no idea why) I can teach him words but not many phrases so for Christmas I've bought him a learn basic French dvd. Which I will probably watch with him.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

That is a good idea Debbie......if you can both learn together then you can practise on one another.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Well i have survived in Germany for 23 years.Do not know how though

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I think people should learn more than one language, im spanish and i speak fluent english, i mean i mite make mistakes but who doesnt!!

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Re: How multilingual are we?
 

French,english,smidge of dutch and spanish,and german and portuguese swearwords-swearwords in any language are very important-I'd like to know if I'm being called a camels scrotum,thank you!

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I picked up a bit of French whilst living in Zaire , and thought I was doing pretty good until I landed in Paris and found out most of it wasn't suitable for civilised society :confused::confused:

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Hard enough trying to speak Lancasire language, without having to learn to speak a foreign one.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I speak Italian in --present tense only---so when I want to speak about past or future events I prefix my words with their words for yesterday or tomorrow.
This amuses the locals but they do appreciate that you are making the effort and they try in turn to make your visit to their country more enjoyable.

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I speak enough French to get by in Montreal. Canada is officially a bilingual country, and all govt. services are offered in both languages. Our National Anthem is also bilingual. So is hockey!

Re: How multilingual are we?
 

I spent about 2 months learning some handy phrases in preperation for my last holiday in Turkey.As soon as i set foot on their soil,icould only remember one:o....'beer beera'-one beer:eek: It's true that a younger a person starts to learn something,the better it sticks.

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Re: How multilingual are we?
 

Have you any idea what Turks call 'Turkeys' (the eating kind) it's always intrigued me that one, just imagine saying "I'm having English for Christmas Dinner" :D