Best language to learn?

[mr_hippo]

When learning a language that does not use Roman alphabet, it is better to learn the new alphabet and their pronunciation of it. The sounds in our alphabet may not have the equivalent in theirs. I also remember learning French and Latin in school when most of the first term was taken up with learning their alphabets.

 

[alicat]

If you want a challenge close to home try Basque, Hungarian, Finnish or the other non Indo-European language, of whose name Andy in Sig may be able to remind me.

 

[Amanda P]

How about ESL - English sign language? There is a real shortage of sign language interpreters in the UK, so it's a lucrative job if you can stick out the learning.

Not learned much myself, but Mrs Uncle Phil did a couple of years and got quite fluent.

 

[NickM]

Why did Esperanto never really take off? I'd learn that, if I thought there would be anybody else to talk to in it.

 

[bof]

Why did Esperanto never really take off? I'd learn that, if I thought there would be anybody else to talk to in it.

Because nobody speaks it! No literature, no culture, no quirky idioms. You learn a major language and it automatically gives you these plus millions of people to talk to.

 

[Alcdrew]

In this day and age it has to be Polish. Going to be the UK language soon enough anyway.

 

[Dayvo]

If you want a challenge close to home try Basque, Hungarian, Finnish or the other non Indo-European language, of whose name Andy in Sig may be able to remind me.

This is it: Finno-Ugric group of languages.

Copied from wikipedia: Finno-Ugric (IPA: [fɪnəʊ juːgrɪk]) is a grouping of languages in the Uralic language family, comprising Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian, and related languages. It comprises the Finno-Permic and Ugric language families.

 

[Brock]

tache de rousseur

Red stains. Nice.

Pourquoi?

Ah sorry, because I was quite taken with yours while reading your trip report from La Rochelle.

 

[Elmer Fudd]

Māori, the drink name "Kia Ora", isn't that Māori for '"be well/healthy"' ?

I used to love their cartoon ad, "I'll be your dog".

 

[buggi]

i would say spanish, because in a lot of countries if they don't speak english they speak some spanish. but i would choose French just so i could cycle there.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

I've had nothing but kindness and appreciation from any French folk I've at least made an attempt to speak French to.

This is so true! Even a little bit of French transforms travelling there. They appreciate your efforts more than anyone else I've met.

 

[Cathryn]

Ah sorry, because I was quite taken with yours while reading your trip report from La Rochelle.

Cackling here. Yes, I get the odd red stains when the sun comes out.

 

[User169]

In most places I have been, once you get away from major tourist spots, people seem almost embarrassingly grateful when you manage to murder a couple of phrases in their language. The Dutch are the main exception I know of - they like the fact that its something relatively few outsiders understand and certainly learning the language I got little or no encouragement, often the opposite.

I'm struggling to learn Dutch. It's extremely easy to get by in NL without speaking any Dutch whatsoever. Almost all the Dutch speak English and they don't appear at all offended at having to do so.

I have to say though that I've not experienced any discouragement and attempts to speak Dutch usually get a positive (if somewhat suprised) response.

If I had the time, I'd try to learn Turkish. That would pretty much get you from the Balkans to China.

 

[Mr Celine]

In most places I have been, once you get away from major tourist spots, people seem almost embarrassingly grateful when you manage to murder a couple of phrases in their language. The Dutch are the main exception I know of - they like the fact that its something relatively few outsiders understand and certainly learning the language I got little or no encouragement, often the opposite.

A friend of mine, who lives in the Netherlands with her partner had the same experience, which she put down to the 'Inspector Closeau effect'. Peter Sellers was funny murdering english in a french accent, just as anyone murdering french in an english accent is funny to the French. But the Dutch have never heard anyone trying to speak their language, so when she attemped to speak it they just looked at her blankly, started laughing and then replied in english.
She got there in the end, but now sounds distincly odd to us when speaking english!

 

[MartaFromStuttgart]

Norwegian has got to be the easiest language on the planet although it's only spoken by about 4.6 million Norwegians. That said it would be a good language for reading heroic tales in. Icelandic would be better for that but it is allegedly a little more difficult. Danish is nice and it has the nearest sounds to English of any other language. The closest relative to English in terms of content is Frisian but that is spoken by relatively few people. Dutch is fun and German is a little harder but each of those opens up the other for you.

Spanish sounds barbaric but it is probably a good language to be cruel to animals in if you are that sort of pervert.

French is for girls and dubious men.

Anything oriental is for masochists. It would be more sensible to pay for a thrashing and then learn a language you have a chance at.

BTW I'm doing an MA in Applied Linguistics at the moment which lends no authority whatsoever to the above views but you probably recognise the truth when you see it.

Come on!! Spanish sounds barbaric ?? German sounds barbaric!.The Romans called the Germanic tribes barbarians for a reason. Spain was a part of the Roman Empire then.