What european language should I learn?
- Thread starter maes
- Start date
This is a really interesting topic 
I think I'm in the minority on this thread in that I've not been brought up speaking any other language; I was born in the north, have no overseas family ties and have had to learn these things from scratch starting at quite a late age as far as languages go (in my teens). I don't travel abroad nearly as much as I'd like, either. So just to compare experiences...
My French is passable - I did the A-level at college, can read and write reasonably and just about understand bits of their TV and radio broadcasts, but I've no idea if I'd be able to hold a meaningful conversation in it; I suspect not. My current hare-brained scheme is learning German - never had the chance to do it at school or college but did an evening course at the Goethe-Institut in Manchester a couple of years ago (had to give it up in the end because my work at the time clashed, might see if I can pick it up again now things have changed!)
Anyway, people here always tell me I make it look easy, but I actually find it terribly difficult to learn new languages to any sort of meaningful level when I have to make do with broadcasts and internet pages etc. rather than conversation. I found that last time I left the country (to Germany for a couple of weeks last year) by the time I'd been there a week and a half I was actually able to talk to people without stuttering so much, though. Anyway, I'm rambling on like a right prat, but to sum up, I honestly think that the only way you can learn to be fluent in a language unless you're some kind of savant is immersing yourself in it for a lengthy period. I'm finding it an awful lot easier, though, to pick up German than I did French - and I do wonder whether it's because when learning French I had to get used to using a different grammatical scheme to English for the first time, now I'm on German it's another different scheme so isn't quite as confusing.
With my French vocabulary, I've found that I can actually read some very basic Spanish - half the time, it's a similar word spelled differently! I reckon if I actually decided at some point to learn it, I'd be able to pick it up quite easily with a little effort.
(I should really work on making my English readable and not rambling like this!)
c
I think I'm in the minority on this thread in that I've not been brought up speaking any other language; I was born in the north, have no overseas family ties and have had to learn these things from scratch starting at quite a late age as far as languages go (in my teens). I don't travel abroad nearly as much as I'd like, either. So just to compare experiences...
My French is passable - I did the A-level at college, can read and write reasonably and just about understand bits of their TV and radio broadcasts, but I've no idea if I'd be able to hold a meaningful conversation in it; I suspect not. My current hare-brained scheme is learning German - never had the chance to do it at school or college but did an evening course at the Goethe-Institut in Manchester a couple of years ago (had to give it up in the end because my work at the time clashed, might see if I can pick it up again now things have changed!)
Anyway, people here always tell me I make it look easy, but I actually find it terribly difficult to learn new languages to any sort of meaningful level when I have to make do with broadcasts and internet pages etc. rather than conversation. I found that last time I left the country (to Germany for a couple of weeks last year) by the time I'd been there a week and a half I was actually able to talk to people without stuttering so much, though. Anyway, I'm rambling on like a right prat, but to sum up, I honestly think that the only way you can learn to be fluent in a language unless you're some kind of savant is immersing yourself in it for a lengthy period. I'm finding it an awful lot easier, though, to pick up German than I did French - and I do wonder whether it's because when learning French I had to get used to using a different grammatical scheme to English for the first time, now I'm on German it's another different scheme so isn't quite as confusing.
With my French vocabulary, I've found that I can actually read some very basic Spanish - half the time, it's a similar word spelled differently! I reckon if I actually decided at some point to learn it, I'd be able to pick it up quite easily with a little effort.
(I should really work on making my English readable and not rambling like this!)
c
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
Mandarin 
oh, all right.
I don't honestly think there's that much to choose from betwen German and Spanish, the arguments for learning either are pretty much equally good. German grammar is a nightmare, mind, and it will take that much longer before you can 'internalise' all those rules.
Seriously, though, why not Mandarin? Or Japanese, which uses similar kanji but has fairly easy grammar and no tones to twist your tongue over? If you have any intention of using your language to help your career, one of these two (or other unusual language) would make you stand out from all those unemployed european language graduates...
oh, all right.
I don't honestly think there's that much to choose from betwen German and Spanish, the arguments for learning either are pretty much equally good. German grammar is a nightmare, mind, and it will take that much longer before you can 'internalise' all those rules.
Seriously, though, why not Mandarin? Or Japanese, which uses similar kanji but has fairly easy grammar and no tones to twist your tongue over? If you have any intention of using your language to help your career, one of these two (or other unusual language) would make you stand out from all those unemployed european language graduates...
Howzabout Polish?
I'm not kidding. Do it because it's hard, and different from English and French, and (IIRC) has lots of grammar.
But not as hard a Czech or Slovenian - native speakers of both of those have told me that the C19 linguistic nationalists introduced lots of arbitrary grammar to make their languages as different from the neighbours' as possible. Polish wouldn't help in being fluent in any of these, but it probably would help in travelling to South Slav places as well as Russia.
Otherwise, German. Having been taught German and its grammar helped me massively with computer programming and logic - long before I actually got out and spoke any. And there's the literature...
I'm not kidding. Do it because it's hard, and different from English and French, and (IIRC) has lots of grammar.
But not as hard a Czech or Slovenian - native speakers of both of those have told me that the C19 linguistic nationalists introduced lots of arbitrary grammar to make their languages as different from the neighbours' as possible. Polish wouldn't help in being fluent in any of these, but it probably would help in travelling to South Slav places as well as Russia.
Otherwise, German. Having been taught German and its grammar helped me massively with computer programming and logic - long before I actually got out and spoke any. And there's the literature...
Donna Ferentes
jubliado
How about Hungarian? Or Basque?laptop said:
Donna Ferentes said:
Doesn't help with any other language. Even Finnish, Hungarians and Finns tell me.
Donna Ferentes said:
Not the language of an EU member state. And I deduce that's one of maestrocloud's criteria. As I think you understand.
On the other hand - any of the Scandinavian languages gets you three-and-a-half for the price of one - in Brussels, you'll overhear a sort of "generic Scand". Which is useful for diplomatic purposes.
Donna Ferentes
jubliado
Well, Basque is a language of a European state. Though of course I take your point.
Would Polish help with Russian? I knew somebody who lived in both places and she never said so.
Would Polish help with Russian? I knew somebody who lived in both places and she never said so.
Donna Ferentes
jubliado
Which one?
(Ah, I see. It also puts names the other way around, doesn't it - so that Ferenc Puskas is actually Puskas Ferenc.)
(Ah, I see. It also puts names the other way around, doesn't it - so that Ferenc Puskas is actually Puskas Ferenc.)
Nine Bob Note
Self-Isolating before it was fashionable
maestrocloud said:And apparently it has 35 cases, making it one of the most complex languages out there.
(edit - I'm talking about Hungarian)
Indeed. British embassy staff say Hungarian is the most difficult language in the world to learn.
Mapped
London town
Nine Bob Note said:
Tell me about it. I was in Hungary a few weeks ago and attempted to speak some Hungarian from my phrasebook and I could not get my head round it at all
. It's lucky I met a lot of Hungarians that were really keen on practicsing thier English.After spending last night with my Columbian friend and a bunch of his Columbian mates I woke up this morning and made a promise to myself to learn Spanish as soon as I can. I hate just speaking English when so many of my friends can communicate in so many different languages.
Errol's son
Well-Known Member
Nine Bob Note said:
I thought English was the most difficult to achieve fluency in, as we have more words than French and Spanish combined. It is easy to gget the basics but to achieve fluency in is meant to take a long long time....
schnickschnack
wie bitte?
Yes, but most of those words have been derived from Latin/German/French so if you know any of those languages you get by quite easily. Ive heard that all the posh words come from French or Latin, most of the everyday-words from German, which is why you have beef (from the French boeuf) and cow from the German Kuh and so on.Errol's son said:
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
We have (iirc) ninety-eight irregular verbs n'all, plus difficult spelling.Errol's son said:
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
So can I...could this be the beginning of an Urban Signing class, to go along with the French/German/Spanish ones?
Errol's son
Well-Known Member
schnickschnack said:
Tabassaran is meant to be more difficult that Hungarian. It is just that diplomatic staff don't need to learn it so that is why they say Hungarian is difficult.
I reckon Finnish is pretty hard too.
Errol's son
Well-Known Member
chio said:
It is a Northeast Caucasian languuage spoken by less than 100,000 people.
Donna Ferentes said:
Basque is spoken in the Basque region of France and Spain. the basque country is not a european state. but Basque is a good idea.
Life is too short to learn German.
Errol's son said:
not as hard as you might think, once you understanding the logic behind it.
Donna Ferentes
jubliado
It is a language of a state: I said precisely what I meant.guinnessdrinker said:
Euskadi is not very far from me: I know the language's extent.
