Are you Bi?

The Kizzy · Post by **The Kizzy** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:44 am

Lingual?

And if so, what was your first language?

And if English was your first language, what other languages are you fluent in?

At what age did you learn your second language, and if you were older, was it harder?

Just some questions, I was brought up around English and Spanish, but I never spoke Spanish, but I can understand it. I want to take Spansih in school, because you make like 30% more if you are bilingual, but I am afraid it would be too hard to learn and use effectivly.

10sun · Post by **10sun** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:27 am

In preschool I learned French, took it through 5th grade... then I moved to Ohio where they don't offer any language courses until you are a Freshman in high school. Took Latin then. I can understand a lot of romance languages as a result, but I can't communicate back.

I also know a bit of ASL. That works wonders when communicating with your wingman in bars.

Trielelvan · Post by **Trielelvan** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:35 am

Yes.
My first language is english.
My mother, bless her, tried her damndest to teach me Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese. I probably understand and can speak more now than ever in my childhood.
I can understand far more Spanish than I can speak - Texas will do that

I started learning German in highschool at 16, learned on a trip to Germany and Austria that "Oxford" German is laughable when attempting to use in normal conversation, and continued taking German in college to become more conversationalistic. I am pretty rusty as there aren't many German speakers to talk to, but am still pretty fluent.

In hindsight, I should have taken Spanish as well. Most people down south think I look Mexican. I actually had an older Mexican woman blow up at me at work long ago because "I wouldn't speak Spanish with her" like I was ashamed of my heritage LOL

Go take Spanish. I think you will be surprised how easy it actually is to learn another language, especially since you have been around it most of your life. The hardest part about learning another language being older, in my opinion, is to remove the English-speaker mindset that keeps trying to translate sentences into English in your head.

Post by **Ganzo** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:45 pm

I'm Quadlingual:

first language is russian, but i'm 100% in english, hebrew and ukrainian

understand but cant read or wright, and tough at talking back in polish and yidish

also have middleschool basic of german

brinstar · Post by **brinstar** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:06 pm

120% proficiency at english

can comprehend written romance languages pretty well, can speak a bit of french

Harrison · Post by **Harrison** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:16 pm

I can understand and speak a little of both french and spanish.

I can read most languages (if based from latin) to the point of general understanding and direction.

Rotj · Post by **Rotj** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:34 pm

took latin and french in high school but that didn't last too long. can understand mandarin and cantonese fairly minor. ;(

Minrott · Post by **Minrott** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:48 pm

I can read music, gemotric dimensioning and tolerancing, conversational and g code. And enough spanish to get by as a tourist in mexico, or tell people to get back to work when I was a foreman at a tree nursery.

Tikker · Post by **Tikker** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 2:24 pm

raised english, with some polish, and ukranian tossed in

ps, I think polish is one of the most fucked up languages ever, i think Z and Y are the 2 most common letters =\

Eziekial · Post by **Eziekial** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 3:20 pm

Engrish and spanglish with some eyetalian.

liquidstayce · Post by **liquidstayce** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 3:22 pm

Like a lot of American Jews I can speak, read and somewhat write Hebrew but sadly don't know what it means most of the time other than then the traditional prayers.

English is it for me. I took Spanish for 3 years in high school - Spanish 1, Spanish 2 and then had to repeat Spanish 2 again because I slept through the class most of the year prior or was too busy flirting with the guy next to me instead of paying attention.

Markarado · Post by **Markarado** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:52 pm

English is my first language. I speak a good deal of Mandarin and a small amount of Hokkien (Another Chinese dialect spoken in the Fuzou province and also in Penang, Malaysia by the Chinese there).

Learned most of my Mandarin when I first moved to China at the age of 7, but I've been studying it for the last year and a half here in Shanghai, China. It was much easier to learn when I was younger, but that could be because I had no choice but to learn it.

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 5:38 pm

English is my first language, I speak Spanish fluently I learned to speak Spanish starting with I was around 13.

I was raised around very basic Korean from kindergarden age, and I can give and follow very basic commands, I cannot read or write it however.

I know enough Czechslovakian to have a basic conversation, so I could ask my great grandfather how he was and say hello to him, etc.

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 5:38 pm

Oh yeah I forgot I understand Portuguese but can't speak it.

Post by **Lyion** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 5:43 pm

Arabic, Farsi, Italian, Some Russian, Some Korean, and have a grasp on Latin.

Harrison · Post by **Harrison** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 5:46 pm

I have a fascination with Latin, not much of an understanding on "speaking" it.

I can read basic phrases and discern some meaning.

Jennay · Post by **Jennay** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 6:28 pm

I can say a few swear words and phrases in whatever language is spoken in the Philipines.

Diabolik · Post by **Diabolik** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:33 pm

Spanish was my first language. My parents had this idea that if I didn't speak Spanish first, I wouldn't ever learn it at all so that's all they really communicated to me. They knew I'd get English later on my own. I understood English perfectly from listening to it at home and in preschool but I was too shy to actually speak it. One day, I started speaking it spontaneously, a la Bart Goes to France. The first thing I ever said in English was "Mrs. Teacher! Mrs. Teacher! Wallace pulled Mia's hair and took her tricyclOH MY GOD I'M SPEAKING ENGLISH!"

I studied French for three years; I'm sure I could easily get by on touristy things and can understand it perfectly if the person speaks simply (no colloquialisms) and slowly. Same with Italian and Portuguese. I've heard people speaking Sicilian and I can understand every single word, even when the person speaks fast.

The Kizzy · Post by **The Kizzy** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:04 am

My Mom said that Spanish was her first language as well. She heard English in the stores, etc, but never had to use it. When she went to kindergarten, all the nuns spoke was English, so she had to learn quickly. I have learned never to piss my mother off. She will start yelling at you in English, and then switch to Spanish mid sentence, and then back to English, and speak so quickly, you are left sitting there wondering, WTF?

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:11 am

I know many people like that Kizzy lol

Jay · Post by **Jay** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 12:45 pm

English, Vietnamese, Japanese and Spanish

lareau · Post by **lareau** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 4:45 pm

french is my first language. I learned english when i was 3 or 4.

Now my english is better then my french :/

Gargamellow · Post by **Gargamellow** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:54 pm

hahahahahhahaha

Spacewoman Spiff · Post by **Spacewoman Spiff** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:56 pm

Thank you for an insightful and relevant post.

Adivina · Post by **Adivina** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 11:24 am

*peeks around for Mop*