What languages do you speak? What languages would you speak if you could?

[Gurkhal]

My native Swedish and English. There are so many ancient languages I would like to be able to read and write I don't know where to start.

 

[Ban]

My native Swedish and English. There are so many ancient languages I would like to be able to read and write I don't know where to start.

I didn't know you were Swedish. How much difficulty would you have reading old Norse? I know the Icelanders can manage rather well, but I assume Swedish has differed too greatly.

 

[Finchbearer]

And just out of interest, Old Norse and Old English are very similar, so if you understand one, could you understand the other?

 

[Gurkhal]

I didn't know you were Swedish. How much difficulty would you have reading old Norse? I know the Icelanders can manage rather well, but I assume Swedish has differed too greatly.

Now you know!

I can't speak about Old Norse since it was a very long time since I read it in school, and as you assumed Sweden has historically, to my knowledge, primarily been influenced linguistically by German since the break-up of Old Norse into Swedish, Norweigan, Danish and Icelandic (you might want to add Gutnish as well but that language is gone and is "only" a dialect by now to my knowledge).

EDITED: I was mistaken about Gutnish. Its still there but I can't say how widely used it is.

 

[Ban]

Now you know!

I can't speak about Old Norse since it was a very long time since I read it in school, and as you assumed Sweden has historically, to my knowledge, primarily been influenced linguistically by German since the break-up of Old Norse into Swedish, Norweigan, Danish and Icelandic (you might want to add Gutnish as well but that language is gone and is "only" a dialect by now to my knowledge).

EDITED: I was mistaken about Gutnish. Its still there but I can't say how widely used it is.

I certainly do add Gutnish, Faroese, Elfdalian and other minor Scandinavian languages. It would be interesting to test if you find time for it.

 

[JBCrowson]

If I could, I would speak every language. A little more realistically, I would like to have mastered English, French, Chinese (both), Spanish, Hindi, German, Russian, Arabic, as that combo would enable me to communicate with the majority of the world in their first or second language. Sadly Only English and French are at the level I can read books in them without translating phrase by phrase.

 

[Mad Swede]

Is this to do with the English meddling in things they shouldn’t have?

No, it's more of a culture clash, in that the (Norman) English didn't understand how the Welsh were organised. Wales wasn't a single country or state in the modern sense, it was a collection of smaller areas with local rulers. In that sense it was more like early Anglo-Saxon England or Sweden. It was only when faced by a major external threat that the Welsh would elect an overall tywysog to lead them. So of course when the (Norman) English barons and kings met the Welsh in the field and in negotiations they were faced with one main chief and they assumed that person was the ruling prince (because that was the way Norman English society was ruled), hence the mistranslation.

 

[Finchbearer]

No, it's more of a culture clash, in that the (Norman) English didn't understand how the Welsh were organised. Wales wasn't a single country or state in the modern sense, it was a collection of smaller areas with local rulers. In that sense it was more like early Anglo-Saxon England or Sweden. It was only when faced by a major external threat that the Welsh would elect an overall tywysog to lead them. So of course when the (Norman) English barons and kings met the Welsh in the field and in negotiations they were faced with one main chief and they assumed that person was the ruling prince (because that was the way Norman English society was ruled), hence the mistranslation.

Sounds like English meddling to me.

 

[Ban]

If there is no central authority, languages continue changing without obstruction. If not a single Angle, Saxon or Jute had ever migrated to the isles, the Welsh would still speak a different language than the Irish by now. The distance alone would bring that about.

 

[Mad Swede]

Sounds like English meddling to me.

Even my Welsh girlfriend Angharad admitted that the English had reasonable cause for invading Wales. The Welsh were great cattle raiders - which was why Offa and later Wat built their famous dykes.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Yes, we adopted an 11-year-old from China, and several of her friends in the US now have totally lost their Mandarin. We worked to keep her fluent, which also slowed down her English, but it'll be worth it for her. The funny thing is, she's actually trilingual, but we have no idea what to call the third language from her home region.

English is my first language. I understand and speak Mandarin at a conversational level. I'm relearning Spanish. I can understand the Stargate episodes I've watched in Spanish (more or less) but my speaking needs practice.

Apart from that, just collections of words and phrases in French and Taiwanese.

I used to speak elementary Turkish, but unfortunately, I've forgotten everything I learnt. Actually, it's surprising how many people learn then forget a language. I never believed it possible until it happened to me.

 

[Finchbearer]

Even my Welsh girlfriend Angharad admitted that the English had reasonable cause for invading Wales. The Welsh were great cattle raiders - which was why Offa and later Wat built their famous dykes.

I love that name, Angharad. Perhaps I should extend my comment to say that I’ve even used the name for a character.

 

[Ned Marcus]

Yes, we adopted an 11-year-old from China, and several of her friends in the US now have totally lost their Mandarin. We worked to keep her fluent, which also slowed down her English, but it'll be worth it for her. The funny thing is, she's actually trilingual, but we have no idea what to call the third language from her home region.

What is her home region? Which province or city? If you know that, you should be able to find out the name of her third language, or at least narrow it down.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Well... She grew up in a village with foster parents who gave her back to the state because she wasn't allowed into the local school or something, and it was in the orphanage that she learned Mandarin. But, we don't actually know the rural village/area she was from. Yuxi was the city in Yunnan province, and any basic searches haven't proven anything. Plus, she doesn't really care so I haven't put a lot of effort into it. Close to Yuxi, but Yunnan has a crazy number of languages like this search result:

Tibeto-Burman languages such as Bai, Yi, Tibetan, Hani, Jingpo, Lisu, Lahu, Naxi; Tai languages like Zhuang, Bouyei, Dong, Shui, Tai Lü and Tai Nüa; as well as Hmong–Mien languages.

Plus lots dialects. If she ever gets interested, I'm sure we can find it. As far as I can tell, the only things she misses about China are the foster family and the weather: she lived in the land of eternal spring.

What is her home region? Which province or city? If you know that, you should be able to find out the name of her third language, or at least narrow it down.

 

[Ned Marcus]

Yunnan has a crazy number of languages like this search result:

Tibeto-Burman languages such as Bai, Yi, Tibetan, Hani, Jingpo, Lisu, Lahu, Naxi; Tai languages like Zhuang, Bouyei, Dong, Shui, Tai Lü and Tai Nüa; as well as Hmong–Mien languages.

Plus lots dialects. If she ever gets interested, I'm sure we can find it. As far as I can tell, the only things she misses about China are the foster family and the weather: she lived in the land of eternal spring.

Yes, Yunnan does have a crazy number of languages. Some interesting ones.

 

[Karlin]

English is my first language. I understand and speak Mandarin at a conversational level. I'm relearning Spanish. I can understand the Stargate episodes I've watched in Spanish (more or less) but my speaking needs practice.

Apart from that, just collections of words and phrases in French and Taiwanese.

I used to speak elementary Turkish, but unfortunately, I've forgotten everything I learnt. Actually, it's surprising how many people learn then forget a language. I never believed it possible until it happened to me.

Mandarin is impressive. Taiwanese- not common for western people to learn the language/dialect. Did you live in Taiwan for a while?

A curious fact: If you travel on the High Speed Rail in Taiwan, you'll hear announcements in Mandarin, English, Taiwanese and Hakka.

 

[Jackarandajam]

Mandarin is impressive. Taiwanese- not common for western people to learn the language/dialect. Did you live in Taiwan for a while?

A curious fact: If you travel on the High Speed Rail in Taiwan, you'll hear announcements in Mandarin, English, Taiwanese and Hakka.

I spent a couple summers in Taipei and Dajia, had no idea they announced in Hakka. Now I'm off to see what it sounds like.

 

[Ned Marcus]

Mandarin is impressive. Taiwanese- not common for western people to learn the language/dialect. Did you live in Taiwan for a while?

A curious fact: If you travel on the High Speed Rail in Taiwan, you'll hear announcements in Mandarin, English, Taiwanese and Hakka.

I still live in Taiwan. In the hills outside Taipei.

It's not just the high-speed rail that has announcements in the four languages, the MRT does the same. It's a good way to practice!