I think there's one measure of what makes a good language and that's how helpful is it in helping lots of people to communicate. I don't suppose there are any bad languages, but there's definitely a hierarchy:
1. English - Head and shoulders above the rest precicely because it is the foreign language of choice for so many people. 2. Other world languages: Spanish, Mandarin, French, Arabic... there's quite a lot to choose from. 3. Regional and National languages that hold local communities together. 4. Hobby languages that play second fiddle even in their own area and have only been resurrected through govt intervention. Welsh - I'm pointing the finger at you here.
I think there's one measure of what makes a good language and that's how helpful is it in helping lots of people to communicate. I don't suppose there are any bad languages, but there's definitely a hierarchy:
1. English - Head and shoulders above the rest precicely because it is the foreign language of choice for so many people. 2. Other world languages: Spanish, Mandarin, French, Arabic... there's quite a lot to choose from. 3. Regional and National languages that hold local communities together. 4. Hobby languages that play second fiddle even in their own area and have only been resurrected through govt intervention. Welsh - I'm pointing the finger at you here*.
*That said I do sometimes get minutes of amusement listening to Clwb Rygbi where the only think I can make out is the names.
Always feel un-welcome in Wales, lovely countryside, very picturesque, but the people just seem to be so un-welcoming especially in North Wales. Did my response driver training with North Wales constabulary. 2 weeks in Llandudno...hated every minute.
Italian land of my grandfathers birth and the language is almost musical
As I'm Chinese... I think English is the best foreign language. It's the easiest to learn. 😆
I reckon if you learned 500 key Chinese words (forget about the reading and writing for a moment), or ten a week for a year, you (well not you Jessie obvs) would have a fighting chance of living and working in China for quite a long while. People are a bit frightened by Chinese, but it is not as difficult as it might seem to be.
As I'm Chinese... I think English is the best foreign language. It's the easiest to learn. 😆
I reckon if you learned 500 key Chinese words (forget about the reading and writing for a moment), or ten a week for a year, you (well not you Jessie obvs) would have a fighting chance of living and working in China for quite a long while. People are a bit frightened by Chinese, but it is not as difficult as it might seem to be.
Are there similarities between mandarin and Cantonese or are they completely separate?
4. Hobby languages that play second fiddle even in their own area and have only been resurrected through govt intervention. Welsh - I'm pointing the finger at you here.
I wouldn't call Welsh a hobby language, Stig ...... it never died out in many rural areas of Wales, invariably being the first language of the community. It's in the cities and larger towns though where there's been huge momentum in the number of Welsh speakers.
And resurrected through government intervention? Apart from the fact that it was the British government that in the first place repressed and suppressed Welsh speaking, and banned it being spoken in Welsh schools ...... I don't see any problem with the Welsh devolved government using their own language in their administration.
Mandarin is easier. It has 4 'tones', Cantonese has 9. Here's a wonder...Mandarin has no gender! No he and she. And no silly little words like 'the' and 'and' and so on to clutter it up.
Always feel un-welcome in Wales, lovely countryside, very picturesque, but the people just seem to be so un-welcoming especially in North Wales. Did my response driver training with North Wales constabulary. 2 weeks in Llandudno...hated every minute.
Italian land of my grandfathers birth and the language is almost musical
One side of my mum's family from Liverpool - they disliked the people from North Wales - A few visits reinforced their view.
Whilst at Uni, played football in Cardiff a few times - the "welcome" was always interesting.
I also worked in Edinburgh, and experienced a fair amount if anti English sentiment. I can only imagine that the aggressive anti English hardcore of the SNP will have made that worse.
Part of the burden of being English is to be disliked by many.
Mandarin is easier. It has 4 'tones', Cantonese has 9. Here's a wonder...Mandarin has no gender! No he and she. And no silly little words like 'the' and 'and' and so on to clutter it up.
Charlton have got one Tone. And even that's too many.
Been learning Danish with Duolingo on the phone app. Loved learning languages at school and scraped O-levels in French and Spanish.
Some of the pronounciation in Danish is bizarre, i will never master it.
My mother-in-law is from Norway and she reckons Norwegians can understand spoken Swedish really easily and can read Danish easily, but they find written Swedish and spoken Danish more difficult. Which is all a bit weird.
Also, a member of the Norwegian family showed me this sketch from a Norwegian comedy show, which is just a pisstake of the danish language. Some of the sketch is in English and, even with no real knowledge of Norwegian or Danish, it’s pretty amusing, but there are bits non-scando speakers won’t understand and so won’t get the joke. Ladyromford’s cousin showed me this and he was absolutely pissing himself. I think it’s a really popular theme in Norway!
Been learning Danish with Duolingo on the phone app. Loved learning languages at school and scraped O-levels in French and Spanish.
Some of the pronounciation in Danish is bizarre, i will never master it.
My mother-in-law is from Norway and she reckons Norwegians can understand spoken Swedish really easily and can read Danish easily, but they find written Swedish and spoken Danish more difficult. Which is all a bit weird.
Also, a member of the Norwegian family showed me this sketch from a Norwegian comedy show, which is just a pisstake of the danish language. Some of the sketch is in English and, even with no real knowledge of Norwegian or Danish, it’s pretty amusing, but there are bits non-scando speakers won’t understand and so won’t get the joke. Ladyromford’s cousin showed me this and he was absolutely pissing himself. I think it’s a really popular theme in Norway!
Been learning Danish with Duolingo on the phone app. Loved learning languages at school and scraped O-levels in French and Spanish.
Some of the pronounciation in Danish is bizarre, i will never master it.
My mother-in-law is from Norway and she reckons Norwegians can understand spoken Swedish really easily and can read Danish easily, but they find written Swedish and spoken Danish more difficult. Which is all a bit weird.
Also, a member of the Norwegian family showed me this sketch from a Norwegian comedy show, which is just a pisstake of the danish language. Some of the sketch is in English and, even with no real knowledge of Norwegian or Danish, it’s pretty amusing, but there are bits non-scando speakers won’t understand and so won’t get the joke. Ladyromford’s cousin showed me this and he was absolutely pissing himself. I think it’s a really popular theme in Norway!
Comments
Brasilian Portuguese and Portuguese sound very different, the former is very melodic.
O-levels in French and Spanish.
Some of the pronounciation in Danish is bizarre, i will never master it.
1. English - Head and shoulders above the rest precicely because it is the foreign language of choice for so many people.
2. Other world languages: Spanish, Mandarin, French, Arabic... there's quite a lot to choose from.
3. Regional and National languages that hold local communities together.
4. Hobby languages that play second fiddle even in their own area and have only been resurrected through govt intervention. Welsh - I'm pointing the finger at you here.
Italian land of my grandfathers birth and the language is almost musical
And don't forget your glottal stop ....... like cockney "water" = wat'er.
The English 'th' sound is made by touching the underneath of your upper front teeth with the tip of your tongue.
The Danish 'th' sound is made by touching the back of your lower front teeth with the tip of your tongue.
Well, according to my Danish ex-GF. Practice it for 5 minutes and then poor yourself a stiff drink.
People are a bit frightened by Chinese, but it is not as difficult as it might seem to be.
Not only 'broadsword calling Danny Boy' either.
It's in the cities and larger towns though where there's been huge momentum in the number of Welsh speakers.
And resurrected through government intervention? Apart from the fact that it was the British government that in the first place repressed and suppressed Welsh speaking, and banned it being spoken in Welsh schools ...... I don't see any problem with the Welsh devolved government using their own language in their administration.
It has 4 'tones', Cantonese has 9.
Here's a wonder...Mandarin has no gender! No he and she.
And no silly little words like 'the' and 'and' and so on to clutter it up.
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Whilst at Uni, played football in Cardiff a few times - the "welcome" was always interesting.
I also worked in Edinburgh, and experienced a fair amount if anti English sentiment. I can only imagine that the aggressive anti English hardcore of the SNP will have made that worse.
Part of the burden of being English is to be disliked by many.
Also, a member of the Norwegian family showed me this sketch from a Norwegian comedy show, which is just a pisstake of the danish language.
Some of the sketch is in English and, even with no real knowledge of Norwegian or Danish, it’s pretty amusing, but there are bits non-scando speakers won’t understand and so won’t get the joke.
Ladyromford’s cousin showed me this and he was absolutely pissing himself. I think it’s a really popular theme in Norway!
Danish is very difficult to understand.
😎