Page 1 of 3
Foreign Language Skillz!
Posted: 22 Dec 2005, 12:21
by PanzerMeyer
I'm pretty sure Steel speaks fluent German and I speak fluent Spanish so I just wanted to know who else happens to speak any foreign languages in our WOF group. I know that Kodiak may not be 100% fluent in German but he's pretty darn good.
Posted: 22 Dec 2005, 13:11
by KODIAK
Yeah, am not bad, considering every word or phrase has been learned under the infulence of a decent Weissen bier, LOL! :lol: Although I DO have the advantage of being able to speak it in four different dialects - Bayerisch, Hoch-Deutsch, Oestereichische, Tannheimerisch
:lol:
:shock:
Am also sporadic in some French, and a little bit of Italian, with a smattering of Serb-Croat for afters! :lol:
Posted: 22 Dec 2005, 13:30
by PanzerMeyer
Oh, I remember that Madrus told me once that he speaks Russian! I forgot about that.
Posted: 22 Dec 2005, 13:55
by KODIAK
Yes, I do believe so, but surely most of us must speak a certain amount of some foreign language, eh?
Posted: 22 Dec 2005, 16:25
by Jedi Master
I'm fairly good in Klingon, Huttese, and Wookie! ;)
Oh, I almost forgot. I can also speak computer tech and science. I know they're different languages by the expression on other people's faces who DON'T speak it when I start talking in it...
Posted: 22 Dec 2005, 17:18
by KODIAK
I'm fairly good in Klingon, Huttese, and Wookie
And you guys talk about me hijacking threads . . . . . . .??? :roll:
Posted: 22 Dec 2005, 18:55
by Mooseman
i can speak conversational french, a bit of german (enough to get by on holiday), and with a week's revision a decent standard of Latin.
I did a bit of Greek, but gave it up....different alphabet made it sooooo difficult.
Posted: 23 Dec 2005, 18:11
by KODIAK
Jeez! Latin, nearly forgot all about that from back in high school. Doin all them plays and stuff - and you know, it's such a popular language around the world these days! :shock:
Posted: 25 Dec 2005, 16:48
by Mooseman
Tell me about it....a really cheesy rhymes about it is as follows:
'Latin is a language, as dead as dead can be, first it killed the Romans, and know it's killing me.'
Like i said, cheesy, but it about sums up how i feel about Latin. If you ever watched Monty Python's Life of Brian, and the bit with the Latin graffiti and the confusion with case and tense, it's actually worse than that.
Posted: 25 Dec 2005, 18:06
by PanzerMeyer
KODIAK wrote:Doin all them plays and stuff - and you know, popular language around the world these days! :shock:
I didn't know that you acted in high school plays where the spoken language was in Latin! Did this happen to be Julius Caesar or pehaps Titus Andronicus?
Tense
Posted: 25 Dec 2005, 18:06
by Hudson
No kidding. Conjugation, Declention, Gender. A properly formed sentence was an art. It was rediculous. I also took some formal classes when I was dating a wench from that infernal country (no, no hard feelings...), Russian in college, and I've picked up a bit of Japanese here. I also started to learn lebanese but that effort died almost before it began. And I think I can remember like 2 words from every language I've studied, maybe three on a good day... :lol:
Posted: 25 Dec 2005, 18:58
by BlackHawk*K
another language? im sitll working on my first one, ENGLISH! :oops:
took a little french. nothing much stuck though.. some spanish from when i dated a spanish major mexican nationalist. ( dang cute too! )
since then the only thing i do is spend alot of time and effort decifering our architechs plans and foot notes ( you would need to see his plans lol ) but im sure that dosnt count
Posted: 26 Dec 2005, 10:22
by KODIAK
I thought they all spoke Portuguese and Spanish of some nature. Are you sure you mean Latin, and not Italian?
The play was "Orpheus & The Under World", a mythological story. And there were a few others we did as a warm-up for the competition.
Posted: 26 Dec 2005, 11:55
by Hammer
he means spanish...
fortunately i don't have the same experiences that Falker does. not the loudness, brashness, etc.
my wife, a mexican born in Texas and raised in Mexico, shares somewhat the views that we should close the borders tighter. at least those that come over certainly should not expect anything for free... illegal aliens are rampant, but i don't see the problems that Falker does. maybe there is some prejudice in there somewhere? or maybe some folks don't like becoming the minority. ;)
Posted: 26 Dec 2005, 12:35
by KODIAK
Watching things happen the way they do over here in UK, I can certainly understand it causing prejudicial feelings. But the anger, although sourced in the way our countries handle things, are inevitably vented on those who would be 'associated' with the problem. Having said that, I can also see the point that the anger wopuld be focussed on these people. Especially when you consider those whos' origin are here and how they sometimes have to fight for what's owed them or they are entitled to, even. Yet those who shouldn't even BE here, are receiving handouts left, right, and centre!! There is enough of that sort of thing going on here in UK. And it was the source of the problem in recent years with the young 'nazis' as they were being referred to demonstrating against the money being shelled-out to all the refugees from eastern Europe. It was a pure scandal that one. Like many, I don't mind people of lesser fortune than myself being fed, clothed, and watered. But when it comes to more than that - get in line like the rest of us, we're ALL waiting, you know!
Posted: 26 Dec 2005, 17:12
by BlackHawk*K
Strangly since ive only lived in oregon USA. ive seen alot of sides to the issue. not where it is as it is in california. but we too have a influx of mexican and other southern american illegal immigration to the area. mainly due to the agricultrial industry that oregon provides but also the building industry.
like any community. you got different groups of ppl. some are into working hard for what they have, they prefer, if not insist on the ability to work for everything they have as a sence of pride. then you have others who grow accustomed to getting handouts. ive seen this in the locals who where here and the immigrants who show up more and more over the years. when i lived in eastern oregon, there was an orchard. it was strange to see that the migrating mexicans who came and went always getting into trouble. on other hand the mexican families who lived there, year around, who sent their children to the schools. where good, upstanding citizens. in fact i went to the prom with one gal whos family lived there. twice
as i moved to western oregon. ive noticed over the last decade there is a increasing hispanic culture being infused into the current culture we have. personaly i dont think anything can be done about this. as i am sure alot of ppl do, i hope those who come here legaly show respect to our current culture. but i cant ask them to give up theirs either. besides anyone who has spent alot of time being around a positive mexican family will soon realize the culture isnt all that bad
after living here for a few years i had the opertunity to date a mexican national who was here with a work visa. a fasinating women. she was a spanish major, a singer. etc. i learned alot of about the mexican culture and gained alot of respect for it. ive also have ran into illegal immigrants in the area. and they seem to lack respect for where they are and to the opertunities they have here. from MY experiances. i can only come to the conclution that the borders should be tightened more. and perhaps some guest worker program be put in place. not only to keep the illegal 'mexicans' out, but to keep the others who are using mexico as a access point to the US.
when this subject comes up, i try hard to remember that ppl can only base their opinions and feelings on their experiences. it will always be hard for use as an observer to those opinions and feelings to understand truely why they think or feel the way they do. for me, im fortunate enough to have quite a few good experiances to counter those negitive ones ive had. and when looking at the whole picture it still strikes me that truth be told. its still just people in general. you find ppl who feel the same ways about others and work ethics etc. and they cross all countries, religions and races.
anyhow im talking to much again lol bla bla
hope you all had a great christmas and happy holiday!
Posted: 26 Dec 2005, 19:59
by Hammer
hehe - he said: help them to copulate!
i know of plenty of illegals that are here to work hard as well, and do so...and there are those here illegally that expect everything to be handed to them. kinda like the rest of the population in the US. being illegal is just another thing for them to cope with...and they generally go about their business like the rest of us do - meaning there are good and bad folks amongst them.
i myself wish i would have taken Spanish in school, but I took German and it served me well while I was in Germany. Now I have a chance and almost a necessity to l;earn Spanish due to my new extended family. I will, but it is going to be slow going...