Can you speak another language?

[Guest Pauly]

I was considering trying to learn Japanese but haven't got around to it yet. It's on my to-do list.

[michael_v2 10]

Definitely not if you've lived there; they've got so many different terms for things that I arent understood over here.

 

I suppose thats why when eastenders was first broadcast in America, they had to produce a little book to translate some of the words used in the show.

[LordChaverly 10]

Definitely not if you've lived there; they've got so many different terms for things that I arent understood over here.

 

Strangely, when I crossed the Atlantic for the first time, I discovered that I must have imbibed the language somewhere on the way, as I could communicate perfectly with the inhabitants of the land of the free without need of a translator. Perhaps Chomsky could find a rational explanation for it.

 

I used to live there and had no problems in understanding what they had to say or in making myself understood. I have never met an American who claims to speak 'American'. They are very well aware that the language they are speaking is English. American English is English - ditto Australian, Irish etc.

[meumeu77 10]

I speak French and English fluently, Spanish nearly fluently, a bit of German and a tiny bit of Basque.

I'd recommend learning French (because it's my native tongue ) and Spanish because it's fairly easy.

I personally don't think English is the easiest language to learn. There are still a few words I just cannot pronounce correctly. E.g: I say "colour" and "collar" exactly the same way.

I think languages are great and can't wait to have kids. They'll learn French with me and Yorkshire English with my husband

[brooksy 10]

Ispeak swhahely, french, siberian tree , and english, not bad for a kid of atterercliffe eh?

[fhain29 10]

I have never met an American who claims to speak 'American'. They are very well aware that the language they are speaking is English. American English is English - ditto Australian, Irish etc.

 

That may be the case. However, when American English literature is translated into German, there appears the comment on the cover "Aus dem Amerikanischen von ..." (translated from American by ....)

 

So there seems to be a differentiation between English and American in the written language when seen from a non-English speaking perspective.