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Beware of "secret" languages ;-) | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| doviende Diglot Senior Member Canada languagefixatio Joined 5985 days ago 533 posts - 1245 votes  Speaks: English*, German Studies: Spanish, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Hindi, Swedish, Portuguese | Message 65 of 173 04 October 2009 at 12:03am | IP Logged | |||||
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My girlfriend and i will sometimes speak chinese to each other, since we both went to china on exchange together. It's not actually that useful as a "secret" language here in Vancouver, though, since there are so many chinese speakers everywhere we go.
What i really dream of is someone coming to me and saying "hey, let's learn Lojban together as a secret language." I'd jump at the chance, but so far i haven't been able to convince anyone. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Volte Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 6438 days ago 4474 posts - 6726 votes Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 66 of 173 04 October 2009 at 12:26am | IP Logged | |||||
I'm in. 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| xtremelingo Trilingual Triglot Senior Member Canada Joined 6286 days ago 398 posts - 515 votes Speaks: English*, Hindi*, Punjabi* Studies: German, French, Arabic (Written) | Message 67 of 173 04 October 2009 at 2:26am | IP Logged | |||||
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Why speak about other people in a different language (particularly if it is negative)? I get annoyed by people who use their language skills for these reasons. It usually does cause trouble and hurt if you are caught and generally ruins the entire impression of people that speak foreign languages. It can develop a sense of resentment toward the language/culture of those speakers - when it really isn't the fault of the culture, but the idiots who use the language in a cowardly way (talking behind people's back). I haven't understood what is the point of talking rudely about someone that has done nothing wrong/harm to you? And if they did, why not then have the guts to be able to say what you feel in a language they can understand too? If you don't have the guts, then why say anything at all - at the time? I mean if you're using language in a positive/complimentary way then fine. If you have nothing good to say - don't say it! 17 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Volte Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 6438 days ago 4474 posts - 6726 votes Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 68 of 173 04 October 2009 at 10:45am | IP Logged | |||||
I basically don't use languages to make negative comments about third parties; I'll admit to occasionally using to say people are cute/etc. The awkward example mentioned on the previous page of this thread was caused by a positive comment. Rather, they're useful for semi-private conversation - or simply for when I feel like speaking another language and have another shared one with whoever I'm talking to. I don't feel any particular obligation to speak any particular language in front of total strangers on the street or in a train - much less if we probably either have no common language or only English. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| acadien Triglot Newbie Norway Joined 6274 days ago 32 posts - 52 votes Speaks: French*, English, Norwegian Studies: Spanish, Swedish | Message 69 of 173 04 October 2009 at 11:53am | IP Logged | |||||
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I agree. It doesn't have to be negative. Sometimes you just don't want people to overhear what you're talking about in the bus.
But either way, it can lead to awkward/funny situations where you're being understood when you thought you weren't, and that was my whole point when I started this thread - not to encourage people to be mean to other people in other languages, obviously. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Leopejo Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Italy Joined 6108 days ago 675 posts - 724 votes Speaks: Italian*, Finnish*, English Studies: French, Russian | Message 70 of 173 04 October 2009 at 12:12pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I and a very close friend of mine were thinking that in a few months we will have five languages in common - of which some are quite uncommon.
Then we realized that our only common friend - who is American! (there, some language racism from my part) - would understand us in all five of them. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| ellasevia Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2011 Senior Member Germany Joined 6141 days ago 2150 posts - 3229 votes Speaks: English*, German, Croatian, Greek, French, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian Studies: Catalan, Persian, Mandarin, Japanese, Romanian, Ukrainian | Message 71 of 173 04 October 2009 at 3:27pm | IP Logged | |||||
Which five? English, Italian, Finnish, Russian, and French? I wouldn't say those are uncommon... 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Leopejo Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Italy Joined 6108 days ago 675 posts - 724 votes Speaks: Italian*, Finnish*, English Studies: French, Russian | Message 72 of 173 04 October 2009 at 4:01pm | IP Logged | |||||
No, not those five. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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