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Westerners fluent in Asian languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| dragonflyy Newbie United States Joined 5561 days ago 7 posts - 14 votes Speaks: English* | Message 17 of 57 27 January 2010 at 12:02am | IP Logged | ||
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I have a family member (American) who speaks fluent Thai, and also apparently some Lao (but I don't know to what level). Of course, he has been living in Thailand for 5+ years now, and as far as I know, plans to stay there permanently.
Other than Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, I don't hear of many Westerners learning other Asian languages nearly as much--unless they have a spouse or family member that speaks it, or they are traveling in the country. Korean is probably behind Chinese and Japanese, but is gaining in popularity (along with Korean Dramas and K-Pop). I think lately Asian/Asian-American actors are becoming more active in American media? At least, it seems to me like they are. So we are starting to get more (positive) exposure in general. I think this trend will continue over time, and we will see more people interested in Asian languages. Edited by dragonflyy on 27 January 2010 at 12:11am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5838 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes  Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 18 of 57 27 January 2010 at 1:24am | IP Logged | ||
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There is something silly about this because no one raises an eyebrow if an Asian person speaks a European language.
That said, I like these singers of Thai pop. They are of European origin and grew up there. I just think that Thai sounds so funky and the music is cheerful and uplifting. They male singer is Swedish and the woman is Dutch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TQlwSTs3UE 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6909 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 19 of 57 27 January 2010 at 1:50am | IP Logged | ||
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There are quite a few clips out there with Westerners speaking Cantonese, some of which can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cantehk 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| IronFist Senior Member United States Joined 6437 days ago 663 posts - 941 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Japanese, Korean | Message 20 of 57 27 January 2010 at 1:58am | IP Logged | ||
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Japanese - yes
Mandarin Chinese - I've heard of them, don't know anyone personally Thai - yes Korean - no 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ChristopherB Triglot Senior Member New Zealand Joined 6316 days ago 851 posts - 1074 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English*, German, French | Message 21 of 57 27 January 2010 at 2:03am | IP Logged | ||
I often hear this. The fact is, English has become so ubiquitous now, and so internationally important as a lingua franca and business language that hearing very fluent non-native speakers really is nothing out of the ordinary. It's a little unfair I suppose, that such people who make essentially an equally mammoth effort to acquire a language as distant to them as, say, Chinese is to a Westerner, aren't seen as anything special. Of course, as language keeners, we recognise the blood, sweat and toil that goes into acquiring a language to a high level and I personally do raise an eyebrow when I switch on Al-Jazeera or BBC news and hear an Asian or an Arab speaking impeccable English. I know how much work has gone into it. This thread is silly, and serves no real purpose, but I made it purely of curiosity, because Asian languages are much, much less well-known among Westerners than the reverse case. It is something of a rarity. I was just wondering how much of a rarity it is. I know full well that learning languages are about much more than respect or exhibitionism, but it doesn't take away my astonishment and awe at hearing someone with no real need to learn a particular language develop a high-level command of it. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Impiegato Triglot Senior Member Sweden bsntranslation. Joined 5433 days ago 100 posts - 145 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, Italian Studies: Spanish, French, Russian | Message 22 of 57 27 January 2010 at 3:30am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't agree with the last comments. Isn't it principally English you learn in most Asian countries? English is a lingua franca on all continents apart from South America and Africa (well, some parts there also).
What about the knowledge of other European languages in Asian countries? Is it really more common that Thais or Indonesians speak flawless Italian or Polish than Italians or Poles speaking fluent Thai or Indonesian? I know that the situation can be different as to one European language - French. This language may be a little bit more spread than the others, but the difference seems to be insignificant. When I ask people from China about this, they tell me that after English (which is mandatory) they would rather pick Korean, Japanese or another Asian language as a third language. This attitude shows that European languages other than English are in a completely different position. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Jiwon Triglot Moderator Korea, South Joined 6436 days ago 1417 posts - 1500 votes Speaks: EnglishC2, Korean*, GermanC1 Studies: Hindi, Spanish Personal Language Map | Message 23 of 57 27 January 2010 at 7:19am | IP Logged | ||
That's not necessarily true in Korea. Although people do recognise that Mandarin or Japanese would be more useful, a considerable number of people also like French and Spanish (German's the odd one out, :( ). THe lack of Koreans speaking fluent French or Spanish would be more appropriately explained by pure lack of motivation. Koreans are not VERY keen on learning languages, at least when it comes to learning to fluency. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Captain Haddock Diglot Senior Member Japan kanjicabinet.tumblr. Joined 6768 days ago 2282 posts - 2814 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: French, Korean, Ancient Greek | Message 24 of 57 27 January 2010 at 7:50am | IP Logged | ||
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French is pretty popular among Japanese and one of the most common alternatives to English in schools along with
Korean and Chinese. Japanese are quite keen on languages in general, and since those who learn languages other than English and Chinese tend to do it out of personal interest, they tend to do better at them. However, it is still quite rare to meet Japanese with a high level of fluency in any second language. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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