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Answers to "Why do you learn L xxx" | ||
Tags: Reasons for study | Usefulness | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| LanguageSponge Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5566 days ago 1197 posts - 1487 votes  Speaks: English*, German, French Studies: Welsh, Russian, Japanese, Slovenian, Greek, Italian | Message 9 of 49 02 December 2011 at 2:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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My standard answer to this question used to be - "I'm British, and here we're
considered some of the worst language-learners in the world, next to America - another English-speaking nation. Agreed, we don't have to learn another language, but I hate the fact that people might think of me as language-ignorant simply because I'm British, so that's why I'm learning X, Y, Z". Now I have slightly more specific reasons for learning my languages, as anyone who knows me personally knows I'm a language nerd and that it was the only thing I really excelled at in school, so already has that little speech of mine locked in their brains as I've told them it hundreds of times. So, here we go: English - sort of got stuck with that from birth so... Welsh - my mum's language French - My girlfriend's Belgian, born in Brussels, and it's just rude to ignore other people's cultures. German - learnt it from friends and school and is basically a part of who I am now so I cannot give it up. Italian - part of my heritage, enough said. Russian - Most who know me also know about my love for history, and Russian has a pretty prominent role in recent history. So Russian has to be on the list. Latin - The parent language of Italian, so therefore a must have (see how these get vaguer and vaguer as I go down the list?) Jack 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Serpent Octoglot Senior Member Russian Federation serpent-849.livejour Joined 6397 days ago 9753 posts - 15779 votes 4 sounds Speaks: Russian*, English, FinnishC1, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Danish, Romanian, Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Slovenian, Catalan, Czech, Galician, Dutch, Swedish | Message 10 of 49 02 December 2011 at 4:24pm | IP Logged | ||
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:O i just give the real reasons:)
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| hribecek Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5149 days ago 1243 posts - 1458 votes Speaks: English*, Czech, Spanish Studies: Italian, Polish, Slovak, Hungarian, Toki Pona, Russian | Message 11 of 49 02 December 2011 at 5:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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I told people that I was learning Hungarian because I was going to Hungary. The truth was that I was going to Hungary because I was learning Hungarian.
11 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| prz_ Tetraglot Senior Member Poland last.fm/user/prz_rul Joined 4659 days ago 890 posts - 1190 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, Bulgarian, Croatian Studies: Slovenian, Macedonian, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian, Armenian, Kurdish | Message 12 of 49 02 December 2011 at 5:17pm | IP Logged | ||
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We should simply give answers like 'Because I want to here as brain-dead questions as yours'
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fomalhaut Groupie United States Joined 4703 days ago 80 posts - 101 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 13 of 49 02 December 2011 at 5:49pm | IP Logged | ||
to be honest, i essentially troll people like this all the time. Why do I learn Spanish? do chase the gardeners away (in racist parts of Arizona, this can be the only justification for learning Spanish as a white). Why learn German? to know how to operate a Panzer when the time comes. Why do I want to learn Persian or Arabic? to know our enemy better. If you just play into peoples perceptions, or take a step further, they'll drop whatever preconceived notion they had and realize they were dumb. Imagine trying to explain rich cultures and personal fulfillment, it'd be a joke! better to just play into the most ridiculous exaggeration you can... it's fun! Quite simply, where I come from, to learn a language is seen as 'cute' at best, and disrespectful and flag burning at worst. American exceptionalism is the worst sickness to afflict us, and it's shown in our attitude to language learning. Edited by fomalhaut on 02 December 2011 at 5:52pm 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6382 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 14 of 49 02 December 2011 at 7:38pm | IP Logged | ||
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Seems a lot of people will answer very rudely to people who are curious about their hobby. This makes me sad.
8 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| ljones29 Triglot Newbie United States Joined 4597 days ago 35 posts - 59 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: Arabic (Written), Greek | Message 15 of 49 02 December 2011 at 8:14pm | IP Logged | ||
I guess I am unique here, but I don't really find it offensive when someone asks me why I study French or Arabic. It's just a question to me. And like any other question, I see it as an opportunity to help someone LEARN something by answering. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| vonPeterhof Tetraglot Senior Member Russian FederationRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4572 days ago 715 posts - 1527 votes Speaks: Russian*, EnglishC2, Japanese, German Studies: Kazakh, Korean, Norwegian, Turkish | Message 16 of 49 02 December 2011 at 8:18pm | IP Logged | ||
In my case saying that language learning is in fact a hobby of mine has usually been enough to clarify the situation. It gets a little harder for me around my Korean relatives, who sometimes wonder why I chose Japanese over Korean. In these cases I can't think of anything to say, other than that I'm planning to take up Korean after I get my Japanese to a comfortable level. I haven't been called a "race traitor" yet, so I guess that's enough of an assurance for them :) 5 persons have voted this message useful |
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