Answers to "Why do you learn L xxx" (General discussion) Language Learning Forum

Answers to "Why do you learn L xxx"
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Language Learning Forum : General discussion

49 messages over 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next >>

DNB
Bilingual Triglot
Groupie
Finland
Joined 4687 days ago
47 posts - 80 votes

Speaks: Finnish*, Estonian*, English

Message 41 of 49

07 December 2011 at 5:56pm | IP Logged

Korean? Just for the sake of it, to see how much I can achieve.

I'm frustrated by the incoming comments that one should learn an actually practical
language if they decide to put in the effort. I just don't get what it is so hard to
understand for ordinary people that languages can be a hobby. Waste of time? Well, I'm
sorry to have made you confused, as my daily routines do not involve being logged on
Facebook for 5 hours and wait for people to like my sarcastic status updates.

End of rant.
3 persons have voted this message useful

prz_
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Poland
last.fm/user/prz_rul
Joined 4660 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 42 of 49

07 December 2011 at 9:07pm | IP Logged

Jarvis1000 wrote:

prz_ wrote:

Or like someone enjoys humping, guzzling or taking drugs.
Unfortunately, these three things altogether seem to be more normal than, let's say, learning Tetum and Macedonian...

That is true. To learn a dead/minority language is the worst crime in the world for somepeople who then go and read a comic book

Reading a comic book is an enormously ambitious activity comparing to the three ones mentioned above.

Edited by prz_ on 07 December 2011 at 9:08pm
1 person has voted this message useful

meramarina
Diglot
Moderator
United States
Joined 5768 days ago
1341 posts - 2303 votes

Speaks: English*, Spanish
Studies: German, Italian, French
Personal Language Map

Message 43 of 49

07 December 2011 at 9:41pm | IP Logged

Why learn such-and-such a language? Why not? "Because I want to" is as good a reason as any. It's nobody's business if I do!

For all those who just don't get it, it's almost enough to make you want to sing the blues:

There ain't nothin' I can do,
Or nothin' I can say,
That folks don't criticize me,
But I'm going to do just as I want to, anyway,
And don't care just what people say.

Nobody's business.
'Tain't nobody's business.
Nobody's business if I do.

5 persons have voted this message useful

Cavesa
Triglot
Senior Member
Czech Republic
Joined 4810 days ago
3277 posts - 6779 votes

Speaks: Czech*, French^C2, English^C1
Studies: Spanish, German, Italian

Message 44 of 49

08 December 2011 at 8:39pm | IP Logged

QiuJP wrote:

The following may make a lot of people to be upset, but I still have to justify my use
of the words "Eastern Europe" and "Eurasia".

In many academic publications of the fields of political science and human geography,
there is a trend to define Europe to end at Poland and the Baltic nations. Any country
beyond these countries belongs to Eurasia. In fact, many of these academic publications
are published by American and European scholars and researchers. Many textbooks and
curriculum about this topic said the same thing. In fact, the professor, who taught me
the structure and economy of the European Union and worked in Brussels for the EU, had
said that Europe in the discussion of EU ends at Poland and the Baltic nations. I did
asked her about the status of Russia, and where is Eastern Europe now. She replied that
Russia is in Eurasia and East Europe consist of those ex-Warsaw pact countries that
join EU such as Czech Republic.

The Russians themselves have also admit that they are in Eurasia, by forming the
Eurasian Union, which currently consist of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. It is
expected that more former Soviet republics will join Eurasian Union, which have a border-less trade zone similar to the European Union. Given these predicates, it is appropriate for my usage of the words "Eastern Europe" and "Eurasia".

That's part of the trouble. Some professors don't recognize Central Europe, even though there are many reasons for that. No wonder the EU, where some of them work, is still home to a lot of discrimination and the stigma of "Eastern Europe" is flourishing. Not only at political discussions but among usual people as well.

But what caught my attention most was not use of the term but the tern "Eastern European culture". There is no such thing.
2 persons have voted this message useful

WingSuet
Triglot
Senior Member
Sweden
Joined 5152 days ago
169 posts - 211 votes

Speaks: Swedish*, English, German
Studies: Cantonese

Message 45 of 49

08 December 2011 at 9:54pm | IP Logged

I often get the question why I study Cantonese and not Mandarin. I usually say I just like Cantonese better. I actually got this answer today on a forum for exchange students who are going to Hong Kong next year (I'm going there) when I asked how many will learn Cantonese there: "seriously pls don't do so. i'd rather suggest u choose mandarin if ur rly interested"

I don't understand what he means by "really interested". I AM really interested. In Cantonese!
4 persons have voted this message useful

Solfrid Cristin
Heptaglot
Winner TAC 2011 & 2012
Senior Member
Norway
Joined 5135 days ago
4143 posts - 8864 votes

Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian
Studies: Russian

Message 46 of 49

09 December 2011 at 9:01am | IP Logged

Cavesa wrote:

That's part of the trouble. Some professors don't recognize Central Europe, even though there are many
reasons for that. No wonder the EU, where some of them work, is still home to a lot of discrimination and
the stigma of "Eastern Europe" is flourishing. Not only at political discussions but among usual people as
well.

But what caught my attention most was not use of the term but the tern "Eastern European culture". There
is no such thing.

I do not want to offend anyone, but I had not even heard the term "Central Europe" until I was well into my
forties. As far as I am concerned, what used to be behind the Iron curtain is Eastern Europe. If I were to
use the term Central Europe I would probably think of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, though they are still
part of Western Europe. I do however not see any stigma attached, for me it is just a division based on
what used to be a political division. If it is any consolation we use America as meaning the US and South
America for everything south of that. And I get annoyed when people include Finland among the
Scandinavian countries when they are not. They are a Nordic country, but not a Scandinavian one. But hey,
we are all ignorant in some areas :-)
4 persons have voted this message useful

DNB
Bilingual Triglot
Groupie
Finland
Joined 4687 days ago
47 posts - 80 votes

Speaks: Finnish*, Estonian*, English

Message 47 of 49

09 December 2011 at 11:33am | IP Logged

Solfrid Cristin wrote:

And I get annoyed when people include Finland among the
Scandinavian countries when they are not.

But.... But.... :(
3 persons have voted this message useful

Solfrid Cristin
Heptaglot
Winner TAC 2011 & 2012
Senior Member
Norway
Joined 5135 days ago
4143 posts - 8864 votes

Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian
Studies: Russian

Message 48 of 49

09 December 2011 at 12:00pm | IP Logged

DNB wrote:

Solfrid Cristin wrote:

And I get annoyed when people include Finland among the
Scandinavian countries when they are not.

But.... But.... :(

Obviously we love you all the same, and share a common culture as members of the Nordic countries :-)

2 persons have voted this message useful

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