I don't speak french, dutch, italian, scandanavian...

And it's great that you have forums for people who do, but when I check for unread posts I get all the posts from those forums as well.

It would be nice if one could choose which forums would appear under unread posts. Not just for the other language forums, but for any forum which isn't relevant to one's interests as well.

1

Neither do I but it reminds me of an old joke.

Q: What do you call someone who speaks several languages?
A: Multilingual

Q: What do you call someone who speaks two languages?
A: Bilingual

Q: What do you call someone who speaks one language?
A: English

FWIW I'd prefer not to see the other languages as well, but it's already been raised several times I think.

I don't want to exclude topics though because sometimes threads are started in the wrong place.


Rob

I don't speak french, dutch, italian, scandanavian...

Just checked, it's Deutsch as in German language not Dutch.

Couldn't let it pass by, sorry, go on. :slight_smile:

Jeroen

I don't speak french, dutch, italian, scandanavian...

Isn't the easiest solution just to learn those languages?

Isn't the easiest solution just to learn those languages?

My philological studies have satisfied me that a gifted person ought to learn English (barring spelling and pronouncing) in thirty hours, French in thirty days, and German in thirty years. It seems manifest, then, that the latter tongue ought to be trimmed down and repaired. If it is to remain as it is, it ought to be gently and reverently set aside among the dead languages, for only the dead have time to learn it.

  • Appendix D of A Tramp Abroad, "That Awful German Language" by Mark Twain

English is crazy hard to learn compared to other languages such as French...

Our verbs and everything are just messed up

It's the collective nouns I love, some that spring to mind

a pod of whales
a gaggle of geese
a flock of birds (aren't geese birds?)
a mob of sheep
a business of weasels
a herd of cows

actually I decided to google this, have a look here

http://www.rinkworks.com/words/collective.shtml

Even I don't believe some of them, but maybe.


Rob

a business of weasels

Haha :smiley:

English is crazy hard to learn compared to other languages such as French...

-er, -ir and -re verbs, irregular verbs (PA MENDS V TRAMS and all that), plus the twists and turns of the past historic, the subjunctive...
And then there's all the gender stuff.

Nah, English is a doddle, trust me.

Ack!

French is basically like Latin, and I had to endure that for 5 years at school. All the strange ways of counting '4x20+6' instead of just '86' or '20-2' instead of just '18'.

No matter the roman empire collapsed. Before you calculate anything with 'XCV...' and figure out what tense to use, whole mountains have eroded away.

Just to give you an idea: after 5 years of Latin at school with acceptable grades, I was not able to have a minimal conversation on infant level. With English on the other hand, we were happily yakking after just a few months.

All the strange ways of counting '4x20+6'

It worked for Abe Lincoln.

Que?

madworm:
Que?

Qui ?

Simpson_Jr:

madworm:
Que?

Qui ?

Wie?

Mrs. Richards: I've booked a room with a bath and a sea view.
Manuel: Que?
Mrs. Richards: K?
Manuel: Si.
Mrs. Richards: C?
Manuel: No. Que, "what."
Mrs. Richards: K. Watt?
Manuel: Si: que, "what."
Mrs. Richards: C. K. Watt? Is he the manager?
Manuel: Ah! Manajer! Mr. Fawlty.
Mrs. Richards: This man is telling me the manager is a C. K. Watt, aged forty.
Manuel: No, Fawwwlty.
Mrs. Richards: Faulty? Why? What's wrong with him?

@Madworm, re. crazy "sixty-ten", "four-twenty ten" counting & Abe Lincoln.

First four words of the Gettysburg Address.

I see... never read that before.

But it proves my point, Latin is bad for the brain.

But it proves my point, Latin is bad for the brain.

But in Latin, 60, 70, 80 and 90 have unique names (sexaginta septuaginta octoginta nonaginta), unlike French, where 70 is derived from 60+10, 80 is derived from four-twenties, and 90 is derived from 80+10.

So what was it you thought it proved about Latin?

Ahem... "bobebi-bibibu". This is derived from the L-language as well.

And who said the French haven't surpassed their 'masters' in terms of insanity.

The only advantage of the L-language is the ability to hate it ardently. There another L-word :wink: