Second Language vs Native Tongue

[C5Says]

I just learned that next to English, French is the widest used language. But I think what I'd like to learn is the chinese characters because even if they are said differently, they all are the same on paper. It would also be helpful for reading signs when and if ever I get to hongkong maybe.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi C5,

I would highly recommend that you invest in some Mandarin Chinese Flash Cards. You'll do yourself a favor if you manage the bare minimum of 1500 characters. I strongly urge you also to look into acquiring the Chinese Language program suite produced by Rosetta Stone.

The Rosetta Stone Chinese Language suite is a self-teaching, diagnosing, and testing(daily drill) software which you load up on your computer. You will need a microphone and a headset to take full advantage of what the software offers. I use it myself even though I have three years of Chinese at University level.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[methodistgirl]

I know of a pretty language other than english. I will say it. Baruch a ba
besham Adoni. Now I will translate it. Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord. This is Hebrew or yiddish. I like it in a song that I
know. It really makes me cry.It's such a beautiful song.
judy tooley

[C5Says]

Hi C5,

I would highly recommend that you invest in some Mandarin Chinese Flash Cards. You'll do yourself a favor if you manage the bare minimum of 1500 characters. I strongly urge you also to look into acquiring the Chinese Language program suite produced by Rosetta Stone.

The Rosetta Stone Chinese Language suite is a self-teaching, diagnosing, and testing(daily drill) software which you load up on your computer. You will need a microphone and a headset to take full advantage of what the software offers. I use it myself even though I have three years of Chinese at University level.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

Thanks but I definitely can't afford it. So I tried to do a search instead and found this:
http://tinyurl.com/34kg4g

I just signed up and learning my first words/characters. It's quite complete with pronunciation and how to write the characters in traditional and simplified form. Tests are quite great too. Very detailed, I should say.

[Contratrombone64]

Sweet Corn, our wonderful Prime Minister (Mr Rudd) speaks Mandarin fluently, he was recently in Beijing talking to a group of Peking University students (in Mandarin). It was reported on the news, he's the first European heritage foreign head of state to have spoken Chinese. He will hold his meetings with the Chinese government in Mandarin, no mean feat.

[methodistgirl]

Here in Madisonville, I need to learn some spanish I think. Because we
have folks here who are from Mexico.
judy tooley

[Corno Dolce]

Dear CT64,

What a great piece of info about Mr. Rudd. Condoleeza Rice speaks, reads, and writes fluently in Russian. 'Tis very good that heads of State or their respective Secretary of State can fluently converse in Chinese and/or Russian.

Cheers,

CD

[marval]

Well I speak three languages fluently.

English, Rubbish and Gibberish.

I did do French at school, and German at night school. But I haven't used them for a long time.

Having seen a programme on tv about it, does anyone speak Esperanto?


Margaret

[rojo]

Well I speak three languages fluently.

English, Rubbish and Gibberish.


Margaret

I use English and French every day, so I'm at ease with both. But if one doesn't get to practice, well, it's hard to maintain a language one doesn't use.

[alexiakl]

I use English, Arabic and Polish in the same day.. I also studied 7 years French, but this language is going out of my head, because Im not practicing it !

[methodistgirl]

I still think I need to learn Danish and Spanish in one shot. The danish
so that I can communicate here with some of you and spanish when I
run into a forum that speaks nothing but spanish. I just did that a while
ago looking up guitar music.
judy tooley

[Krummhorn]

I'm still trying to master English ... and I was born in this country.
I took two years of German in high school - required for music majors.

Locally, the US/Mexico border is about 60 miles to the South ... this city has about 40% hispanic ... oops sorry ... Latino Americans that live here, yet the official language of Arizona is ... English, and the schools are tasked with teaching English to those who came to this country and didn't speak our native American tongue.

[Contratrombone64]

LOL@Margaret (English, gibberish and rubbish).