# If you could wake up tomorrow morning completely fluent in another language ... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2002, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976 "2002-07-02T03:36:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/41 "2002-07-02T15:51:43Z")
No question: **Spanish**. I teach second language learners in the L.A. area–meaning 90% of my students, and their families, are Spanish-speaking. I’m not so interested in knowing the language for classroom use, but for communication with parents. I’d love to write more letters, maybe have a class newsletter, make phone calls, etc. I’m minimally functional in the language now, enough to get the idea of what they’re saying or get my ideas across, but _man_ it’s frustrating. I also wouldn’t mind knowing Vietnamese so I could know what the hell the ladies are saying in the nail salon. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/42 "2002-07-02T16:11:28Z")
Spanish would be the practical choice (Florida!) Second choice? Russian or Japanese, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/43 "2002-07-02T16:11:54Z")
Korean. That way, I could figure out what my wife was saying about me when she’s on the phone with her sister or one of her friends. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Efrem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@Efrem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Efrem)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/44 "2002-07-02T16:20:32Z")
To know Arabic in every dialect would be pretty cool. for me at least. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/45 "2002-07-02T16:26:05Z")
**pldennison** , there are now quite a few Welsh speakers: [Welsh in the twentieth and twenty first century](http://www.bwrdd-yr-iaith.org.uk/html/lang/s2_beginning_beginning-e.htm) I’d like to learn: Cornish - Related to Welsh and almost extinct. Romani (maybe even Domari) in as many different dialects as my brain could handle before exploding. Indian languages such as Urdu, Punjabi and Gujarati. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/46 "2002-07-02T17:08:02Z")
Yiddish. It has all the really fun words. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/47 "2002-07-02T17:10:55Z")
Russian. Ever since I saw **A Fish Called Wanda** , I’ve always wanted to know learn it. It just seems like a great, fun, language to know. Plus, then I could go to Moscow and watch the Red Elvises play in authentic Russian bliss and not feel too out of place. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/48 "2002-07-02T17:16:38Z")
The best way to learn a language (or at least the most fun!) is to fall head over heels for someone who doesn’t speak yours at all…that’s why I used to speak Russian with a Dagestani accent. Alas, it didn’t work out for us, and so now I’m told I just sound like an unidentifiable semi-non-native speaker. If I had to pick another one: Spanish has already been taken care of, and I’d have a really hard time choosing, but maybe Arabic (so darn many speakers!), Turkish (I’d love to go there, plus it would give me a headstart on Azeri and a bunch of Central Asian languages) or Portuguese (I love Brazilian music and the musical sound of Portuguese, plus I have a headstart from knowing Spanish). Do I really have to pick just one? ---
**Author:** ![A\_Demon\_Plaything](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@A\_Demon\_Plaything](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Demon_Plaything)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/49 "2002-07-02T17:50:55Z")
I speak Welsh some. I was struggling along for a while until I finally shelled out the cash for the Rosetta Stone software and now I feel pretty comfortable. Not to be an infomercial or anything but it was the only thing that worked for me. Plus it teaches you without any translation. Everything is taught in the foriegn tongue. After a week I was thinking in it. I think I would choose body language. 😛 That is one that I would really like to get down fluently. It would make lying so much easier. Ding dong the witch is dead, A Demon Plaything ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/50 "2002-07-02T19:06:23Z")
Practical: Spanish. It would likely be very useful no matter what you do. For Fun: Either some near-dead language, or Turkish. ( I dunno, I’ve just always been interested in Turkey.) ---
**Author:** ![Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milton_De_La_Warre)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/51 "2002-07-02T20:16:01Z")
Cantonese. Definitely. My fiance speaks it, and her family does also. But also because it is so context-driven. I think it is like (to use a lame ass example) the episode on Star Trek: Next Generation where Piccard goes to some planet with a newly encountered species who speaks in metaphors and literary references. A second choice would be Arabic, because I like the sound and the script. Then Latin (ancient and medieval) and then ancient Greek dialects. Because after all these years, they really are in danger of finally becoming dead languages. ---
**Author:** ![Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milton_De_La_Warre)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/52 "2002-07-02T20:21:05Z")
Cantonese. Definitely. My fiance speaks it, and her family does also. But also because it is so context-driven. I think it is like (to use a lame ass example) the episode on Star Trek: Next Generation where Piccard goes to some planet with a newly encountered species who speaks in metaphors and literary references. A second choice would be Arabic, because I like the sound and the script. Then Latin (ancient and medieval) and then ancient Greek dialects. Because after all these years, they really are in danger of finally becoming dead languages. ---
**Author:** ![donnerteaparty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@donnerteaparty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donnerteaparty)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/53 "2002-07-03T04:56:02Z")
I spent so many years learning German, only to visit the country and meet scores of people who wanted to practice English. If I could time travel back to ninth grade I’d take Spanish instead. I’ve settled in California. The little I speak is very useful here. ---
**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/54 "2002-07-03T07:44:20Z")
I’d say Mandarin Chinese so I can get straight-As in my Chinese class, but that would be cheating and I know enough Chinese to (barely) scrape by, anyways… I’d say probably Welsh or ancient Latin/Greek to annoy the hell out of the people around me, or maybe Japanese so I can cheat and get a bunch of credits from the Japanese class they’re offering next year… Do conlangs count? I’d love to be able to speak/write Quenya or Sindarin. Again, annoy the hell out of everyone… So, I suppose my language would be Quenya or Sindarin, or if unavailable then Latin or Welsh. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/55 "2002-07-03T08:16:47Z")
Classical Latin first, because so many modern languages are derived from it. Russian, because my mother grew up speaking only Russian and after years of immersion in American society, lost most of it–today I can only speak a few words and phrases. Lastly, Welsh, because I have a friend who’s a native Welsh speaker. I didn’t think Navajo was in danger of dying out; there are a great many Dine here in Arizona who speak Navajo. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/56 "2002-07-03T17:00:47Z")
I´d have to say Japanese, as I want to learn it anyway, and for a language of general circulation it´ll be one of the hardest. But if I were going to pursue linguistics any further than the BA, I would say Inuktitut. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976/57 "2002-07-03T18:09:30Z")
I’ll second Cougarfang’s suggestion of Sindarin. Not terribly useful, but lots of fun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-wake-up-tomorrow-morning-completely-fluent-in-another-language/116976.md?page=2)