# What languages do you know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092 "2010-04-14T18:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/21 "2010-04-14T20:50:49Z")
American Sign. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/22 "2010-04-14T20:56:19Z")
I am pretty damn good at Spanish. Not perfect. But pretty damn good. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/23 "2010-04-14T21:06:03Z")
> [@](#): > > What degree of skill are we talking about here? With an English-German dictionary I can read an article in a German magazine or newspaper and at least make some sense of it, and I can kind of speak it in a pidgin sort of way. I know some Spanish words and phrases and can often puzzle out the meaning of signs in Spanish. So I knew English fluently, German somewhat, and a little Spanish. That makes three in all. Unless you count armpit noises. It’s a self-administered poll. You can decide for yourself whether you know a language enough to pick it. Personally, I have about the same knowledge of Spanish you have of German. I can read menus and street signs but I’d need some help to get everything from a newspaper. So I didn’t put myself down as a Spanish speaker or reader. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/24 "2010-04-14T21:07:43Z")
Can’t really pin it down. The only one I’m exceptionally fluent in is English. French I might grok reading or if it’s spoken slow enough (although my 5 year old son in French immersion kindergarten has just surpassed my own level of French, he knows a few words I don’t). But, being an anthematologist I know dozens upon dozens upon dozens of languages. I pore through government websites in other languages looking for anthem information using only the bits of the language I know from their national song (not an easy feat, I tells ya!) Sure, it’s cool and all, but singing “Himnusz” in downtown Budapest won’t tell me where the mens’ room is … ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/25 "2010-04-14T21:14:33Z")
So who’s the other person who knows Esperanto? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/26 "2010-04-14T21:21:01Z")
Other: Swedish ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/27 "2010-04-14T21:28:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I knew the language had two names but I thought it was the other way around; Farsi was the official name and Persian was just what people in other countries called it. Farsi is just the Persian word for Persian. It’s like arguing over whether Spanish or español is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/28 "2010-04-15T00:05:34Z")
Japanese, conversational+. Survival Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/29 "2010-04-15T00:17:58Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Farsi is just the Persian word for Persian. It’s like arguing over whether Spanish or español is correct. You mean Castellano (Castillian), right? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/30 "2010-04-15T00:21:37Z")
In addition to English and French (and French is definitely my best second language) I also have some (very) small skill in Esperanto and Irish Gaelic. I guess I went from “popular and useful” to “obscure and geeky”. I have a perverse urge to learn Klingon and Cherokee, but just don’t seem to have the time. Or anyone to practice with. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/31 "2010-04-15T00:21:44Z")
As US-centric as this board is, I’m really surprised that there are so few Spanish speakers. Spanish is by far the second biggest language in the country, and the most popular one to study. But as of this writing more Dopers (including, presumably, American Dopers) speak French and even German! Go figure… (That said, I’m an American who’s never studied the language, either. Even so, I understand and can speak a little bit, just through cultural osmosis - as is probably the case for a lot of Americans.) ---
**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:** [April 15, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/32 "2010-04-15T00:25:31Z")
I speak fluent French, excellent Esperanto, good Spanish, serviceable Italian, and a little bit of German, and a tiny smattering of Latin (but still more than the average person). Also, between my various Romance languages I can read, but not speak, Catalan and Portuguese. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/33 "2010-04-15T00:32:04Z")
> [@](#): > > As US-centric as this board is, I’m really surprised that there are so few Spanish speakers. Spanish is by far the second biggest language in the country, and the most popular one to study. But as of this writing more Dopers (including, presumably, American Dopers) speak French and even German! Go figure… I was surprised by this also. I have noted that the board is relatively light on Latin American posters so that might explain the low Spanish count. And our high number of Canadians might account for the number of French speakers. Another thing that surprises me is how low the counts are on the various Asian languages. I know we have a number of posters from there. (Although maybe it’s just a timezone issue at the moment.) ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/34 "2010-04-15T00:45:43Z")
Fluent Brazilian Portuguese and passable Spanish ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/35 "2010-04-15T00:52:37Z")
I speak basic HS and barrio Spanish. I also speak enough French to get by in Montreal and French restaurants. In addition, I know small bits of German, Latin and Polish, but did not mark them because my knowledge is minimal. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/36 "2010-04-15T01:11:13Z")
Very basic Marathi. Barrio Spanish. I can read and understand French quite easily, but have difficulty speaking it (less so writing it). I can read and write, and comprehend spoken Latin, but have difficulty speaking it. It’s weird - I have an excellent English vocabulary and have no speech impediment, but ask me to speak French and I actually stutter. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/37 "2010-04-15T01:17:53Z")
fluent Mandarin, proficient Japanese, conversational French (can read French novels and newspapers, but if we’re talking just about speaking proficiency…) I’m surprised - only one other Mandarin speaker here besides me? I thought there were several of us on SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/38 "2010-04-15T02:00:48Z")
Dutch (native), English, Russian, Czech, French, German, Spanish. These are languages in which I can converse (although my Spanish admittedly sucks) and read - I’ve read at least one book originally in published in each one of these languages. I also took Latin quite extensively in HS but it’s mostly gone, although it did and does benefit me tremendously when learning other languages. Speaking Russian and Czech gives me some pretty decent passive (and sometimes active esp. when swearing) skills in every other Slavic language (though in varying degrees, e.g. Slovak being a fairly trivially language gap too bridge as opposed to Bulgarian). The same goes for Italian and Portuguese - quite accessible with a background in Latin, French and Spanish. ETA: I grew up in the part of the Netherlands where they speak Frisian, and I learned some in school, and understand it when its spoken, can say some stuff and read some stuff too - so you might count that too, but I never REALLY learned it, which come to think of it is quite a shame. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/39 "2010-04-15T02:26:35Z")
Awww fuck it, I speak Macedonian, too. If the Macedonians want to say it’s not the same as Bulgarian, whatever. I’ll put it on my resume and pretend to be trilingual. > [@](#): > > You mean Castellano (Castillian), right? I know you’re being clever, but I’ve never actually heard Spanish referred to as Castillian. I’ve never been to Spain, so maybe it’s common there, but in the Spanish-speaking countries I’ve been to (the US, Mexico, and Colombia), it’s always just been Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.Pu-du-he-pa-as)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092/40 "2010-04-15T02:33:54Z")
I’m an Indo-Europeanist, and the core languages I can read Latin, ancient Greek (including dialectal Greek), Sanskrit (including Vedic Sanskrit), and Hittite. From there, it gets a little hard to qualify-- I can read Old Persian and several Middle Indic languages by virtue of knowing Sanskrit, but should that count, since I don’t read them very much? Ditto Oscan, Umbrian, Luwian, Palaic… And I have very good puzzle-out-a-new-language skills, but that shouldn’t count as knowing the language if I’m not learning or retaining much of the grammar or vocabulary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-do-you-know/536092.md?page=3)