Archive through July 31, 2002
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The ClubHouse: General Discussion Archives: Just curious, what is your first language?: Archive through July 31, 2002

Aylana

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 09:16 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I speak a Nordic dialect (Sami) in my home. Was taught the Queen's English by an East Indian teacher, as preparation for moving to America. Got to America at the age of 12 to find that the Queen's English is NOT what is spoken here... roflmbo

Since then I have finally managed to speak well enough to be understood quite well.. but do not get me upset.. then I revert to my native tongue mixed with the Queen's English, and a little Paddish (East Indian Slang) and what I think is American .... but ebonics, hip hop, slang, and mumbling are beyond this girl's abilities...hahahaha

Abbynormal

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 09:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Draheid, you are correct! That movie is where my screen name came from. Check out my profile for a pic of my brain. abby

Calgaryperson

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 09:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
English and only English... for now.

Cathie

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
English (Texas style), Spanish and two #&$%@* semesters of Russian (it was the 70s, what more can I say...)

Sanfranjoshfan

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:16 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
"Just curious, what is your first langage?"

My first language was baby talk! "goo-goo, ga-ga"

;-)

Kady

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:16 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I also speak Southern!!! I try hard to type proper on here. But sometimes the ya'll and ain't does come out of me. I'm from LA like Krista but she talks Cajun. I sound like Amy!! :)

Schoolmarm

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 02:34 am EditMoveDeleteIP
English here. I can be polite in several languages, and I thought that I could speak German until I went "over the pond" this month. NO ONE in Bavaria or Austria could understand my German. I can read it fairly fluently. I did come in handy when I was harrassed by a drunk at the Paris North train station. I just looked at him with a puzzled expression and said "Ich verstehen Sie nicht." THEN he switched from French to English and I just repeated it and walked away! My French is only good for reading about music. SIGH! I have a smattering of Spanish and have traveled to Mexico and Guatemala and only needed the translator for the first few days.

I know Italian musical terms, and Church Latin and a smattering of polite Norwegian as well as a couple of Christmas songs and prayers. I would like to learn more Norwegian and also Finnish, as I want to teach in Scandanavia sometime.

I really wish I were fluent in something other than English.

Here's a funny language story for you from my recent International course (see the Roadtrip thread). The drumming instructor (German) was trying to translate a term in French from the Carribian that means "To get hotter and speed up". No one in the class who spoke French knew the term in English. The guy from Portugal was the only one who knew it, but he only knew the word in Portuguese....that's where the Brazialians took over...one translated to Spanish and then we got the English (we think, anyway!)

Corriecat

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 04:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I speak English (both Southern and Northern ha!)and I studied Spanish, French, Latin, Greek and I took a couple of semesters of American Sign Language with a friend who was studying to be an interpreter. That sounds so impressive but it isn't! I don't speak any of them except I remember a little of the ASL. I do better at reading them. Bowhawkins you sound just like my husband with all your languages except he knows Japanese as well.

Therlin

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 05:08 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Spanish is my native language, but I've been living here for 12 years so I'm pretty comfortable with English by now.

Espen

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 06:26 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Like Buttercup (hei hei!), Norwegian is my first language, and due to family I also speak Swedish and German.. I could have counted "new norwegian" as it was mandatory in norwegian schools, and since it is similar to "bokmal" norwegian I can still read it, but I have blissfully forgotten how to write it.. I also at some point had French and Spanish in school too, but I would not claim to know more than a few words anymore.. Oh, I guess I should include English too, as it is the only thing I get to speak these days, living here in the US Heartland..

Sonia

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 06:43 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Wow! Thank you so much for all your answers everybody here! I'm very happy to see that my topic receive so much of your participation! Your answers were all very interesting to read and it's good to read what people have to say about it.
Also, thanks Poesia and Allaginger for your nice words for my practicing of English here. I'm happy to see you have appreciate my bilingual version of the song, Allaginger. :)

Thanks again for you participation everybody and have a nice day!

Whowhere

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:13 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Je parle Francais mais non pas tres bien.

:)

Strkaholic

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:41 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Therlin..where are you from? Spanish is my native as well, however, I have been here for 25 years now so English feels like my first language as well.

Marysafan

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 09:40 am EditMoveDeleteIP
English is my first language...but thanks to internet chat rooms...I find that I am fluent in "typos". I speak it fluently, as a second language....and understand it pretty well also!

Pagal

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 01:15 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
English and pig latin and I'm starting a course in sign language.

Therlin

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 01:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Strkaholic - I'm from Spain. And you? Drop me an email if you'd like. Click on my name for my address and website.

Delilah

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 01:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I grew up in England so English is my first language. However, I have always been a linguist (put me in Boston for a week and I will be pahhhking the caahr in the Haaaahvahd Yaaahd) I lived in Paris for a few years so I also speak french. I can speak a little dutch and a smidgen of German. I would love to learn Italian. In NY it is very important to speak spanish. I can understand a lot but cannot speak it hardly at all. Here in the US, most HS students learn spanish, in the UK I learned french and no spanish whatsoever.

Funny story, I went on a trip from Paris to Greece with a bunch of French Canadians (Quebecois) and I couldn't understand a word they were saying!

Sonia

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 02:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oups, Delilah, watch out, fais attention! You have some Québécois here, including me! LOL! :D I think that the langage of each part of the world is unique anyway :)

It's good to read how many langage are spoken here, very international, it's cool, I like it! So, results of the langages spoken by posters here:

Alors là encore! C'est bien de voir combien il y a plusieurs langues parlées ici, c'est très international, c'est bien, j'aime ça!
Donc, les résultats des langues parlées par les participants sont:

English (Anglais) : 28
French: (Français) 15
Sign langages: (Langage des signes) 4 (for deaf people? interesting.)
Spanish: (Espagnol) 19
German: (Allemand) 7
Japanese: (Japonais) 2
Norvegian: (Norvégien) 5
Dutch: (Danois?) 2
Italian: (Italien) 5
Danish: (Danois) 2 (Are Danish and Dutch the same?)
Sweddish: (Suédois) 2
Gibberish: 1 (What is that langage Ryan?)
Roman or Latin: (Roman ou Latin) 4
Russian: (Russe) 1
Nankingnese: (Nankinais) 1
Mandarin: (Mandarin) 1
Taiwan : (Taiwanais) 1
Chinese: (Chinois) 1
Sami (Nordic dialecte, Dialecte du Nord) 1
Paddish: (Indien ou Padois?) 1 (Sorry if I'm wrong)
Finish: (Finlandais) 1
Greek: (Grec) 1
Baby talk: (Langage de bébé) 3
Variations of English: Variations de l'Anglais) 8
(Bostonese, Valley girl, Southern, Western, Cajun)
Computer langage: (Langage informatique) 4
(Forth, Pokemon, Python, Dragon, Typo, Eorth)

Maybe I should include Cajun in "variation of French", because it's a mixture of English and French I think? At least, in Eastern Canada, it's the case, Acadians from N.B. are so friendly!
Interesting results, by everybody!

J'aurais peut-être dû inclure l'Acadien dans "variation du Français, car c'est un mélange de Français et d'Anglais je crois? Enfin, pour les Acadiens de l'Est du Canada, (Nouveau Brunswich, c'est le cas. Ils sont tellement sympatiques!)
Les résultats sont intéressants, salut tout le monde!

Meggieprice

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 02:55 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
English here... with a smattering of spanish from childhood and working in a bakery with some spanish speakers...also some french from being required tro speak it at dinner while living with my aunt and uncle in england... and, according to my husband, a special dialect of baby-talk made up words i speak to our five cats.

Kitt

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 04:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
English English, as opposed to American "English" . I can make do in French, know a little conversational German, and recently tried to learn Spanish but found I got too confused with the French and gave up. I might try again later. Would love to learn mandarin.

Ophiliasgrandma

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 04:21 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
English and fluent Cat... with a subspeciality in Siamese (cat). I've been at it for 35 years and there isn't a blue-eyed feline with which I can't converse.

Trulyscrumtious

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 07:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sonia - Where in Quebec are you? I'm in Montreal (centre-ville). :)

Kalekona

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 08:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Earthmother- of course Sign language is a language! ASL is my second language but my daughters first.

Draheid

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 08:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
ASL is a great language to know, however, it's a not very helpful on the internet!

Moderator

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 08:29 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Edited the title to correct the spelling. English (American English, that is) is my first language and the spelling error was making me crazy. :)

(c)