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Old March 8th, 2021 #1
Mike in Denver
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Default Which language?

This post is not as frivolous as it might seem. It's driven me nuts for years, and I need some opinions.

I've always been at least good, maybe better than good with languages. I need to decide between two languages. I need to really push on this.

Some background:

* I took a year of Latin in high school. It was supposed to be two years, but our small high-school Latin teacher left and wasn't replaced.
* I studied Greek (Attic Greek) for a year on my own. I've lost it all...bad that.
* I took two years of Spanish in high school. I lived in Spain for just over tow years. I speak Spanish well, and with a little immersion, near fluency.
* I took two years of German in University, and traveled in Germany a bunch. I've sort of lost this, but not really. A little study and it comes back. Not fluent, but well.
* I've frustratingly studied French on-and-off for years. It's like I have a barrier. It just never sets in. I can read French OK, but my mind just can't tune in. Maybe if I just bore down and studied harder.

The question is...German or French? I really think if I just pushed I could even become comfortable in French. I could become fluent in German in 6 months, and a lot more naturally.

Some pluses and not-pluses:

1. Ease of learning -- hands-down German.
2. Climate -- France. Lots of climate choices with France.
3. Food -- Sorry, but France, hands-down.
4. People -- Germans. I get along with Germans pretty well. French, less so, But I don't know France well enough to truly judge. I've been to Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, and Nice.
5. Women -- I'm 75...maybe not an issue, but my old data says German...Oh Yeah! I like them, they like me.

Sorry, boring Monday, but I would appreciate opinions. And I am retired and may be moving back to Europe where I lived and traveled for several years.

Mike
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Old March 8th, 2021 #2
Alex Him
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How can we choose this for you?!

We don't know how much you depend on the climate, do we?

We don't know how important delicious food is to you.

After all, it may turn out that food is one of the most important pleasures in your life, or, on the contrary, you attach relatively little importance to it.

It may be a great consolation for you to live by the warm sea and maybe for you this is the most important factor in your life.

We don't know your priorities, but you could decide on them.

Do you have ambitions for the French language?

As I understand, it is easier for you to learn German, so why not choose it.
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Old March 8th, 2021 #3
Mike in Denver
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OK, I'll be a little more honest. I'd prefer to live in France. What a beautiful country. To be fair, name a country in Europe that is not beautiful.

The problems, aside from my difficulty learning French, is that I know France so little. A few days in Paris, a Week in Nice (wonderful, but tourist heaven, and more for the rich,) and a week in Geneva Switzerland.) That's my experience with French speaking people.

Here are some observations: Go into a bar in Germany. Speak a little German, then a little more. You get complimented and Germans will chat with you. In Spain, where I lived for more than two years, it's similar, but formal. The Spanish are quite formal with strangers. I liked that, and love Spain, but really don't want to live there. In France, I seemed to be ignored. Now, to repeat myself, my French experience is very limited. Any attempt to speak French is ignored. [Very old data, I'm 75...my time in France I was 25...but I have studied French, quite a bit more since.]

The language thing can be addictive. If I spend a couple of weeks in Mexico or South America, people assume that Spanish is my native language. In short conversations I've had, Germans think I was German. Not that I am fluent, but my accent is excellent, and in quick conversation, I can sound Hochdeutsch. Hell! I worked with Brazilian pilots as an engineer for about ten years and they thought my Portuguese was excellent. I had a vocabulary of about 200 words. That's hardly excellent. But my accent was perfect. I had a Brazilian woman tell me that my accent was perfect.

My French accent sounds like a dim-witted hill-billy. Don't know why, but I'd be ignored in France. I'd practice with a friend, but my only French speaking friend, a very attractive young woman, lives with a friend of mine, and I hardly see her.

Dammit, what do you do to learn French and with a absolutely perfect accent?

Mike
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Old March 8th, 2021 #4
Alex Him
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike in Denver View Post
I'd prefer to live in France.
As you can see, everything is already decided by you

If you still doubt your choice, then I suppose you have the opportunity to organize a reconnaissance trip to France to see the country and its people with your eyes. This is the most reliable way to get an understanding of what is happening in the country.

I don't recommend relying on impressions from 50 years ago. Over such a period, any country can change beyond recognition. You can just come to settle and suddenly find yourself in a completely different France compared to what it was in your memories.
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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
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Old August 12th, 2021 #5
Thomas Gregory
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It should depend on your background. Are you Northern European?
 
Old August 12th, 2021 #6
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My prep school offered French, Latin and Spanish. My older sister had German in the mix, but the teacher was "dismissed" due to an incident with a student.

I tried French, as Latin is a dead language and Spanish is for overseers in restaurants and those office cleaning crews.
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Old August 12th, 2021 #7
Mike in Denver
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas Gregory View Post
It should depend on your background. Are you Northern European?
Both sides of family...Scottish and English. Back forever.

Pros:

Germany
Language
Women

France
Food
Climate

Mike
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Old August 12th, 2021 #8
Thomas Gregory
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Deutsch ist die Sprache der Dichter und Denker. Und man kann bei klassischen Liedern mitsingen.


French, well, it's fine of course, but as a kid I found it a bit feminine, so I chose Latin.

Last edited by Thomas Gregory; August 12th, 2021 at 06:03 PM.
 
Old August 12th, 2021 #9
Mike in Denver
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I'm not a poet. I'm 76 and can barely think. But I still love good food. Also I'm not too fond of snow.

Mike
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Old August 12th, 2021 #10
Thomas Gregory
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France has snow, too. Depending on where you are, I guess. I've not been there that much. France has way more Blacks and Muslims. As long as you stay clear of cities it will be ok.
 
Old August 12th, 2021 #11
U. Dunrouse
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Learning French --- a very difficult language to learn, it's said (don't know; I'm a native French speaker) --- at the age of 75 seems to be a very big challenge. But that's perhaps what you're looking for after all...
 
Old August 13th, 2021 #12
Stewart Meadows
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Quote:
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I'm a native French speaker
And yet your English is perfect.

Amazing.
 
Old August 13th, 2021 #13
Gladiatrix
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Learning French --- a very difficult language to learn, it's said (don't know; I'm a native French speaker) --- at the age of 75 seems to be a very big challenge. But that's perhaps what you're looking for after all...
I have heard that said about English. Personally, I think anything with a different alphabet would be incredibly hard.

I have been told if you study Latin that all the Romance languages come easily. I will say Italian made a lot more sense than French.
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Old August 14th, 2021 #14
Stewart Meadows
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I have been told if you study Latin that all the Romance languages come easily.
Of course, it helps, but it's not a cakewalk as Latin grammar differs enormously from the grammar of modern-day Romance languages, and the differences in vocabulary are pretty big too.
 
Old August 14th, 2021 #15
U. Dunrouse
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And yet your English is perfect.

Amazing.
Thank you. Good to hear that from a native English speaker (I presume) since I've never lived in any English-speaking country and English is the 3rd language I learned (after French and Dutch).
 
Old August 14th, 2021 #16
U. Dunrouse
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gladiatrix View Post
Personally, I think anything with a different alphabet would be incredibly hard.
Yes, that seems logical.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gladiatrix View Post
I have been told if you study Latin that all the Romance languages come easily.
True about vocabulary. But the French conjugation of verbs alone seems devised as a headache maker. And pronunciation is very different too.
 
Old August 14th, 2021 #17
Stewart Meadows
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Latin grammar differs enormously from the grammar of modern-day Romance languages,
I would say that when it comes to grammar, Latin is actually closer to Slavic languages than to Romance ones. I mean, look at the complicated case systems (and to a certain extent, the word order). You don't find that in Romance languages (not even Romanian, which is said to have inherited three cases from Latin).
 
Old June 1st, 2022 #18
RobertTorres
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German, culturally.

Frank migt be more useful in more places.
All the former Asian colonies that speak a little French, scumbag canada,
France does a lot of business among rothschild dollar countries.
That can be useful, for an extra buck.

I would speak German for my HUMAN SOUL,
and functional French, just for business.

Do you find yourself psychic? Or an empath?
I think everybody does, but some more then others.
I've wondered if that seems to be a helpful skill in people who are good at polyglot.
You can picture/feel the thought in another language.
 
Old June 1st, 2022 #19
Stewart Meadows
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Quote:
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Do you find yourself psychic? Or an empath?
Empath? You mean like Deanna Troi?



Quote:
Do you find yourself psychic? Or an empath?
I think everybody does, but some more then others.
Really? That's strange. I'm neither a psychic nor an empath, and I don't know anybody who is.
 
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