I know some people here write and read in languages other than English. I only speak English, but I can read Latin and I've sort of written some things in Latin. I'd love to be able to speak another language*, although I think it would be harder than writing as you have to think so fast and I couldn't go back and edit!
Anyway, what languages do you read and write in?
*I can roughly understand spoken Latin, not that that's useful as nobody speaks Latin anymore. *wishes for TARDIS so I could go to Ancient Rome*
Last edited by Kibble on Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
"You are altogether a human being, Jane? You are certain of that?" "I conscientiously believe so, Mr Rochester." ~ Jane Eyre
French and English for me. Though I can manage to read some really basic Spanish. And speak Vietnamese fluently enough, though I couldn't read it to save my life. It's easier speaking a language than writing it, IMO. Speaking flows easier, and it's easier to catch up on a mistake, not to mention people tend to be more indulgent about spoken mistakes than written ones, in my experience.
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English is the only language I'm fluent in (and I can read Middle and Old English easily enough) though I can read (in order of best to worst) German, Spanish, and French with the aid of a dictionary. Just don't expect me to read anything aloud.
Modern English is the only language I can write in without making a complete idiot of myself. XD
Well, I'm completely fluent in English. I can read and write in Spanish fairly fluently, and I can somewhat understand Catalan, which is rather like Spanish but not quite. I can read basic French and basic German. Oh! And I can write my name in Kanji. :]
Grasped by the throat, grasped by the throat. That's how I feel about love. That it's not worth it.
Becoming fluent in five languages is high up on my list of things to do in my life. So far, I'm only fluent in one, American English.
But, I can read without the help of a dictionary in German (depending on the level of the text, that is, and how much I'm trying to understand), and I'll occasionally write bits of my novels in German. I translate it back into English in the end, though. Mainly, writing it in German instead just makes me think about the writing differently, and can get me through tricky parts and through writer's block. I may sit and groan with English in trying to find the perfect way to say X, but I'll only be able to manage X in German in a couple ways. Which means, progress for the story. And, progress in my pursuit of multilingualism.
I don't fangirl. I fandragon.
Have you thanked a teacher lately? You should. Their bladder control alone is legend.
I am fluent in american english, but can understand/write in middle english, old english, and british english. I can read, though somewhat painfully, latin, depending on the level, but I don't speak it and can't write it. I can read spanish fairly well, and speak it some, but not as much as I can read it. I also have very limited knowladge of German, French, Italian, and Japanese.
They, are not your MUFFINS!!!!!!!!!! - John Worthing/Ernest Moncrieff (The importance of being Ernest)
I can speak English fluently. I also have a very good grasp of French and can read,write,speak and listen to it with ease, even with harder tests. I want to learn more though, just need to figure out how!
'I have loved to the point of madness, which for me is the only true way to love' ~Francoise Sagan
I write and read in Finnish and English. I can also read in Swedish and French, but not write, except some essays for school and the like. I think I could read some children's literature in German, but I've never tried before.
"Your jokes are scarier than your earrings." -Twit
"14. Pretend like you would want him even if he wasn't a prince. (Yeah, right.)" -How to Make a Guy Like You - Disney Princess Style
You could say I'm pretty proficient in English and Tamil (an Indian language, my native one.) I can read/write in French though not as much as English and Tamil. I can understand/read Hindi (my speaking skills are meh.) Malayalam, I can understand, but I don't speak it. I'm a beginner in Japanese and Telugu. But listening to the Japanese speak it, wow! It takes a lot of practice to follow what they're saying. I know fragments of Sanskrit (mainly due to slokas and devotional songs) I'm teaching myself German and Greek off the interwebs,
~ Pretending in words was too tentative, too vulnerable, too embarrassing to let anyone know. - Ian McEwan in Atonement