Posted by Deneb on June 4, 2005, at 22:38:40
Since I want to travel a lot during my life, it would be a good idea for me to learn many languages...problem is, I'm really bad at learning new languages!
The only language I can say I'm totally fluent in is English. I can speak Cantonese, but my vocabulary is limited...wish my parents used bigger words. :-) I can understand some Mandarin but I cannot speak it to save my life. :-) My Mom speaks Mandarin really well but she never uses it on a regular basis. I actually learned to understand some Mandarin by watching shows on TV with my Mom when I was little. :-) What a strange way to learn. I've since forgoten nearly everything though, but it never sounds totally foreign to me...probably cuz it was learnt during my language learning years.
I should really learn French, but unfortunately I've never been exposed to it as a child...so I will be learning it as an adult. I can only speak a few words of French. I can read a little bit more (cuz English and French are so similar), but I cannot understand hearing French at all. Lots of people speak French here in Ottawa. I never did like French class, but now I regret not paying more attention.
I'm jealous of my cousin's children. They are being exposed to so many languages...English (cuz it is everywhere), French (cuz they live in Quebec), German (cuz their mom is German), Cantonese (cuz their dad's family speaks Cantonese), and Mandarin (cuz they went to Chinese school for a while).
I think it would be cool for me to learn how to write in the Chinese language (strange how there's only one way of writing yet so many different ways of speaking...). I don't know anything...I think it will be very difficult to learn. I wish my parents taught me...now it will be next to impossible. :-(
Languages don't come naturally to me. I wish I could have the brain of a 2yr old for a while so I could learn some new languages. :-)
Deneb
poster:Deneb
thread:507806
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050603/msgs/507806.html