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What language to learn?
Apr 28, 2011 at 9:18 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 30
ssavage

ssavage

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So I'm interested in learning a new language besides Spanish because I just hate it.
I'm thinking about picking up rosettastone for my birthday when it comes up
Some languages I'm interested in: Japanese so I can understand all the Japanese anime shows :p, Arabian because I'm going to join the military (not sure if it would be needed by the time i join).
Any thoughts on what language it's worth to put effort into?
 
Apr 28, 2011 at 9:58 PM Post #4 of 30
Quote:
ssavage said:
mandarin or cantonese?
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If you want Cantonese girls, you don't need to speak it. You just need to know when to say 'Gucci.' Just saving you time because it's the most difficult language to learn
 
 
 
Apr 28, 2011 at 10:03 PM Post #5 of 30
ssavage said:
So I'm interested in learning a new language besides Spanish because I just hate it.
I'm thinking about picking up rosettastone for my birthday when it comes up
Some languages I'm interested in: Japanese so I can understand all the Japanese anime shows :p, Arabian because I'm going to join the military (not sure if it would be needed by the time i join).
Any thoughts on what language it's worth to put effort into?
Click to expand...


You don't need to learn any languages prior to joining the military. Knowing at least one helps though. :p

I took the DLAB (Defense Language and Aptitude Battery) and barely passed (90-something). I'm not a linguist though so I don't care lol.

Oh and before you talk to a recruiter, learn as much as you can about recruitment lest you get fleeced. If you have any questions just PM me and I'll try to help.
 
Apr 28, 2011 at 10:08 PM Post #6 of 30


Quote:
permagrin said:
Quote:
ssavage said:
So I'm interested in learning a new language besides Spanish because I just hate it.
I'm thinking about picking up rosettastone for my birthday when it comes up
Some languages I'm interested in: Japanese so I can understand all the Japanese anime shows :p, Arabian because I'm going to join the military (not sure if it would be needed by the time i join).
Any thoughts on what language it's worth to put effort into?
Click to expand...




You don't need to learn any languages prior to joining the military. Knowing at least one helps though.
tongue.gif


I took the DLAB (Defense Language and Aptitude Battery) and barely passed (90-something). I'm not a linguist though so I don't care lol.

Oh and before you talk to a recruiter, learn as much as you can about recruitment lest you get fleeced. If you have any questions just PM me and I'll try to help.
Click to expand...


 
fleeced? I know I don't need to know one but I'd like to expand my knowledge and become fluent in at least another language. 
 
Apr 28, 2011 at 10:27 PM Post #7 of 30
Fleeced as in swindled. Most people don't know until its too late and they're driving a fuel truck in a combat zone. But at least they got a nice bonus!

I'd probably go with one of the DoD identifed strategic languages then. It's somewhere online but I'm having trouble finding it. It includes Arabic, Farsi, Mandarin Chinese, etc (then again one of those might be what you end up going to school for). You can make up to $1000 extra a month testing high enough on 3 languages (annually to keep getting paid). As a linguist in a linguist-specific duty assignment the way I read it is that you get paid for even 'dominant' languages (ones that are too common like Spanish). Non-linguists don't get that opportunity anymore.
 
Apr 29, 2011 at 12:55 AM Post #13 of 30
I took five years of Spanish, got tired of it, and took two years of Latin in undergrad.

But now I'm interested in Spanish again. I'm mildly conversant and can read Spanish newspapers, but would like to become fluent.

Mandarin is the most-spoken language, but when you look at secondary languages, English and Spanish are huge. Both languages spread to multiple countries and knowing both will get you by in a large portion of the world. My Spanish is good enough to get around Spanish-speaking countries, but not good enough to have good conversations with people.

I'd like to improve so I can travel around Spain, Central and South America. Also, there's terrific literature in Spanish - I'd love to read those books in their native language.

If you're bored with Spanish, maybe think about taking conversational classes somewhere or maybe spending a few weeks or a summer in a Spanish-speaking country. The language will filter in and you'll get an appreciation of the culture.

Also, learn to swear in Spanish. It's a very colorful language. :D

Another benefit is that Spanish is similar enough to the other Romance languages that it'd be fairly easy to pick up French, Portugese, Italian, and others.
 
Apr 29, 2011 at 2:44 AM Post #14 of 30
I'd totally go for Mandarin/Cantonese. I expect speaking Chinese is going to be very big in another few years or so. Personally, I want to learn Mandarin, Japanese and Korean when I get the time (at least at a conversational level).
 
 
Apr 29, 2011 at 2:51 AM Post #15 of 30
Quote:
appophylite said:
I'd totally go for Mandarin/Cantonese. I expect speaking Chinese is going to be very big in another few years or so. Personally, I want to learn Mandarin, Japanese and Korean when I get the time (at least at a conversational level).
 
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Mandarin would be my Asian language of choice if I were to pick one. I speak Cantonese fluently and know some light Japanese. My girlfriend is from Korea. Before the Japanese earthquake, she even had professors push their students to learn Chinese. Now it seems Korea has a chance to be the number one Asian country
 
Mandarin is MUCH easier to speak than Cantonese. Cantonese is a tone language. I doubt anyone could be fluent in Cantonese as fast as Mandarin or especially Japanese.
 
 
 
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