Thread: What's better?

What's better?

I wanna know one foreigner language to that level (native)
(Its up to you to guess which one!!). !!!

I prefer more than one on a fairly high level. My English is nice from far but far from nice, but I have no problems communicating with natives, now I'm studying German and when I achieve the level my English is on, I'll be bloody happy.

Having lived in Russia for many years provided me fluent Russian, if I move to an english-speaking country, I'll get fluent English forsooth. At least my sister who resides in Australia says she's almost fluent already after two years of living there.

I want to know all foreign languages to a native speaker's level? Where's that option?

Я думаю, что я скучал бы, если бы только занимался тем же языком все время.

Не скучай

Originally Posted by basurero

Я думаю, что я скучал бы, если бы занимался одним и тем же языком все время.

Many people know several languages to a functional level nowadays, knowing two to a native speaker level (is it even possible?) gives you the competitive edge. It also enriches you culturally unlike the ability to order a pizza and impress the waiter. I'd trade my pathetic French for perfect English any time.

I think that the further you learn one language, the more effort is spent on every advance, but every advance itself becomes less and less useful and satisfying. To me, things tend to be easy and interesting in the beginning and hard and boring at the end. There's far more drive and satisfaction in moving from nothing to something than from nearly perfect to even closer to perfect. There are so many wodnerful languages around, why stick with just one single? Knowing many, even at basic level, gives even more than just the sum of knowledge in every single one. There are enteresting relations between languages, there can be similar concepts, or similar words, or even words of the same origin but with totally different meanings (like gift in English and Gift in German). Or even relatively distant languages can have some surprising similarities.

Originally Posted by basurero

Я думаю, что я скучал бы, если бы только занимался тем же языком все время.

Но зато прикинь каким крутым знатоком ты бы стал - был бы круче нэтива (native)!!!!

I chose the second option i think it's the best.

I agree with Ramil, I want to know them all. Communicating with the maximum number of people is my goal in learning languages so I want to learn as many of the most popular languages as I can. I'm currently learning some classical latin as well as russian, not because there is anyone to speak with in latin but its interesting since most languages are derived at least partly from latin, and it shares the same complexity of cases with russian. On my to-learn list are spanish, french, and german.

Tough one, Basurero.....

But I've gone for knowing more than one as well.
I want the "fairly high level" to be, well, fairly high though...
That is to say, I don't want to stop at по-туристский level.

If I have to think too hard about the language through a conversation, it irritates me - so I tend to agree with Ramil: lots of languages at native level, please.

Originally Posted by Layne

since most languages are derived at least partly from latin

Most languages? How about Africa? Are its languages rooted in Latin?

Originally Posted by Layne

I agree with Ramil, I want to know them all. Communicating with the maximum number of people is my goal in learning languages so I want to learn as many of the most popular languages as I can. I'm currently learning some classical latin as well as russian, not because there is anyone to speak with in latin but its interesting since most languages are derived at least partly from latin, and it shares the same complexity of cases with russian. On my to-learn list are spanish, french, and german.

Interesting Idea... though I want to know English as well as Russian!!!

Originally Posted by Chuvak

Interesting Idea... though I want to know English as well as Russian!!!

You will, Chuvak

I don't think it's possible. You can master a lang as a native. But you are NOT a native who has a good command of his/her lang at a cultural level.

That's another question - and I fully agree with that.

After all, you've had your whole life to learn about your culture, from childhood.... and that's very hard to "relearn" with another culture.

But only the language, yes, I do think that is sometimes possible.

I have a German friend who has lived in USA for 35 years and speaks English with almost no accent. He freely admits that it is still possible for a native English speaker to "lose him" in a conversation if they want to.
I think it is very hard, even impossible, to become as fluent as a native.

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Originally Posted by Layne

since most languages are derived at least partly from latin

Most languages? How about Africa? Are its languages rooted in Latin?

OK maybe 'most' was not the word I should have used. Actually I bet if you could count all the different island and tribal languages plus chinese, japanese etc that have no connection to latin they would outnumber the ones that do by many thousands. I will say that all of the languages I'm interested in learning are derived from latin.

German might be an indo-European language, but it isn't derived from latin. It is a seperate branch off the language tree...

It is as derived from latin as Greek is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages