View Poll Results: What's better?

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  • To know one foreign language to a native speaker level

    13 27.66%
  • To know more than one foreign language to a fairly high but not native level

    33 70.21%
  • To know no foreign language

    1 2.13%
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Thread: What's better?

  1. #1
    Завсегдатай
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    What's better?

    What's better?

  2. #2
    Старший оракул
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    I wanna know one foreigner language to that level (native)
    (Its up to you to guess which one!!). !!!

  3. #3
    Властелин
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    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.
    -- Да? Коту Ваське, бл##?
    -- Нет, Я кот Васька :-/

  4. #4
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
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    I want to know all foreign languages to a native speaker's level? Where's that option?
    Send me a PM if you need me.

  5. #5
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    Я думаю, что я скучал бы, если бы только занимался тем же языком все время.

  6. #6
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
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    Не скучай
    Quote Originally Posted by basurero
    Я думаю, что я скучал бы, если бы занимался одним и тем же языком все время.
    Send me a PM if you need me.

  7. #7
    Властелин
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    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've got a TV, and I'm not afraid to use it

  8. #8
    Почтенный гражданин
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    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.

  9. #9
    Старший оракул
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    Quote 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)!!!!

  10. #10
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    I chose the second option i think it's the best.
    Не плюй в колодец, пригодится водицы, напиться.

  11. #11
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    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.

  12. #12
    Почтенный гражданин BabaYaga's Avatar
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    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.
    Ой, голова у меня кружится |-P ...... and my brain hurts too....

  13. #13
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    Quote 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?
    «И всё, что сейчас происходит внутре — тоже является частью вселенной».

  14. #14
    Старший оракул
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    Quote 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!!!

  15. #15
    Почтенный гражданин BabaYaga's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chuvak
    Interesting Idea... though I want to know English as well as Russian!!!
    You will, Chuvak
    Ой, голова у меня кружится |-P ...... and my brain hurts too....

  16. #16
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    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.
    «И всё, что сейчас происходит внутре — тоже является частью вселенной».

  17. #17
    Почтенный гражданин BabaYaga's Avatar
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    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.
    Ой, голова у меня кружится |-P ...... and my brain hurts too....

  18. #18
    DDT
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    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.
    Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself. - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rtyom
    Quote 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.

  20. #20
    Завсегдатай kalinka_vinnie's Avatar
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    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
    Hei, rett norsken min og du er død.
    I am a notourriouse misspeller. Be easy on me.
    Пожалуйста! Исправляйте мои глупые ошибки (но оставьте умные)!
    Yo hablo español mejor que tú.
    Trusnse kal'rt eturule sikay!!! ))

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