Thread: What's your native language?

I have to say that for all the times I've schlimmed Spanish, it's only because everyone in the US is trying to learn it. Assuming that it was as often learned as, say, Russian, I would like it. The sounds of French irritate me. Extremely. I don't understand why people like it. Spanish, however, is rather nice-sounding as well, without the irritatingness. What about Italian? I like the food(although I have only eaten poor American imitations of it). Haven't really heard the language enough to say anything about it.

Hey Jasper and Dogboy, I'm considering becoming a traitor. Viva la Espana! Heh heh heh...If I do learn Spanish, I want to make sure to learn it as spoken in Spain.

@VendingMachine: Surely you mean Russian is the best language in the world? All other languages can come after it...

As for understanding Portguguese and Catalan, I can sometimes get the gist of text in those languages with what I know of French. I'm sure native speakers of Spanish can understand it easily. As for talking to each other, I'm not sure.

Originally Posted by Pravit

@VendingMachine: Surely you mean Russian is the best language in the world? All other languages can come after it...

No, Russian is not the best language in the world. I never said that, so don't you go a-putting words into my mouth, Pravit lad. No language can be the best in the world - there's no such thing as the best language. When I say that Danish is the best language I mean that *I* find it the best and that's not the same thing as saying that it is the best - see the difference? I like Danish and rate it higher than any other language but I accept it that others may think different.

.[/quote]
Ooh, Spain! I might consider learning the Spanish variant of Spanish someday, as I find everything about Spain so romantic. Plus, I already speak (limited) French, so that will help. Everyone in the US learns Mexican Spanish. How much of a difference is there between the two?[/quote]
Hy pravit,
Although I don't have enough knowledge to say what are the differents between American English and Australian or Uk English. In my opinion between spanish from South america and Spain are the same. I am going to give you one example. when I had talked with a mexicam we can undestood each other but at the same time we realized between us that we were using words that were known them by us but he has almost never used it.
On the other hand, Spain intended to don't import word literally. In term of computing, for instance, they say "computadora"- computer or "el file" .
We either invented a new word or give a former word a new meaning. We use "ordenador" and "archivo"
It doesn't mean you have to study two languages. that is obviuous.
If you studied French before I am sure Spanish will be learnt easily.

Pravit,
thanks for your support , I am very glad to read that if you someday want to study spanish you will learn it with spaniard. I am not considering spanish the best language. However behind English and chinese it is taking up the third position. that is fact. Moreover south america is the continent where there are more spanish speaker. VIVA ESPA

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Spain must be a cool place indeed cos they speak Spanish there! Best linguage in the world (after Danish, of course). I sometimes wonder why I'm learning English... By the way, do speakers of Spanish readily understand Catalan and Portugese? I saw text in all three of them - they looked very similar to me, but maybe the accents are quite different?

We can undestand among us. Maybe, you can't speak but you understand.

I'm not a native speaker of Spanish, but I've been taking lessons in it since I was five years old as well as using it regularly in my personal and professional life, so I'm pretty near fluent, I think. I can understand Portuguese and Catalan but, as Lucas said, I can't speak them. I actually have had quite effective conversations with a Portuguese fellow where I spoke in Spanish and he spoke Portuguese, and we mostly understood one another.

I'm also going to second Lucas on the issue of Spanish Spanish vs. New World Spanish - it seems to me to be quite like the difference between New World and Old World dialects of English. There are some significantly different dialects, but the difference between standard, say, Mexican Spanish and standard Spanish Spanish is not particularly dramatic.

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Originally Posted by Pravit

@VendingMachine: Surely you mean Russian is the best language in the world? All other languages can come after it...

No, Russian is not the best language in the world. I never said that, so don't you go a-putting words into my mouth, Pravit lad.

My dear VendingMachine, you've certainly got an itchy trigger finger! I am certainly not trying to put words in your mouth; really it was a friendly suggestion. Perhaps you are not acquainted with this practice; I don't know if Russians do it or not, but please observe the following:

(A and B are watching a football game).
A: I think the Discos are the best football team in the world!
B: Surely you mean the Jacksons are the best football team? The Discos and all other ones can come after it!

In this scenario, B is not trying to put words into A's mouth. He is merely being friendly and stating what he personally thinks is the best football team. In our case, I merely meant that I thought Russian was the best and suggested it in a friendly way. Surely you didn't think that I thought you meant to say Russian was the best and expressed that with my suggestion. That would be inexcusably rude of me.

Now that we have that settled, @Lucas:
I think Spanish is rather wonderful. Welcome to the forum and we will be glad to help you learn Russian and English. Are you learning Russian by yourself or in a class? What motivated you to begin learning Russian?

As for learning Spanish, I will put that on my to-do list which is never finished. But I guarantee I will get to it someday, even if it takes several years. I'm still young.

Originally Posted by Pravit

[@Lucas:
I think Spanish is rather wonderful. Welcome to the forum and we will be glad to help you learn Russian and English. Are you learning Russian by yourself or in a class? What motivated you to begin learning Russian?

As for learning Spanish, I will put that on my to-do list which is never finished. But I guarantee I will get to it someday, even if it takes several years. I'm still young.

I began studying russian in the Official School of Languages Valencia ( Spain). I am studying my first course( 5years) but as I can see my knowledge of gramac, for instance, are pretty limited. I has checked that in the grammar places of this forum. But I promise writing soon in The book that we are using it in school was done by former teachers of School and it is called шаг за шасом. I am sure nobody has heard of this book. Although It has a good balance between gramac and practice that is not enough to get a good progress. I am going to use the Pimsler as well that people are recommend here. Maybe, sooner that later I will have to buy a good book of gramac.
I met people from Russian in Valencia that is one of my main reason. Other I wanted to study something most radical and different.

@Pravit: Waah! Traitor! Betrayer! Defector! Deserter! Other more unspeakable words! How could you? Spanish is 1. too simple for someone like you, 2.irritating (ththththththth) 3.dirt-common
Promise you won't learn Spanish?

Yeah, but Spanish can actually be useful, at least if you live in certain parts of the US. I use my Spanish on a regular basis. And while basic Spanish grammar is quite elementary, I feel like more advanced concepts such as the subjunctive and certain tenses are actually much more complex than those of Russian (I mean, in Russian, you just stick in a бы, dude.) Spanish is, in my opinion, an easy language to get a start in and a difficult language to master.

And this is just me, but I feel that Spanish language has a certain charm that English lacks. English is a fairly weak and homely sounding language, to my ears.

Do 'native' speakers of English understand it when they read it? I said what I said and I repeat it again - one can only have one native language whether you like it or not. Never did I say that one's native language is the one you're most fluent in - you're putting words into my mouth, joysof, shame on you for not understanding the language you're supposed to be a native speaker of. In the case of your friend - German is not her native language at all, no matter how long she has spoken it, if, coming to, she babbles in English. (I wonder what language she screams in when she comes - play your cards well and you may find out I've been right all along, matey) . Following you logic you can say that Udmurt is my native language just because I was unfortunate to be forced to speak it in my childhood... Like hell it's my native language - I've forgotten all of it by now and good riddance to old rubbish, I would never have used it anyway, it would only have used up my braincells.
Like I said again - the pain/shock test dots all the i's (расставляет все точки над ё, as we say), no surprise Colonel Isaev aka Stirlitz said to whatsername not to give birth in Germany for she would have cried out in Russian when in labour.
BTW, aren't you the one who once claimed to have two native languages - English and French? Ever planning to come to St Pete? We could test you and the Dutch kid... You know, joysof, it's sooo easy to babble when one's sitting thousands of miles away... Believe me, face to face you wouldn't be so cocky.

Gah. Always with the sex and the dark hints at the violence already. Truculent is it.

You said that a second language could only be spoken with 'near-native fluency'. If my friend has forgotten most of her English and can't be fluent in German, does this mean she ain't fluent in nowt?

As for the rest, an attentive VendingMachine would notice that I'm nowhere near to being thousands of miles away. And I'll be in Petersburg in May (apologies to Pravit for the beginning of the sentence). I'd rather not fight you with a stick, but a white-wine spritzer with the boys at the police club wouldn't go amiss.

Originally Posted by joysof

You said that a second language could only be spoken with 'near-native fluency'.

and here's what I did say:

Originally Posted by muggins here

Yes, it is possible to speak other languages with near-native fluency but you can only have one mother tongue.

Were you reading for gist or detail? I bet neither.

Originally Posted by joysof

If my friend has forgotten most of her English and can't be fluent in German, does this mean she ain't fluent in nowt?

Oh arrr, 'er be a furriner in 'er own country now.

Originally Posted by joysof

And I'll be in Petersburg in May...I'd rather not fight you with a stick, but a white-wine spritzer with the boys at the police club wouldn't go amiss.

Soooopa, we'll test your mettle, joy soft boy.

(Sorry if this post was from a while ago, )
I left Ukraine when I was 4 and forgot Russian and now speak mostly English, but I spoke Russian first and understood it first. Which is my native language? I consider Russian my native language.( )

In my opinion, a native language is the language that you spoke or understood first, or I guess it could be the language that your native country(where you were born) speaks. *But this is only my opinion.

But if a person is born in America, although their family is for example Chinese, would America still be their native land even though they aren't originally from there? And if they spoke only Chinese at home Chinese would I guess be the native language. Ehhhh....

Originally Posted by Евгения(Женя)

But if a person is born in America, although their family is for example Chinese, would America still be their native land even though they aren't originally from there?

I'd say yes.

And if they spoke only Chinese at home Chinese would I guess be the native language. Ehhhh....

Yes. I'd say Chinese would be your native language (=mother tongue). The language you hear/speak at home is your native language I'd say. This has nothing to do with where you hear that language (China, US, or the moon).

I agree. But I am confused a little. My mother tongue is Russian, its the first langauge I ever understood, or spoke. But I moved to the US and forgot it, and now I speak English at home with my uncle(I live with my three sisters, adoptive uncle, adoptive cousin, and adoptive aunt), but Russian would still be my native langauge right? Because its the first language I ever understood?

Originally Posted by Евгения(Женя)

I agree. But I am confused a little. My mother tongue is Russian, its the first langauge I ever understood, or spoke. But I moved to the US and forgot it, and now I speak English at home with my uncle(I live with my three sisters, adoptive uncle, adoptive cousin, and adoptive aunt), but Russian would still be my native langauge right? Because its the first language I ever understood?

Why do those Eastern European types always makes things so complicated...

In your case, your native language is probably English, then. It's the language in which you can most easily express yourself and did not take much effort to learn. The language that comes "naturally" to you. It would be possible to have two native languages, I suppose. It's not uncommon for kids to be raised in a bi-lingual environment.

What about VendingMachine's suggestion, where they beat you up and the language you scream out in is your native language?

My father was born in Italy to an Italian mother and American father. From the very start his mother spoke to him in Italian, and his father in English. When he was 4 they moved to the US, to an Italian neighborhood, and he spoke Italian with older people and English with younger. He went to school in the US, but went to Italy every summer, and then went to University in Italy.

So what would we say, his "mother tongue" is Italian but his "father tongue" is English?

Vending Machine: even when he curses, he mixes the two: "porca miseria! That's all I need."

Originally Posted by begemot

Vending Machine: even when he curses, he mixes the two: "porca miseria! That's all I need."

So what? When I curse I often put together f***king and бл*** and vittun (which is Finnish for 'of a c**t' if translated literary) and paska (Finnish for shite) and scheisse and many many more. It's what the first thing you say when you come to having been layed out with a cricket bat that counts. Anyway, my theory still stands unshattered - there's only one language that can be your mother/father/fosterparent/etc tongue and you can speak a countless number of other languages with varying degrees of fluency depending on how many and what kind of gray cells you have available.

Originally Posted by nikki2028

English, anybody ned help?

I need it!