How many languages do you speak or read?

[Cato 160314]

There's a poll on this subject on my Australian board, and I was curious how the results would compare.

 

You're asked how many languages you can converse comfortably in, or can read with reasonable competence (excluding dialects).

[Mikeyboy 27133]

I'm curious how many votes 0 gets!

[Cato 160314]

Yes indeed, mikeyboy, as am I.

[Newton 714]

I'm confused. Are we talking about French, Russian, Greek?

;););)

[Cato 160314]

Thanks for your question, Newton. No, for once, I wasn't talking about varieties of sexual activities.

On my profile page here, I indicate my interests as spinners, redheads, and linguistics. The last category has been neglected compared with my hundreds of posts on the first two subjects, so this is a way of making some mild compensation. LOL (and teenspeak isn't a language).

[Newton 714]

Cato, just kidding n tried to clarify as well.

;)

[Cato 160314]

Cato, just kidding n tried to clarify as well.

;)

Posted via Mobile Device

I know, Newton. Me too.

Linguistics on my profile page doesn't refer to languages, anyway, but to tongues....

[NotchJohnson 214123]

I voted 3 but understand and could get away with 4 but that's pushing it.

[Mutau 2516]

I voted for the multiplicity of languages that I can read, write, and discourse with others. One question which has always intrigued me: Can love really be a language? :?

[FlyingDutchman 560]

I'm curious to know what the principal languages here are... I'm going to assume, being as we're in Canada and all, that English and French will top the list, but for those who have 3 or more - what are they?

 

And who speaks more than 8? Seriously? My brain couldn't function like that...

[NotchJohnson 214123]

I'm curious to know what the principal languages here are... I'm going to assume, being as we're in Canada and all, that English and French will top the list, but for those who have 3 or more - what are they?

 

And who speaks more than 8? Seriously? My brain couldn't function like that...

Being from eastern Ontario and my parents both being french with my mother from Quebec, I had no choice but to speak French at home all the time, my post secondary education was in English and I took Spanish to help with foreign relations (affair), very useful when visiting Mexico, Porto Rico and Costa Rica. Spanish is fairly easy if you are bilingual as there are many words from the French, English and Latin vocabulary.

 

I have some European friends that speak about 7 languages but most are similar.

[VedaSloan 119179]

Let's see. I can read, write and speak English and Italian. My French is reading comprehensible, but I'm not particularly good at speaking it.

 

I also have reading comprehension in Latin and ancient Greek.

 

I can swear in English, French, Italian, German, and Chinese.

 

Cato, I'm also a fan of linguistics, particularly etymology.

[PistolPete 61421]

Funny nobody has mentioned sign language (reading sign language).

 

BTW Erin I can swear in a couple of languages as well :twisted:

[Mutau 2516]

Following up on Flying Dutchman's inquiry and the response by T'storm, the majority of responses would be English and French. You would also have quite a number with either English or French, plus the language spoken by their parents. You then have, as T'storm mentions, those people who learn another language to travel the world.

 

As concerns polyglots, you will find that people who have lived in Europe or in Asia have command of quite a few languages. It is a matter of what you are exposed to when you are young or if you have a facility with language when you are older.

 

As for me, I consider myself conversant in English, French and Spanish.

[Cato 160314]

The current results on the Australian poll, with 41 people responding, are:

0 0%

1 17%

2 36%

3 15%

4 12%

5 10%

6 2%

7 0%

8 5%

9 or more 2%

 

rounding the results.

 

There was also a very interesting discussion on the Australian board about the difference between a language and a dialect.

 

So we have more trilingual people on cerb, but fewer multilingual respondents so far. A quarter of respondents in the Australian poll speak four or more languages.

[FlyingDutchman 560]

My parents are both strictly anglophone, but put me in the French school system. From there, I learned Spanish in high school (above post was right - it is easy to learn if you know French).

 

In Europe, though, as opposed to here, they're exposed to more languages in general. You're lucky to hear anything other than English spoken (officially, at least) in wester Canada. Just try getting government service in French in Alberta! Or a French-speaking cop in Winnipeg...

[Mikeyboy 27133]

OK.....Who voted for 0??? :lol:

[BownChickaBown 4829]

I speak computer languages.

 

Newfanese too!

[Cato 160314]

A lot of the multilinguals on the Australian board indicate that they speak Asian languages. I'm wondering if that's the case here?

[Guest C****** K***e]

I'm just a classic English and French girl...raised totally anglo, but I have always had enough of an interest that I somehow managed to learn it in my totally Anglo Southern Manitoban school.

My Italian is reminiscent of a 2-year old with a nasty case of potty-mouth, so I don't really count that as a language. I think maybe swearing and asking for vegetables are not particularly useful things :)

[VedaSloan 119179]

I'm just a classic English and French girl...raised totally anglo, but I have always had enough of an interest that I somehow managed to learn it in my totally Anglo Southern Manitoban school.

My Italian is reminiscent of a 2-year old with a nasty case of potty-mouth, so I don't really count that as a language. I think maybe swearing and asking for vegetables are not particularly useful things :)

 

Pfft. Cursing is always useful. And you never know when you might need a cucumber!

[Mutau 2516]

The answer is simple: an individual who is mute. Althought this individual may know sign language and is this then truly considered a "language".

[Jackie James 215]

There's a poll on this subject on my Australian board, and I was curious how the results would compare.

 

You're asked how many languages you can converse comfortably in, or can read with reasonable competence (excluding dialects).

 

Sadly, only one. :oops:

 

How about you, how many languages are you able to speak? 8)

[Cato 160314]

Sadly, only one. :oops:

 

How about you, how many languages are you able to speak? 8)

 

If you're asking me in particular, Jackie, I'm a reasonable linguist. I'd be in the upper categories of the poll.

[belladonna 279]

I only know two - the obvious French and English of the Canadian variety, haha. However, I speak and understand Farsi, although I cannot read or write. Thankfully, I'm taking lessons in the summer so that I may formally call myself a trilingual.

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