Lifestyle > Train of Thought

How many of you are interested in learning or already speak a foreign language?

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TraceOneInfinite:
One of the greatest joys in my life right now is studying Arabic.  Anytime I can find freetime for myself during the day, I'm always having my head in an Arabic Vocabulary book.  I look forward to my Sunday Arabic classes (at the mosque) all weak long, I go to two conversation classes on Sunday mornings, I have a Qu'ranic Arabic tutor on Monday evenings, and I teach beginner classes (at another masjid) on Tuesday evenings.  I get irritated at college and work because I always feel like it is keeping me away from my Arabic studies.  I listen to Arabic tapes and cd's in my car, and in a year I have plans to travel abroad to learn the language fluently.

I am ashamed at all the time I wasted in my highschool Spanish class.  I didn't see any relevance at the time of learning any language other than my own.  I would love to take those classes over again. 

It's more than just learning a language, when you learn another language, you learn another culture.  I've had people explain to me that English is a very technical langauge, that it is a very good language for computers, but that when it comes to literature and poetry (the reading I'm most interested in) English is far behind Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and even Russian.

Sikotic™:
I will learn Armenian and Spanish in the near future. Italian is a dope language too so I'm interested in that.

I've also heard about how English differs from other languages, which makes me want to learn another language even more in order to see how different it truly is.

TraceOneInfinite:

--- Quote from: Sikotic Got More Bitches Than An All-Female Dogg Pound GYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!!! on December 16, 2004, 11:09:36 PM ---I will learn Armenian and Spanish in the near future. Italian is a dope language too so I'm interested in that.

I've also heard about how English differs from other languages, which makes me want to learn another language even more in order to see how different it truly is.

--- End quote ---

I don't know much about Armenian, but Italian is a beautiful langauge.  It flows off of the tounge easily. 

Another interesting thing about langauge is that when you learn a language of another culture, you also learn their history.  In English for example, many words come from Europe's clashes with Islam in the middle ages.  Words they use to describe people, such as "assasin" (After Amir Hasan) or "philistine" (Palestine) come from this period.  Many people have a cushion infront of their house called an Ottoman, which was a name given by the British for 'what they put their feet on' to show their disrespect for the Ottoman Empire. 

Thirteen:
my father is fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and English, he speaks conversation polish, russian and japanese and he knows a little vietnamese and korean

i never had the urge to learn another language, i understand alot of spanish and a little bit of japanese

bLaDe:

--- Quote from: P was banned.. so just call me 'Rap' on December 16, 2004, 11:00:08 PM ---One of the greatest joys in my life right now is studying Arabic.  Anytime I can find freetime for myself during the day, I'm always having my head in an Arabic Vocabulary book.  I look forward to my Sunday Arabic classes (at the mosque) all weak long, I go to two conversation classes on Sunday mornings, I have a Qu'ranic Arabic tutor on Monday evenings, and I teach beginner classes (at another masjid) on Tuesday evenings.  I get irritated at college and work because I always feel like it is keeping me away from my Arabic studies.  I listen to Arabic tapes and cd's in my car, and in a year I have plans to travel abroad to learn the language fluently.

I am ashamed at all the time I wasted in my highschool Spanish class.  I didn't see any relevance at the time of learning any language other than my own.  I would love to take those classes over again. 

It's more than just learning a language, when you learn another language, you learn another culture.  I've had people explain to me that English is a very technical langauge, that it is a very good language for computers, but that when it comes to literature and poetry (the reading I'm most interested in) English is far behind Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and even Russian.

--- End quote ---

That's pretty cool man, the script for arabic is magnificent, but i'm not THAT fond of it spoken.  As for me, in my lifetime I have learned Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, French and English.  But not all of them too well.  For instance, since I was raised in the Middle East and went to a private school, I learned Hindi and Arabic(and english ofcourse).  But I was young, so I never cared much for it, in fact I hated them.  Later I started learning French, which I actually enjoyed a lot.  Then here in Canada I learned how to read/write Punjabi, which is my mother tounge, so I always knew how to speak it.  Also, since i'm from India, and my grandfather knows Urdu, I picked up a little.  But Urdu is written a lot like Arabic, and spoken a lot like Hindi and Punjabi, so it's no biggie.  Anyway so time passed and I stopped taking the classes(they weren't compulsary anymore) and when I came to Canada, again I had no need for them.  Now, sadly enough I have forgotten them.  I know, hard to believe, but like I said, I was young so I never cared much for them anyway.  In the future though I plan on taking some lessons in French and Arabic again.  By the way you're right about the poetic thing, I can personally confirm that poetry in Arabic and Urdu is really beautiful.  I also thought that i'd add that our Holy Book also contains hymns and poems from Muslim and Hindu saints, some of it is even written in Persian and Sanskrit. 

Yeah, learning another language is really great, because you also get to sample the culture.

-b[X] 

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