Nevertheless you should start learn more than one language

Originally Posted by ObjSRgtLw

Nevertheless you should start learn more than one language

Only one?

In the merchant marine, I learnt a smattering of many languages, but never had the chance to get serious about any of them, which was a great pity. I grew up in an area of Australia where many of the families spoke Plattdeutsche, and had a moderate understanding of the spoken language, but only ever spoke a little.

Besides that, I really liked Italian, Spanish and Japanese, and would have liked to live in those countries long enough to become reasonably proficient. Unfortunately I had to earn my living and never got the chance. It's a bit too late now.

learn french and german and the rest is easy to get

Originally Posted by ObjSRgtLw

learn french and german and the rest is easy to get

About 20 years ago, I joined a 4WD club and one night we were all around the camp fire talking and having a few wines. Obviously this loosened up my inhibitions a bit, because next morning several of the other members were laughing about the previous night's conversation said that I was holding quite a good conversation in German with several of our German expatriate members for several hours. It must have been quite a night, as I didn't remember much about it.

Similarly I only have to be with my cousin's Japanese wife for a few hours before I find that I can speak a little Japanese again. It's all obviously still in the brain box, but just needs a bit of coaxing to come out.

I can relate to that as well.
If someone says "hey, say this in such and such" it doesn't come out very well but if someone starts speaking it and I start hearing it, they start to come back.

I know a smidget of Spanish. Enough to talk to the contractors that are out here at the chemical plants to make them understand me.

Originally Posted by the_13th_redneck

I can relate to that as well.
If someone says "hey, say this in such and such" it doesn't come out very well but if someone starts speaking it and I start hearing it, they start to come back.

That reminds me of when I was a kid, migration was a big thing in the early 1950s in Australia, and we had every imaginable variety of European migrant at school.

Somehow someone found out that if you asked a Dutch kid to say "888 ovens" in Dutch it used to sound like they were vomiting. We would all fall about laughing while the poor Dutch kid stood there with a confused look on his/her face.

Find a Dutchman with a good strong Dutch accent and try it.

Sorry, Nick, Piet, Thea, Anna and all the others .