Which Language Should I Learn?
 

Learn a fake and unimportant language. Like Welsh - tons of people here seem to like speaking in it.

Learn German http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif

What the heck, am I the only one who really likes German? French is just about the only language I dislike. Of the languages I've heard, I either like them or feel neutral, French being the only exception.

So, German http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif.

Failing that, Spanish, because it will give you also reasonable ability to understand Portugese, make learning any other Romance languages easier, and it's just good all-around. Plus, they have inverted question marks!

I need another language to open up more parts of the world for me. For living there, traveling there, working for or with local companies, etc.

Arabic is useless for all of that. For the foreseeable future I won't be able to enter Arab countries. Most Arab companies will not be dealing with Israeli companies or Israelis from non-Israeli companies. So, it's pointless. Learning a language so that I'll be able to chat with Mustafa the falafel seller is not really productive.

I would have thought learning Arabic would open up opportunities for intell work in the IDF.

We do http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/tongue.gif et Français aussi http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gif

Originally posted by Eli
And? That's not a big attraction. Why not? You could be like the Jewish James Bond. The Israeli Q Branch must be awesome.

If you already speak English there's no point learning another one.

Heresson:

I believe we've been through the fake and unimportant languages part. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/tongue.gif

Mike:
That's a good point actually. I'll have to think about it.

Aivo:
I can get an understanding of Arabic culture without learning the language.

LOTM:
As appealing as Maimonides is, I'll have to live without the pleasure. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif

And you're right about the new immigrants. They French are flooding Ashdod for the last few years. I keep hearing the language everywhere. They're also loud as hell. There is a French family leaving on the first floor and I swear that I'll start calling the police on them. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/angry.gif

Learn C, you hippies!

If you're coming to the States, I'd recommend Spanish.

Why would I learn a dead language?

Originally posted by Eli
Why would I learn a dead language? for many reasons, none of which involve living and working in a foreign country though.

If you WERE interested at all in Yiddish for cultural reasons, that would add weight to learning German, since with that, Hebrew, and Russian youd probably understand Yiddish almost completely with little further study.

Spanish has a much easier pronounciation than french, and the spelling system is almsot completely phonetic, you see a word for the first time and always know how to pronounce it.

I think that this is the main thing going for Spanish right now. After all, for the next few years I'll be mostly reading and writing, not speaking.

I learned english in message boards


:P

Originally posted by Wernazuma III

I had the disputable joy of learning Inglich and fransé at the Liceo B-17, Santa Cruz de Colchagua. Our Inglich miss was a complete failure. On a more general side, the English teaching in Chile is a disaster, unless you have a former-exile teacher. French wasn't that bad, actually. What can I say, our public educational system is like crap in some areas, so I wouldn't qualify the "English teached in Chile is a disaster" 'cause it depends on where you learn it.

Originally posted by Wernazuma III
That's a methodological mistake IMHO. The best way to learn a language is to go to the country, alone and without a penny in your pocket. Man, you learn the language in no time. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif Still if that's not possible: talk, talk, talk. Of course, but I don't really have a choice. So a language in which learning to pronounce is easy fits right in.

Sorry, the language must be spoken in at least second world countries. That rules out all your list together with French. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/tongue.gif

Then he shoud learn Chinese http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

Originally posted by Spiffor
Basically, since it's down to Spanish and French:

If you want more opportunities in Europe, learn French
If you want more opportunities in South America, learn Spanish.

French is also very useful in West Africa, if the area is of interest to you, because French is the lingua franca there, not English. well if you exclude Nigeria and Ghana and Liberia and Sierra Leone.