Which are the best languages to learn?

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Graag
Yikes, difficult questions.

First of all my preferances
1. Japanese, because I find the culture fascinating and intend to live there for a while. I also love the word constructions. They're pictures! (Still haven't gotten over it).

That would be Chinese more or less. Japanese is mostly phonetic now.

[Zero]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


That would be Chinese more or less. Japanese is mostly phonetic now.

Yea but Japanese Kanas are based on chinese kanjis...

[Adagio]

The best language to learn:

Italian

Why? Well, I know (knew, it's been some years since I last talked to her) some nice Italian girl, and would love to be able to talk to her in her language... oh, and I also like that language, and like Italy

[Bereta_Eder]

I also like the "playfulness" of the Italian language (the accents the sounds etc), although I admit I don't speak it/know it.

[VetLegion]

I got this wish last year to learn chinese but I couldnt find a class in my city. Would it be possible to learn at home, using primarily books and internet?

[Proteus_MST]

Lemme see:

There are some languages which may be useful:

Latin and Ancient Greece: Very important if your son wants to become a scientist or medic. Many Terms in the natural sciences and in medicine are in Latin or ancient Greek. If your son knows what those terms mean in english, it is much more easy for him, to memorize them (and memorizing such terms is very important for studying Medicine or the natural sciences).

Chinese and Japan: Emerging industrial countries, which may be getting more important in the near or far future, so it may be useful to speak them, if your son is becoming a businessman.

English of course, cos it is the lingua franca of the 21st century

French maybe, the reason will become apparent, if you hear a Frenchman trying to speak english

And German of course, cos I am from germany and I like it, if other people speak my language

[VetLegion]

Chinese and Japan: Emerging industrial countries, which may be getting more important in the near or far future, so it may be useful to speak them, if your son is becoming a businessman.

Japan is not an emerging industrial country

Many people here are mentioning Japanese for practical purposes.

I have to state my opinion, I totaly disagree with this. Not that Japanese is bad to learn, just that I dont think you can compare its practical usefullnes with other languages, wheather Japan increases its economic influence or not.

First, as a consumer of Japanese products, you dont benefit from knowing Japanese. They use western standards in most of their products which are always well adjusted and translated since the have any decades of expirience as an exporting nation.

Secondly, Japanese companies have many patents, but I dont think Japan is so advanced in basic science that at any time a scientist may have to learn it.

Thirdly, if you travel, Japanese is pretty confined to Japan only.

Fourth, there is only 120 million of them, and as far as I can recall the number is declining. Their culture migt be getting more influential as countries who havent been exposed to it previousely (Russia for example) pick up some of their pop products, like anime or manga, but this I think doesnt qualify as a very practical thing.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by VetLegion
I got this wish last year to learn chinese but I couldnt find a class in my city. Would it be possible to learn at home, using primarily books and internet?

Possible, though you really need to have a lot of disipline. Pinyin is quite decent for spoken Mandarin.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Calc II
Yea but Japanese Kanas are based on chinese kanjis...

Chinese kanjis? Isn't that redundant?

[monkspider]

Hey, where's the Arabic option!
I voted for
German
Russian
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Hindi
Persian

-edit oops I didn't read initial post