Which Language Should I Learn?

[Eli]

Now that I think of it, by the time I finish learning that new language, some wise ass will invent a universal translator.

[Barnabas]

Dont listen to them!

I am pretty much an ethnic kraut and all that nazi heiddegerian bull**** about how great the german langauge is and how its concepts are impossible to translate are just bs.
English is as good as german in creating new words, to the point that german is being invaded by english words, also german isnt that useful because all germans speak english, and like to speak it, speaking german in germany is actually hard for a foreigner trying to learn the german langauge, because of how much the locals like to speak english.


If I were you I would learn arabic,
and from french and spanish I would choose spanish

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Solver
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 .

I enjoyed studying German

As to the O.P., I'd suggest Arabic. It seems like it would be the most useful language for you, considering where you are.

EDIT: I see that you've already stated that you don't want to learn Arabic. Why did you list German and Arabic as options if you already knew that you weren't interested in learning them

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Eli




Why?

I dont suppose you'll be interested in reading Franz Rosenzweig, Herman Cohen or, heaven help us, Theodore Herzl in the original either?


"Die Juden, die wollen, werden ihren Staat haben, und sie werden ihn verdienen. "

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
The problem with german is remembering the gender of things, in spanish you know the gender depending on the letter the word end in.

In german if you learn a new word, you have to memorize if it is die der or das

There are some German endings that tell you the gender of the word. -ung, for instance, is always feminine

Anyway, this is one area in which English has other languages beat. We only use gender when things actually have a gender. Everything else is neuter.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
german isnt that useful because all germans speak english, and like to speak it, speaking german in germany is actually hard for a foreigner trying to learn the german langauge, because of how much the locals like to speak english.

Maybe in the cities, and even then it's not entirely true in my experience. I spent some time in rural Westphalia and most people didn't speak English (or if they did, they spoke limited English)

[Eli]

Originally posted by Wycoff
EDIT: I see that you've already stated that you don't want to learn Arabic. Why did you list German and Arabic as options if you already knew that you weren't interested in learning them

I was doing the thinking in the OP, so I started from all possible major languages, narrowing it down.

LOTM:

Reading anything in the original is not a reason to learn a language. Get over it.

[senowen]

Originally posted by Eli
Now that I think of it, by the time I finish learning that new language, some wise ass will invent a universal translator.

They already did, its called English.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Eli


I was doing the thinking in the OP, so I started from all possible major languages, narrowing it down.

LOTM:

Reading anything in the original is not a reason to learn a language. Get over it.

Poetry cannot be translated; and, therefore, it is the poets that preserve the languages; for we would not be at the trouble to learn a language if we could have all that is written in it just as well in a translation. But as the beauties of poetry cannot be preserved in any language except that in which it was originally written, we learn the language.
Johnson

[VetLegion]

I'm going to learn Chinese some day when I have more free time, soon I hope. Spanish is just too easy, I know I could pick it up within a couple of months if need arises, so I won't bother with it. Chinese is the next big thing, hopefully Mandarin is fairly standard there because I'll learn only one.

[Meticulous Man]

BTW, I've noticed lately that I can't help thinking that languages other than English no longer are there but for the sake of simulation, or "fun". In practice, the "real" basis for the existence of multiple languages has disappeared. What do you think?

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Aivo½so
BTW, I've noticed lately that I can't help thinking that languages other than English no longer are there but for the sake of simulation, or "fun". In practice, the "real" basis for the existence of multiple languages has disappeared. What do you think?

Explain what you think this "real" basis for the existence of multiple languages was and how it disappeared. I'm not at all clear on what you're getting at.

[Meticulous Man]

I'm thinking about the geographical and cultural barriers that in the earlier periods made linguistic differentiation and separate linguistic communities possible and that now are about to disappear due to the globalized economy and culture. So the only reason to keep multiple languages alive that one could think of would not be real necessity but simulation.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Aivo½so
I'm thinking about the geographical and cultural barriers that in the earlier periods made linguistic differentiation and separate linguistic communities possible and that now are about to disappear due to the globalized economy and culture. So the only reason to keep multiple languages alive that one could think of would not be real necessity but simulation.

I'm not sure that it matters if we are preserving them out of necessity or not. What matters is simply how much the languages themselves are valued.

It appears to me they are valued very highly indeed and this, rather than any assertions of necessity of linguisitic diversity are behind efforts to preserve the various languages.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Geronimo


I'm not sure that it matters if we are preserving them out of necessity or not. What matters is simply how much the languages themselves are valued.

It appears to me they are valued very highly indeed and this, rather than any assertions of necessity of linguisitic diversity are behind efforts to preserve the various languages.

as long as its easier to get a job in country x, and to get around in country X by learning its language, people will learn the language of country X despite country X being relatively small and unimportant.

Do, say, Turkish immigrants to Finland learn Finnish, or just skip it and try to learn English and get by in that?

I doubt any languages that are national languages of a state will disappear any time soon.

The most likely candidates for disappearance are ones that are spoken only in rural areas, that are not useful for survival after one has moved to the city. Thus in Africa "tribal" languages, the speakers of which adopt English or French or Portugese or Swahili after moving to the capital. In your country, Sami might have some difficulties.