Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Arvel Joffi · 03-20-2003, 12:14 PM

Nobody's suggested Klingon yet? I thought we had a goodly amount of nerds here. I'm disappointed.

And I'm not even a Star Track fan.

KoopaFanatic · 03-20-2003, 05:25 PM

Quote:

It has really fun cuss words, like "itil jankrit" (grasshopper clitoris).

Okay, I think I'm sold. Plus, I'm borrowing this one for daily use in English

Now I just need to track down a good text...

B. H. Manners · 03-20-2003, 07:33 PM

Learn Arabicso you can read the Koran in the "original" language, and then point out all the lies and bull the imams preach concerning what the Koran really says!

trientalis · 03-20-2003, 09:54 PM

Then there's Georgian, which is jokingly described as consisting entirely of irregular verbs.
The alphabet's awfully pretty though.

ju'iblex · 03-20-2003, 10:12 PM

Learn tamil! it has the most beautiful letters

or hindi:

im not john wayne · 03-20-2003, 10:21 PM

i have always wanted to learn japanese or french.

neither were choices.

Giorgia · 03-20-2003, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KoopaFanatic

At this point, I'm not really concerned about utility...it's more about learning the language for fun and aesthetic reasons.

Hi, Koop!

I voted "other" because, if I had time to learn a new language, I'd be stumped by the choices myself. Here's my list:

Russian (great literature, sounds incredibly good, could come in handy in business some day);

Czech (I've been listening to it on SCOLA broadcasts, and it has a delightful sound);

You already know German, so Dutch would be easy -- and a natural link between German and English;

Klingon (novel as an invented-language actually spoken by a few thousand nerdy-linguistic types; also has those great spittin' cuss-words);

Any Native American language which is facing extinction (great for understanding the culture, and you'd be doing something anthropologically useful);

Basque (just slightly less obscure than Klingon; useful when traveling in remote parts of France and Spain);

Hungarian / Roma language (I seem to remember reading that this language is quite unrelated to other Indo-European languages);

Standard, written Arabic (Heleilu is right, there are many, many spoken dialects, but the written word would give you access to some very interesting historical texts and poetry as well);

or, just study French in more depth (mostly for the literature and poetry; would also come in handy if you decide to travel in Africa).

I w�nsche Dir mit deiner Entscheidung wohl!

KoopaFanatic · 03-21-2003, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Giorgia

Klingon (novel as an invented-language actually spoken by a few thousand nerdy-linguistic types; also has those great spittin' cuss-words);

Actually, Klingon is supposedly the most widely spoken constructed language, handily beating out Esperanto and anything Tolkien devised

qapla'!

Quote:

Any Native American language which is facing extinction (great for understanding the culture, and you'd be doing something anthropologically useful);

The local Saginaw Chippewa band periodically offers classes in Ojibwe, but unfortunately not right now

I hear it's easier to find teachers for Lakota, Navajo and Quechua, but I don't live anywhere near said teachers.

Quote:

Standard, written Arabic (Heleilu is right, there are many, many spoken dialects, but the written word would give you access to some very interesting historical texts and poetry as well);

Plus, the writing system is cool. (And I have to disagree with ju'iblex. Thai has the prettiest letters.)

Quote:

I w�nsche Dir mit deiner Entscheidung wohl!

Danke.

Dr. Retard · 03-21-2003, 11:04 AM

Learn Czech. There are almost no good resources available for the learner, so you can pressure me to get off my ass and make a good learner's website.

Also, you get to make a funny r sound.

Secular Pinoy · 03-21-2003, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Thai has the prettiest letters.

But have you heard it? It sounds really goofy. The writing system looks cool, yes.

View Poll Results: What language should I learn?
Arabic	12	16.90%
Greek	12	16.90%
Latin	19	26.76%
Russian	19	26.76%
Spanish	26	36.62%
Swahili	5	7.04%
Other (please explain)	17	23.94%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 71. You may not vote on this poll

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03-20-2003, 12:14 PM	#31
Arvel Joffi Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 3,359	Nobody's suggested Klingon yet? I thought we had a goodly amount of nerds here. I'm disappointed. And I'm not even a Star Track fan.

03-20-2003, 07:33 PM	#33
B. H. Manners Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 1,213	Learn Arabicso you can read the Koran in the "original" language, and then point out all the lies and bull the imams preach concerning what the Koran really says!

03-20-2003, 09:54 PM	#34
trientalis Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Washington state Posts: 848	Then there's Georgian, which is jokingly described as consisting entirely of irregular verbs. The alphabet's awfully pretty though.

03-20-2003, 10:12 PM	#35
ju'iblex Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sydney Australia and beyond the realms of Gehenna Posts: 6,035	Learn tamil! it has the most beautiful letters or hindi:

03-20-2003, 10:21 PM	#36
im not john wayne Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: USA Posts: 9	i have always wanted to learn japanese or french. neither were choices.

03-21-2003, 11:04 AM	#39
Dr. Retard Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA Posts: 735	Learn Czech. There are almost no good resources available for the learner, so you can pressure me to get off my ass and make a good learner's website. Also, you get to make a funny r sound.

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