What the Folk!

Really late to the party. I'm a language lover, taught by the nuns in grammar school. We went into detail about a lot (2 words ) of words that now sound like chalk down a blackboard when they're used incorrectly. My worst one is fewer and less. We were taught "fewer for number, less for quantity." If you can say "a number of", you should use fewer, as in Lite Beer has fewer calories. (Not less, as in the commercial. )

With all of this, I never came across could/couldn't care less (I guess because I don't use the phrase much), and surprisingly didn't see anything wrong with could at first until you all pointed out the difference. Thanks for that.

My first language is English. I had two years of Latin, which was one of the best things I ever studied in High School. It made the three years of Spanish a breeze! Latin is to language what ballet is to dance - it's the foundation. Because of having a background in Latin, many words in different languages are easy, because the root words are derived from Latin. It's such a shame it's not being taught much in schools today.
I can't speak Spanish at all now, but I recognize a lot of words from living in NYC and LA (where they have Spanish words first on signs in stores - caja, then cashier). I've often thought of getting Rosetta Stone for Spanish. Then, Amanda, we could schmooze in Spanish!
I look forward to learning a lot here!

I would love to learn latin, you are so right, it's a base for so many languages.

that'd be fun, Nance !! I too loved taking latin and greek in highschool (maybe it had to do with the teacher.. emmm..yeah, good times ) and i still would like to learn modern greek some day.

So, to keep the record straight, how many of you know Spanish? FunnyS, Baker, CJ, Val, Nancy, eejm, vmh? (yes, i'm on my phone and my memory sucks..sorry if i'm missing someone or adding someone )

Well...I know very little Spanish. I've only taken two Spanish courses at my community college and that's supposed to be equivalent to what I was supposed to learn in high school. I spent several hours studying it to keep up with the class (it's not fair how many native speakers were in the class for an easy A) but I enjoyed it though. It's been a year since I've taken a class so I probably need a refresher course.

My mother tried to teach me Vietnamese when I was a child. I think it was her dream for me to learn her first language so I could address relatives and her friends in Vietnamese so she could impress them. That didn't work out. But hey, at least I know how to pronounce phở correctly.

Who me?

I meant to say, he spells words more correctly.

I have a friend who came here from El Salvador when she was 12. Her parents don't really speak English so she speaks Spanish to them. Her younger siblings were born here and though they can speak Spanish they sort of refuse to so they speak English to the parents who answer in Spanish. She feels like her sisters should be more in touch with their heritage but they feel more American. It's interesting to see the dynamics of first generation Americans living alongside family members who spent a chunk of their lives elsewhere and it's interesting to see how people define themselves within that.

I took a year of Spanish in grade school. It was a long time ago but with so many Spanish speakers in this area (who don't speak English ) I sometimes get to put it to use. I just mostly know a few words and phrases. I wouldn't be able to string too many sentences together at least not properly.

I took a year of German in college and I found that pretty easy.

Nancy I've never heard that fewer vs. less thing.

One thing that kills me is when people say "myself" as in "here is a picture of Jemaine and myself"

I have something similar in my family. My brother, Dad, and I all speak English to each other, but Spanish to my Mom. I think by now she can pick up most of what is said. She's always refused to learn English, though. I'm not sure why. Sometimes when I'm talking to both my parents, my Dad will ask me something in Spanish, so that my Mom understands, too, but I answer him in English. It's feels really, really weird to speak to him or my brother in Spanish for some reason.

I suppose Spanish is taught in schools like French is here (well it used to be), most Aussie schools teach an Asian language and French. I know a bit of Indonesian, but I prefer French. Merci

Well Im not fluent by any means. My mom came to the states when she was like 4 or 5 (across the Rio Grande on a Coyote's shoulders) And my dad was born in Dallas to Mexican immigrants. They spoke fluent spanish to each other when they didnt want us to know what they were talking about. My mom wanted us to learn english as a first language due to how hard it was for her to learn english (she didnt learn until she started school and was very much behind the other kids-and Im sure was teased mercilessly ) But she never did get around to teaching us spanish. I took 4 years of spanish in school, but I never used it and I struggle to put sentances together and have a conversation. I always say Im gonna brush up and become fluent, but I never do get around to it.

My neices are learning spanish in school (they are 5 and 6) and their dad is Mexican and is fluent. So my sister speaks to them in english and their dad speaks to them in spanish, mostly. I have yet to really hear them speak spanish though, but at least they understand it .

Its weird, my mom is the first to criticize us for not speaking spanish, but she was the one that made a point teach us english only!

How cool.

One of my cousins teaches Spanish to school kids in Indiana. She married a Mexican man and they adopted 2 children from Mexico who are adorable.

My son watches several shows on TV that teach introductory Spanish. Every now and again he will say something in Spanish and totally blow us away/confuse us because we don't know ANY Spanish in our family (except what Des has taught US, ironically)...well my sister took a couple years of Spanish in high school but she has already forgotten most of it

Yeah her and 6 siblings. Apparently, my grandfather and the coyote went back and forth getting all the kids across. I recently watched an HBO documentary on crossing the border and they followed kids for several days/weeks...its soo dangerous....They came across two 9 yr old kids making the journey by themselves...but they never found out if they ever made it alive. ...I cant even imagine doing that when I was 9.

Where in Indiana? I grew up in Fort Wayne.

Arriba.. Abajo.. Nadar.. he is the cuttest!!

Haha! Today he asked me where you were, it made me sad

I wish I knew more Spanish. I took it for two years in high school and for a year in college, but still don't know much. I mean, I think I could get by with the little I know if I really desperate, but I only know a few words and phrases and that's about it.

I know no Spanish at all. German and French have always been the standard second foreign languages (after English) taught in schools here. Spanish is catching up now though. I originally signed up for Spanish classes in high school, but I ended up leaving after two lessons because none of my friends were doing Spanish

I know just about enough to order up to 10 beers and the nask how much they cost....

I did two years of French in middle school. I can now order basic food, ask for directions (although I would probably not understand the answer) and tell people to open the window... (Foux du fa fa-level in other words)

Then I did 3 years of German in high school, and actually did pretty well The grammar was killing me but fortunately I really have an ear for languages, which means I can hear what words to use without knowing too much grammar. Yay! It's been 14 years since high school and I haven't used German since. I've been to Germany a few times and I can understand a lot of what is being said, but now I am to scared to actually speak it We had a German high school student stay with us for three weeks last spring. We mostly communicated in English, but she was not fluent and when she didn't understand me I had to speak German. I felt like an idiot stumbling along, but she understood me fine (with some German-ised Norwegian thrown in )