I was talking to my friend about this yesterday as she was discussing her greek flatmates. She said all her flatmates were at least tri-lingual and that she felt shame that she could only speak English. I feel shame too as English is my only language as well

So we were trying to find answers( excuses) as to why this is the case in this country because I know for the most part we're not the exception, we're the rule. But before I opst my excuses I would just like to know what other languages members of the forum can speak and how these languages were learnt( i.e parents, independant, country placement)

Any replies will be appreciated

blktypeI think its a real shame that this country does not teach more languages too, especially now we are suppose to be part of the European Union.

But I think we should be taught languages such as, 'Hindu', 'Swahilli', 'Punjabi' (sp?), etc,just to be able to talk with people who are on our doorstep now, let alone for only when we go abroad.

nah @ black, terrible innit

My parents always planned to teach us igbo but beacuse my sister had learning difficulties the doctor told them that they shuldnt speak more then 1 language so as to not confuse her

Still no ecuse though, she could hae been taken out the room whilst they teach me and my bro

I have tried to speak the language and aong with French I aim to get at least an intermediate level of knowledge

African parents living in Britain are guilty of speaking to thier children in English, yet when they are older they start complaining that they dont understand their mother-tongue. My parents did this to me and my sister, and when I challeged them my mum's excuse was because we lived with foster parents whilst we were young we were raised in an English speaking environment. Of course I said that when we were back at home for holidays or whatever they still could've spoken Yoruba to us instead of over heads to each other and their friends, and thenshe used that "you would've been confused" excuse too.

Without meaning to disresepct my sweet mumsie, that is complete balls. Look at all those Asian kids who have never set foot in their parents country, yet can blast Punjabi with the best of them as well as achieve academic success at school here. I think it is that African mentality that their kids must speak good English as it gives them higher status, but as time has showed we just end up losing out. Even when I went to live in Nigeria, everyone spoke to me in English. It was only when I insisted that I wanted to learn Yoruba that my cousins spoke it TO me, and not just AROUND me.

I would say to anyone who still wants to learn their mother-tongue, you are NEVER too old to start learing. INSIST to your parents, aunties, uncles, whoever that they should talk to you in your language, then translate it in English later. Even now when I visit my dad I tell him offwhen I catch himspeaking to my little sister and brother in English; he should not make the same mistake he made with me and my other sister... he doesnt need to worry about them learing English, they'll pick it up from the telly and school.

As for European language, I think it is very bad, even embaressing that everyone else on the continent can speak at least two languages, but we cant. Do think it has something to do with us being isolated on an island? I did try teaching myself Italian last year with Linguaphone, but now the tape is somewhere in my room collecting dust. Must fish it out sometime...

Cash,

Don't feel ashamed or bad about not having that ability to do that ( at least for the time being). I think about the many foreigners that are living in my city and I envy many of them know how to speak more than onelanguage. One of my friends who is from Senegal speaks French, Spanish and his tribal Wolof language. To me , as an African-American, I find that to be very intriguing as we as Americans, whether Black Americans or White Americans speak one language of English.

As a kid, I remembered being around primarily Southern Blacks and Whites with a sprinkling of Jewish, Asian and Latin people. Now the ATL and it's outskirts look more like " The Little Big Apple" as one of my other friend from the Brooklyn call it because of the many different people that live here. It's to a point where, I seldom meet a Southerner in my city anymore. They are either from Detroit, New York, Los Angeles or from another country, I'm not joking, (that is why I highly disagree with some people who think that Georgia is just Black and White). Even on certain streets I go one, there is a lot of diversity on it. I see a little Chinatown,a Little Mexico , little Africa.It's a beautiful,educational thing to see.

But as more and more immigrants come here, I felt that I need to learn another language. As a kid I learned a little German, French and Spanish. Right now, my last class is Advanced Spanish. As an American I feel that I need to learn another language. I remembered entering a beauty shop and there was a brother and sister, Latinos from Cuba. In Spanish, the brother said that he wanted a hair cut. Nobody could understand what he said until his sister translated it for him. I go to a Black beauty shop. Some Black beauty shops do White hair, but mine did not. there were two barrier in this: his Spanish and his hair. My beauticians did the best that they could with his hair and it came out nice( Thank god). Georgia in recent years have acquired a high Latino community. I mean what if I'm put in emergency and the man only spoke Spanish or something else, what can I do? What id I go to another country? I would like to know where I'm going or what the person is saying.

Most of the men, I've dated where Black men from other countries and I've always liked how they always spoke more than one language. I'm dating a guy from Mali.He Speaks French and Arabic. What if we got married and had kids by him? I would definately want my kid(s) to experience his culture and to speak his languages( if he isn't too lazy to teach it that is). I would like for them to learn this because not only will the children is a part of him, but our would isn't Black and White. Georgia isn't Black and White anymore, it's multicultural. Not only would it be a good thing to learn about other people, but to learn other languages so will know what to say or do shall you be put in pressruing situation like the one I witnessed at the beauty shop.

After Spanish, I think I want to take French, German, Arabic or maybe some Wolof, if I ever come across a Senegalese person who speaks the Wolof language.

Interesting observations. As one raised in Nigeria, there is no way I wouldn't teach my kids their mothertongue. I have every intention of raisig them in a 2-parent Yoruba-speaking household, hence my wifey would have to be a fluent Yoruba speaker. I think most UK based Nigerian parents from the late 1940s to the early 1990s chose not to teach their kids the mothertongue. Check out the link to the ff article written by A US based Nigerian on the same subject. ( Although it is talks about Naijas in America, the article can be applied to British based Nigerians as well!). Here's the link: http://www.gamji.com/NEWS1822.htm

Enjoy.

yeah i think this country should encourage people learnin more languages..growin up with nigerian parents. they thought me yoruba. tho i dint have the accent for it. when i go to naija fo holz . sometimes i get laughed at but its all good. i can speak em tho. and i can also speak pigeon english as well (that not really a language) but its aiight.. an di feel real proud of it. that i can speak 3 languages..

seriously like someone was sayin earlier bout asian people. yeah i really respect dem peeps. they put they culture first b4 any other. u kno its hard to see an asian man with a thoro englsh accent (posh or cokney) they accent is always semi. but that doesnt stop thm from excelling or gettin jobs of higer ranks. i respect them . the only race left that aint sold-out. respect..

I am intermediate in French and Spanish, i would say due to personal interest and not just school. I am going to do the course as French is my fathers language and i would like to be able to speak fluently when i go to Gabon again, but i do feel that when i have children they will learn French as early as possible so they can converse when they go.

This country does not encourage learning languages, but it is never too late to learn. There are courses everywhere and you can even teach yourself at home. Ask some of your friends to teach you.

Peace~

I think it should be complusory for all children to learn minimum two other languages in school....I wish I paid more attention to my french lessons. Not only that I think the govt should subsidise for adults to learn another language or two encourage us to go to evening or part-time or even self learn at home another language....afterall it will prove for the benefit of the country. You made a very good point Blackbeauty of how the English expect their mother tongue to be spoken in every country they visit but make no attempts whatsoever to learn the language apart from

1. how much is it

2. a pint of beer please

3. where is the toilet

4. what do you mean you don't do a full english breakfast

..... and finally the best yet...

5. DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH OR WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!!!!!!!

@Cashmoney

I just want to say I think you create some good topics they are a breath of fresh air and add an enjoyable element to this forumniceone.gif

thankyou@ mafdet

Guys,

I was thinking about the advanced Spanish class that I was taking. When I first took Spanish, I had these very high expectations that by the time I would be in Advanced Spanish, I would be an expert in the area. Many people, including myself, though and some still think that if we take any language courses that wil be speaking great Spanish, only to learn that that is not, most times the case. Even though I'am in Advanced Spanish, I'm not confident to hold a decent conversaton with a Spanish speaking person as of yet. If there is one thing that I've learned from fluent Spanish speakers Non-american and especially, American is that the true bilingual education doesn't come from the books, it comes from the out side environment.

What worries me about it is being able to speak in the right way far as the pronouciations and tenses far as them being past, present and past participle and things like that. Just imagine me taking about a situation and I speak Spanish about something in the present and they are talking about something in the past. Another thing that I learned about Spanish is that even among Spanish people, not all forms or dialets aren't always accepeted by all Spanish -speaking people. One of my classmates swear that the Argentines are arrogant( he is Latino of Panamian descent. I didn't say this he did , as I'm always thinking two fold) He took a look at our Spanish books and swear by the grace of god that our books aren't correct. Even my own African-American bred teacher said the same thing about some people of Argentima. Oh well! I don't know so I won't judge. But anyways, learning Spanish or any other language will have to be learned in the real Spanish world. In graduate school( wheneverwill decide to go) I have to take 2 more language classes, but along with that, I wil continue to read Spanish newpapers, watchTELEMUNDO or UNIVISION, practice speaking Spanish with otherSpanish speaking people to get a bigger grasp of.Learning the true language of Spanish or any language take time and while the book is all good, we cannot put time on when well become fluent in the language that is up to us and how badly we want to learn it.

Several of my classmates and my teachers a studying in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Spain. I wish that I could go with them because some of them have already been there and really enjoyed themselves. I want to go to Panama or Senegal. If I'm not mistaken some of those guys along with Wolof and French speaks some Portuguese and that may be helpful if I ever visit there( what a beautiful country). So I'm glad that I'm taking this Spanish course. Eventually, I would like to take French. If my friend and I stay together that long, I may ask him to teach me about. Man ! I hear so many people say that French is such a hard language to master. I didn't see it that way. may because I only learned the little basics of it.

i was in the top french class but hated and can only remember key words. when i was in LA soem of my friends were hispanics and they taught some of the lanaguage starting with numbers and basic greetings. i still know some of it just. i hope to take it up and learn it so that i can be fluent.

anyway i always have patois. my mum never spoke to me in english my english friends (white folk that is ) could never understand her. so any jamaican speaking patois fast i can digest it. lol i know many will say patois is not a language but it is spoken by many people and there are dictionaries for it

i almost forgot when i went to uni i became friends with some nigerian girls who taught me some yuroba.

Learning Kiswahili at the moment for varied reasons (mainly because I am a adopted son of Kenya). Hear what your saying Ladyday, people from country areas in JA can be hard to understand if you are not well versed in patois... like you I grew up in a strong African English background... only realised at age 10+ that "you fever wet puss/