Wadledo's Weirdly Warbling Watercress Watching Washing Machine Only Random Banter #96

[Em Blackleaf]

I can speak a little German, but I don't really have any occasion to practice it and keep it sharp. Problem is, if I knew enough to read German literature, it wouldn't be a problem because I could just do that. But I'm not to that level, but still have enough time invested into it to not want to lose it.

Any suggestions?

Get language tapes, if you want to be fluent, or take a class. I don't really know much about languages though... (i dun speek nuh languhges ).

[Dragonrider]

Get language tapes, if you want to be fluent, or take a class. I don't really know much about languages though... (i dun speek nuh languhges ).

yoo spekes wun

[Rockphed]

For the Low, low price of every thing you own, have owned, or will own in the future, I can Conquer Germany and make you grand supreme Governor. Act now! This is totally not fake!

[Arameus]

I own... um... this stolen laptop, a pack of tums, and a dog. I think it's... umm... Part Airedale. Deal?

Oh wait, do you need the clothes of my back, too? Aw, shucks, just take. Em. Emperor's new clothes has been in need of a Teutonic revival.

[Kneenibble]

*waves a lace handkerchief at bosssmiley*
I adore your diction, cowboy.

*straightens stockings/dignity*

Arameus, an older school of acquiring literacy in languages - particularly purely literate ones like Latin or Old English - is not to begin by drilling grammar, as is generally done nowadays. Rather, commentated texts were assigned and struggled through with a dictionary, and grammar learned on the fly. It's more rigorous but with practice, it works. - speaking from personal experience, sir.

Maybe tackle some German children's books and work yourself up to Goethe?

[PhallicWarrior]

Huh. And here I thought I was the only one who wanted to learn German, the language of my forefathers. (Maybe. The guy my mom thought was her dad was really just her foster dad. I don't really know what I am, although I have little facial hair cause of my cherokee blood, the hair on the top of my head is very thick. Is that a Germanic trait?)

[Flickerdart]

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2008/...ted-wallpaper/
^Most epic wallpaper ever. Unless you have a 1920x1200 monitor though, you'll have to lose the animation...

[Em Blackleaf]

yoo spekes wun

Is that a Germanic trait?

My hair is thick, so are my brother's hairs, and I have German ancestry. But, I'm also like, part everything else, so I don't know if it is a Germanic trait, commas. ()

[Cobra_Ikari]

My hair is thick, so are my brother's hairs, and I have German ancestry. But, I'm also like, part everything else, so I don't know if it is a Germanic trait, commas. ()

I as well. 3 people, it must be true! >.>

[Arameus]

My hair is extremely fine. Huh. Then again, I'm a real hodgepodge. Not really a German-Irish or a British-German or anything. Just a standard whitefolks.

But my family name is German, at any rate, and I wanted to learn German as an alternative to French or Spanish; the German program at my school is superior to either. The language itself is also far, far more interesting since it's the quintessential father language of English.

So, is the whole 'Emperor of Germany' deal still on, or did I crate up my clothes and my dog for nothing?

[Em Blackleaf]

I'm German, Scotch-Irish, English, and possibly a small part Russian. I'm a mutt.

I as well. 3 people, it must be true! >.>

The Scientific Method says so. So it's true.

[Zakama]

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2008/...ted-wallpaper/
^Most epic wallpaper ever. Unless you have a 1920x1200 monitor though, you'll have to lose the animation...

Dude... I saw that while listening to When You Believe. EPIC. Also, I DO have a 1920x1200 monitor...

[Kneenibble]

German = quintessential father of English? More like an estranged cousin.
Latin is its father; Anglo-Saxon is its mother; French is its teenage romance.

[Rockphed]

But my family name is German, at any rate, and I wanted to learn German as an alternative to French or Spanish; the German program at my school is superior to either. The language itself is also far, far more interesting since it's the quintessential father language of English.

So, is the whole 'Emperor of Germany' deal still on, or did I crate up my clothes and my dog for nothing?

You did that much faster than expected. I was hoping it would take you 10 years to decide. Then I would already control South Rockphedistan, from which I could launch first strikes at Germany.

I too am assorted white-folks. I too have fairly thick hair. However, my mother(who is probably more germanic than my father) has finer hair than many babies.

[Bookman]

Ooo, what sort of auditions?

I'm directing a play at the local community theater

Break a leg Booky, and no eating the greasepaint you!

Thanks Boss!

I have another night of it tomorrow.... hopefully I'll get the empty slots in my show filled.

[Arameus]

History of the English Language

Liest du das.

I misspoke if I indicated that German as we know it today was the father of English as we know it today, but I meant rather that they are birthed of the same stock and are usually side by side on any graphical representation of the Indo-European Language families.

Speaking of which, Latin isn't anywhere near either of these languages in such a lineage. Yes, it's certainly a forefather, but the relation is too dim and muddled to even call it a great grandfather.

[Kneenibble]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_English_language

Liest du das.

Ær iċ gearwe rædede đæt, ond þeah beheold đæt þe iċ cwæđ!
Seo Englisc ond seo German tongan habbaþ ane ealde modore. Ne German nis hire fæder!
*does a sexy thane dance*

Edit -
Latin has been making sweet love to English over the centuries, baby. Father is the nice way of saying it.

[Rockphed]

Ær iċ gearwe rædede đæt, ond þeah beheold đæt þe iċ cwæđ!
Seo Englisc ond seo German tongan habbaþ ane ealde modore. Ne German nis hire fæder!
*does a sexy thane dance*

Edit -
Latin has been making sweet love to English over the centuries, baby. Father is the nice way of saying it.

I think you have the order backwards. English has been patently stealing bits of Latin for the last 1200 years.

[Kneenibble]

Precisely my point, sir - shall we call the imperious old lecher a sugar daddy, then?

[Dragonrider]

I as well. 3 people, it must be true! >.>

I as well! That's...4?

I'm Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, and German. Mostly Welsh and German. Plus a pinch of Iroquois.

[Rockphed]

I as well! That's...4?

I'm Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, and German. Mostly Welsh and German. Plus a pinch of Iroquois.

But I have a counter-example! Surely that counts for something!

Also, I think Kneenibble's analogy just broke. Latin is dead.

[Serpentine]

On English: I think people forget about the effect on Norse on the language. French and the like might've fancied it up, expanded it and given it much of its shape, but to approximately quote an approximate quote of some historical saying, "You couldn't be born, live or die without Norse." Apparently even words like "egg" come from it.

On descent: All English Well, something like 1/16th Scottish, and my dad has something seriously weird going on there (an aboriginal work aquaintance of his repeatedly comments, "How nice it is to see more aboriginals in your line of work!" He was born in England. He doesn't have the heart to correct her...).

On Book's auditions: Oooooh, you're doing the auditions, huh? Cool. Any stand-out fantastic/awful people?

[Alarra]

^ Does that even have a meaning??
Either way, in a possible future, I might get a drawing tablet.
Does anybody have a suggestion on which to buy?

I have a wacom graphire, which I have been perfectly content with, although I use it less than I'd like.

[Kneenibble]

The analogy is so not broken!

Look at it this way, English married the aged Latin for its money and then inherited its whole damned estate. Latin may be dead - although the ATMs in the Vatican City tell a different story - but it sure wasn't when it was pumping English full of big, Latinate loanwords.

And what did the (stereotypical) Vikings do? Pillage and rape. So bam, Norse takes a mount! - out with most of our pure Germanic inflections, and in with another hot vocabulary injection.

I stand by my analogy.

[Bookman]

On Book's auditions: Oooooh, you're doing the auditions, huh? Cool. Any stand-out fantastic/awful people?

Yup. They were stupid enough to let me direct

There were a couple good people. Nothing extreme (but those are rare) Unfortunately many of the people are good but just can't fit the ROLES I need. And I need more men. I had 5 audition. I need to cast 4.

[Thufir]

Returning to the knowing/learning of languages, I got A*s in GCSE french and german, then dropped them both. As a consequence, I'm forgetting much of what I knew.

Arameus, an older school of acquiring literacy in languages - particularly purely literate ones like Latin or Old English - is not to begin by drilling grammar, as is generally done nowadays. Rather, commentated texts were assigned and struggled through with a dictionary, and grammar learned on the fly. It's more rigorous but with practice, it works. - speaking from personal experience, sir.

Maybe tackle some German children's books and work yourself up to Goethe?

Actually, something along those lines could be useful for me, as I'm pretty sure I still remember the majority of the grammar. It's just my vocabulary that's been lost.

On the subject of english and latin, we've stolen words from everyone ("We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."). Does latin particularly stand out from all the rest?

[Serpentine]

I learnt French for most of primary school (I can remember numbers, "so-so", and a couple of phrases and random words), Italian for about 6 months (nada), and Indonesian through most of high school. I can remember a pretty decent amount of the latter, when I try, and I think I generally did pretty well in the classes (I think I'm okay at the memorisation part, surprisingly), but I couldn't exactly make conversation.

[Katonta]

Languages are a fun thing to learn. I was privileged to have an awesome third grade teacher that taught us French actively. I still remember a few of the things that he taught us and I can get the gist of sentences now, though it's been a while since the third grade and I haven't been able to practice. My vocab totally stinks, though. >.<

Anyways, I'm hoping to get the chance to learn a lot of language! Aside from the coolness factor, it would be a lot of fun to do so. My brother being a linguist himself and going to study abroad in Jordan (the country) has nothing to do with it, either...

[rubakhin]

Hahahah! Your mother tongue is a ho!

And that is why we should all be communicating in the great, powerful, righteous, and free Russian language.

(Well, I'm kidding mostly. Russian has cribbed just as much from Central Asian languages, Finnic languages, etc. and of course from the tongues of the Dutch/French/Americans/whatever exotic culture the Russian people are fascinated by this century. It's still the best language for swearing in, however.)

Unrelated linguistic note: You know, if you stick three fingers in your mouth and say something in German, it sounds exactly, but exactly, like Chechen. (Try it at home!) If you ever run into an insecure Chechen guy who doesn't speak his mother tongue all that well, you can use this to screw with his head.

[Thufir]

Sadly, very few schools in England offer Russian as an option. Though I do have a friend who did it, and is now studying French and Russian at Oxford. I'm a tad jealous of her linguistic prowess.