Can you speak more than one language? — Scope | Disability forum
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Can you speak more than one language?

66Mustang
66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
edited January 2022 in Coffee lounge
Just wondering out of curiosity whether we have any multilingual people here.

I guess for clarity’s sake you should answer 2+ if you have the vocabulary to comfortably hold a conversation in your second language.

Can you speak more than one language? 17 votes

Just one language
58%
leeCalwoodbinejaner196766MustangTori_ScopeRoss_AlumniMarkM88L_VolunteerTheAlienLibby_Alumni 10 votes
2 or more languages
41%
[Deleted User]GlobsterSandy_123[Deleted User]Poppy_Autumn_Feelingrish 7 votes
«1

Comments

  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    My second language is nonsense :) 

    I did learn German to A-level standard in school, and quite a lot of that has lingered in my mind, so I reckon I could at least get by if I was there on holiday or something.
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  • MarkM88
    MarkM88 Community member Posts: 3,127 Connected
    Just one language
    Unfortunately not. 

    I did do French to GCSE but I was never any good at languages and came out with an F. 
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    edited January 2022
    Just one language
    I wanted to do German but I was no good at French so they wouldn’t let me. :( 

    In my 13 year old mind I thought German would be more useful as I was into engineering and science so was more likely to go to Germany, I thought France was more arts and cooking. :D 
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    @MarkM88 that’s better than I got, didn’t even make it to GCSE!
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    The part I enjoyed most about learning German was the school trips, we went to the Christmas markets in Koln. The language itself was very interesting too, I find it humourous that people associate German with sounding quite angry in general.
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  • vikingqueen
    vikingqueen Scope Member Posts: 1,411 Disability Gamechanger
    I can get by in Turkish but it is a very hard language to learn, and the problem is when you speak to them in Turkish they answer back in English. You can't win with them 🙄
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    Yes it sounds like a great country,. I agree it is a silly thought about the language sounding angry. I’m guessing it came from the war, prison officers maybe? I have met several people who use a German accent and impersonate a prison officer when they are mocking rules/regulations. E.g. “you vill not park on ze yellow lines or you vill be shot”.

    I quite like how Germans have one word where we have several words. :)
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    @vikingqueen haha that is funny. I can imagine Turkish being a hard language to learn. Impressive that you could get by over there. :)
  • Globster
    Globster Community member, Community Volunteer Host, CP Network, Scope Member Posts: 2,355 Disability Gamechanger
    edited January 2022
    2 or more languages
    I speak Gujarati at home with my parents 
    Otherwise I speak english

    I am a Community Volunteer Host. Please note: if I use the online community outside of its hours of administration, I am doing so in a personal capacity only.

  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    @Globster that’s awesome :)
  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 46,765 Disability Gamechanger
    2 or more languages
    I did O level Punjabi, which was useful at work as I was 1 always  asked to communicate.  Not that hard really. Also when working with old veterans who were stationed in India they also could count in Punjab etc, they got quite a surprise when I joined in with them. I'm not going to loose it as I use it.
  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community member Posts: 2,586 Disability Gamechanger
    edited January 2022
    I'm not sure I 'comfortably' speak one language tbh!  :D

    I got a C in French GCSE (got a high written grade pulled down to a C by the poor oral exam, same as my English GCSE, yet no-one had suggested potential ASD at the time!).  I believe I could get by in France by reading signs etc but wouldn't be able to understand a fast paced conversation.  Though admittedly struggle with that in English too, especially with strong accents.

    I've also got a bit of German and Italian but not enough for a conversation.


  • leeCal
    leeCal Community member Posts: 7,550 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    We did French at school but I left before O levels so who knows if I’d have passed or not, I think I was average at it so probably would’ve passed. 

    I like it that a great proportion of the world world speaks English 🤣

    “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.” 
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,521 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    I can speak some schoolboy French and have picked up some Spanish when on holiday, but the answer is not really.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    What a coincidence I have just this morning ordered an audio course to learn Spanish as I wanted to do a new course and with the long term plan of moving round Spain thought I would get prepared 

    Like many I did gcse French at school but only retained a few bits of it 
  • Autumn_Feeling
    Autumn_Feeling Community member Posts: 67 Courageous
    2 or more languages
    I studied some French in High School. Then, I took Scottish Gaelic in my last couple of years.

    Nowadays, I’m self taught in Korean which is still work in progress.
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    @OverlyAnxious glad I wasn’t the only one. I got A*-B grades for all my English coursework but this was brought down to a C because I didn’t do well in the speaking or drama sections :(
  • TheAlien
    TheAlien Community member Posts: 228 Pioneering
    Just one language
    I can swear in several different languages, but I'm not sure that counts, lol.
  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Community member Posts: 16,007 Disability Gamechanger
    I wanted to learn Latin, so you had to take it a year earlier than other O levels, & also had to learn Greek(?) tho didn't have to be examined with the latter. Not very helpful with modern languages, but I did pass my Latin exam. I do find it helpful however in understanding the roots/meaning of some words.
    I also (just) passed in French, altho I would have preferred to do German, which I've studied on & off over the years having basic conversational skills, & was able to help my son when he did German at school.
    Our English teacher, who was Welsh, also gave some of us who were interested in learning some Welsh, lessons in the 6th form, but unfortunately I hardly remember any.
    I don't swear (honestly), but can do so fluently in Norwegian, which got me out of a scrape when I was much younger. My friend parked on double yellow lines to quickly go into an Off Licence. Whilst he was inside a Police officer approached....hmmm, so I swore in Norwegian phrasing it as a question. My friend came back, & the Police Officer just waved us on.  :)

  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    Just one language
    chiarieds said:
    I don't swear (honestly), but can do so fluently in Norwegian, which got me out of a scrape when I was much younger. My friend parked on double yellow lines to quickly go into an Off Licence. Whilst he was inside a Police officer approached....hmmm, so I swore in Norwegian phrasing it as a question. My friend came back, & the Police Officer just waved us on.  :)

    A very random use of that particular skill :D 
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