The Horse uses his extensive knowledge of Hindi at the pool!

@TheHorse If we need to move around in Europe, we need to know more than one language. My mother language is Italian, my second French, then English and Spanish, a little Portuguese and a little German.

@TheHorse Hah! If only! Europeans aren't born with a special language learning gene. They have to study foreign languages like everybody else. You can believe me. I taught foreign languages for 40 years. The difference between Europeans and Americans is that Europeans want to learn foreign languages because they realise that they need them for contacts with their neighbours and Americans don't want to learn them because their native language is world language No1 and they see no necessity whatsoever to do so. Other peoples should learn their language if they don't do so already. I lived in Heidelberg for some years, a German city which nearly all Americans visiting Europe visit on their tours. It made me dislike them a lot when they approached me and asked me something in English before asking if I spoke the language at all. What arrogance! @LadyDuck

How many languages do you know? I'm jealous of Europeans, because knowing more than one language comes "naturally."

@TheHorse .. oh wow...

You are a teacher aren't you? You must be meeting people from different backgrounds.

I can't even say "hello" in Korean, though I can in Mandarin and Thai.

@TheHorse the Philippines has so many major and sub dialects besides Tagalog which became Pilipino the National language, it's really an advantage here if you could speak or maybe just understand some major dialects especially if you are going North or South of the country. It's funny that your friend who lives there speaks broken English and Spanish when he should probably be fluent by now since English is spoken here and our language has a lot of Spanish, perhaps he is speaking Taglish or the kind well to do families here speak, we are not well to do but I can speak Taglish too lol

My Filipino friend (older) speaks (broken) English, Filipino Spanish, and a couple of other dialects.

I noticed one thing. Filipinos have much better command over English than many of us Indians.

My expressive aphasic kid in Berkeley uses some sign language. He said something using two words today.

@TheHorse I found Italy the most interesting They use their hands a lot to make gestures

@Inlemay Not all Italians do. Gestures are typical for the south of Italy (with the exception of the island of Sardinia where people don't gesticulate) and the lower classes. An upper-class family in, say, Florence wouldn't use their hands when talking. @LadyDuck Do you agree?

I agree. I wish I could spend some time in France.

@Morleyhunt .. oh wow..that is a lot...whole lot ..wish I can learn some French. :)

What languages can you speak (a least a bit of)? The locals were really mean to the Mandarin merchants in the 'hood in Oakland, when I worked there, so they were happy when I said "Nee how ma?" They replied "Hun how" and laughed as I bought a candy bar and a Gatorade.

@TheHorse I'm fluent in English....I'm almost fluent in Dutch...but reading and writing are not polished. Some French (my granddaughter Sandra is going to see to it that I improve). Some German

It's a fictional work. I'm not sure what the literal translation would be.

@TheHorse I know that...I just thought you might know.

Ali who did ba ba like black sheep?

@TheHorse ......THe basics are good in most countries. Only behooves workers to know some English.

Heh. My bad French got me by in both France and Italy.

@TheHorse Yes it does! I think a few cultures use Baba too. Although I was taught that in Japanese, Baba is an "old lady" - not in a nice way.

Does "baba" mean "father" in Persian and Iranian?

@TheHorse unfortunately not much. I regret it now.

Did you learn some German?

@Tampa_girl7 I wish I'd paid more attention in French class.

@TheHorse really nice pool you should have a great visit.

Actually, that's my Aunte's pool on Long Island in NY. I'm hoping to visit her in August.

@just4him I wish I could spend a few months in France.

When I hear native speakers speak, I'm generally lost. If French people speak to me as if I were 3-years-old, I can understand.

@TheHorse I can understand a little bit of French and German as I took it in high school, but since that was back in the stone age, I don't remember a lot of it anymore.

I'm comfortable with little kids in French, since they are just learning language too. I colored with some kids at my friend's wedding in France and had a grand time.

At German?

@teamfreak16 I can get by in France. But I'd like to be able to have a real conversation.

@TheHorse - I picked up just enough to get by.

What other languages have you "dabbled" in? I spoke a few words of Spanish and Hebrew today.

@TheHorse Yes that's true. Those Chinese in this particular part of my country seems to be speaking the same Chinese language. Well that's what I think. As it is I can't really understand what they say.

But there are many spoken dialects in China, aren't there?

@Nawsheen At least they can all read the same text.

@TheHorse .. We could tell you a word that means something but it does not, and you could end up using it with your friends and get beaten up for using that bad word...I am capable of doing that..depending upon my moods, of course.

Please explain.

I know "more" and a few other sign language words.

Heh. I'd have to code "opposite" in my brain.

@RubyHawk I consider myself pretty outgoing too. But I don't speak very many languages.

What languages does he know?

@TheHorse He speaks Hebrew and English but he seems to be able to communicate with people who speak other languages. He's a very outgoing fellow.