# How many languages at a time?



## Davidius (Aug 20, 2008)

For those of you who have been to seminary, or studied languages as undergraduates, for missions preparation, etc., what is the highest number of languages that you have studied simultaneously?


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## TimV (Aug 20, 2008)

Two for me, Afrikaans and Zulu, and it took me 4 years to get up to conversational standards in both. Your mind is younger and more flexible, though ;-)


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## fredtgreco (Aug 20, 2008)

Three. Two seriously (Latin and Greek) one for a lesser degree of understanding (German or French)


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## VictorBravo (Aug 20, 2008)

Three here too. French, Arabic, Spanish.

I actually think that studying a couple at a time is helpful, especially if they are related (like studying two Romance languages or Arabic and Hebrew). 

But I had a head start on French when I was studying the other two. My only big problem was that I tended to speak Arabic with an Americanized French accent--which sounded pretty funny to native speakers.

BTW, my French is still good, my Arabic and Spanish have fallen to probably a 2nd or 3rd grade level. Use it or lose it if you learn the languages as an adult.


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## Davidius (Aug 21, 2008)

Thanks for your responses. I'm thinking about taking Latin, Greek, German, French, and Mandarin Chinese this semester. The first four don't really worry me, since my German and Latin are very good, I've already had a year of Greek and done well, and think that French will be a breeze with my background. On top of it all, I'd really like to take on Chinese because I want to learn a modern language that could possibly give me practical employment options in case academia doesn't work out or I ever need to find something to do for whatever other reason, between degrees, on the side, etc. But from what I hear, it's very difficult, so I'm sort of nervous about picking it up with two Latin courses and a Greek course, especially because I would be starting on Friday and would have missed one class already.

Ideas, encouragements, or relevant warnings would be very much appreciated, especially from anyone who has studied Mandarin.


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## Pergamum (Aug 21, 2008)

I am working on one, a differing regional dialect of that same language (far enough to require a lot of learning), plus an unwritten tribal language that needs to be reduced into written form (this last one is going to kick my butt).


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## Pergamum (Aug 21, 2008)

I studied Cantonese intensively for 6 weeks (barred from using any outside text books in my training course) as practice. The theory behind a lot of missionary linguistic training is that our minds have a "language muscle" and the more you use it the more "ripped" you'll get. This muscle ages quickly and so start young. 

You, may friend, might be a Linguistic Arnold Scharzenegger!


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## Davidius (Aug 21, 2008)

Pergamum said:


> I studied Cantonese intensively for 6 weeks (barred from using any outside text books in my training course) as practice. The theory behind a lot of missionary linguistic training is that our minds have a "language muscle" and the more you use it the more "ripped" you'll get. This muscle ages quickly and so start young.
> 
> You, may friend, might be a Linguistic Arnold Scharzenegger!



How difficult was Cantonese? Do you know anyone who has learned Mandarin over there?


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## Pergamum (Aug 21, 2008)

Tonal languages are tough, but if you are studying languages in order to improve your study of languages (if that makes sense) then every linguist should study a tonal language at least for a short time. And also a language that does not use roman script.


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## vagabond (Sep 20, 2008)

I did three in class at the same time...Greek, Hebrew, and Russian, though only one of those was spoken. But I learned Ukrainian on my own at the same time. So, I guess four? And I did fine.

Right now, back in the States from Ukraine, I'm working on Hindi, Japanese, and Indonesian, in preparation for a trip to Asia. I don't think I'll take a language in school again. If you're self-motivated, school is the worst way to learn a language, because the class adopts (at least somewhat) to the students who have a lot of trouble, or don't even try. A very small class might be an exception...


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## N. Eshelman (Sep 20, 2008)

Two- for me studying Greek in undergrad was also studying English. I learned all that I should have learned in high school!


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## Mushroom (Sep 20, 2008)

Use it or lose it is the truth. I once was fluent in Thai, and almost so in Mandarin, but I was young then, and they both have atrophied to the point that I can only count and use a few basic phrases now. I found then that immersion and trying to get to know the mindset of native speakers was helpful. Syntax that is foreign to an American mind seems to make more sense from its native perspective.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Sep 20, 2008)

nleshelman said:


> Two- for me studying Greek in undergrad was also studying English. I learned all that I should have learned in high school!


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## Poimen (Sep 20, 2008)

nleshelman said:


> Two- for me studying Greek in undergrad was also studying English. I learned all that I should have learned in high school!



I was going to say the same thing except that in seminary I also studied Hebrew at the same time I studied English and Greek.


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