OK, so Japanese might not be the best language to learn. Considering that Spanish was not a bigger winner for me (but that might have been thanks to the lack of interest in the language), it might be worth it to consider more languages.
I have thought about French. Girlfriend speaks a little which helps. Plus every single bloody package in Canada comes in French so learning new vocabulary should not be too difficult. And I would not mind visiting the country. But I have never been able to say words correctly.
Mandarin has been considered. I have a bunch of friends who speak Mandarin (ranging from well to a few words). My pronunciation is surprisingly good for a white boy (a perk of having almost exclusively Asian friends from junior high through my bachelors degree). The writing system is crap (screw ideograms!). Plus I don't have a huge desire to visit the country (although if I went with friends I would totally up for the trip).
I am not at all interested in learning German (just don't like the sound of it). Esperanto is just too esoteric. And I have no interest in Spanish.
Or I could say screw the second language and just stop with American Sign Language (which Meesh and I plan on learning).
4 comments:
Sign language is the universal language. Why visit France when you can visit Quebec (same place practically). Ever thought of latin or perhaps an eastern european language? Latin would give you an anchored base to many languages.
Todd
@Todd
Quebec is not the same as France. The cultures are very different. Hell, they have their own dialect of French in Quebec.
Latin is no fun since I can't practice it with anyone. Yes I might get a good base, but English could also be considered a good base.
As for Eastern European languages, what would you suggest?
Not only is American Sign Language quite fun to learn, but also ASL would be useful for situations where spoken language is discouraged, difficult, or even unintelligible (during a movie, during a loud party, or underwater).
However, it's not as universal as it may seem. As I recall from my ASL 1 course and backed by Wikipedia:
American Sign Language (ASL; less commonly Ameslan) is the dominant sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in parts of Mexico. Although the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a spoken and written language, British Sign Language (BSL) is quite different from ASL, and the two sign languages are not mutually intelligible.
American Sign Language. (2007, July 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:33, July 4, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Sign_Language&oldid=141906532
Personally, I vote you "take up" ASL!
And since I have a head start in French, that comes in second. = P
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