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  • Subject: What languages are the best to know if you start travelling the world?
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Subject: What languages are the best to know if you start travelling the world?

Dragon, you know, if you plan on visiting skyrim anyway.

  • 01.06.2013 3:53 AM PDT
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''Misanthropes have some admirable if paradoxical virtues. It is no exaggeration to say that we are among the nicest people you are likely to meet. Because good manners build sturdy walls, our distaste for intimacy makes us exceedingly cordial "ships that pass in the night." As long as you remain a stranger we will be your friend forever.''

''I want people to be sincere; a man of honor shouldn't speak a single word that doesn't come straight from his heart. ''

English.

  • 01.06.2013 3:54 AM PDT
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Lady Astor: "If I were your wife I'd put poison in your coffee."
Winston Churchill: "If I were your husband I'd drink it !"

Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_n ative_speakers

[Edited on 01.06.2013 3:55 AM PST]

  • 01.06.2013 3:55 AM PDT

Depends where you go. When I backpack I hope to learn every nations language.

You can never really truly learn a language unless you live that language. Lessons don't do -blam!-.

  • 01.06.2013 4:14 AM PDT


Posted by: III H1TMAN III

Posted by: defenderofgo

Posted by: III H1TMAN III
So does latin. :P
I took 2 years of Latin. No one speaks it.


Oh... Then I think I won't go for Latin..


You really thought people still speak Latin? Its just like ancient Greek, an extinct language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_language
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dode_taal

OT: English and Spanish.
If you undrstand spanish, you can also understand a little Portuguese.

[Edited on 01.06.2013 4:21 AM PST]

  • 01.06.2013 4:20 AM PDT


Posted by: Wild Smurf 14

Posted by: defenderofgo

Posted by: III H1TMAN III
So does latin. :P
I took 2 years of Latin. No one speaks it.

I've got to wonder though, since Spanish, French, Italian, and a few other languages are based off of Latin, is there enough common ground to understand and communicate with those languages?


Yes, a coulpe of words are still the same, they're all Roman languages, but you cant understand the others if you understand one... I've learned Latinin school, and its a lot different from French or Spanish.
Some words from Ancient Greek are also similar to Dutch or even English, but you cant understand it if you speak those languages...

  • 01.06.2013 4:24 AM PDT


Posted by: Th0mas10

Posted by: III H1TMAN III

Posted by: defenderofgo

Posted by: III H1TMAN III
So does latin. :P
I took 2 years of Latin. No one speaks it.


Oh... Then I think I won't go for Latin..


You really thought people still speak Latin? Its just like ancient Greek, an extinct language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_language
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dode_taal

OT: English and Spanish.
If you undrstand spanish, you can also understand a little Portuguese.


I wanted to post that with this one... Silly me...

  • 01.06.2013 4:26 AM PDT

hmm

English, French, Spanish and Mandarin.

  • 01.06.2013 5:56 AM PDT

AV=http://avatar.coolclip.ru/albums/Avatars/Avatars%2090x90/A vatars_90x90_022.gif
BG=http://avatar.coolclip.ru/albums/Avatars/Avatars%2090x90/A vatars_90x90_022.gif


Posted by: Wild Smurf 14

Posted by: defenderofgo

Posted by: III H1TMAN III
So does latin. :P
I took 2 years of Latin. No one speaks it.

I've got to wonder though, since Spanish, French, Italian, and a few other languages are based off of Latin, is there enough common ground to understand and communicate with those languages?
Yes. Most nouns are exact cognates, or have a difference of one letter. In Spanish most simple and basic verbs start with the same letter as English so it is easy to guess what's being said.

The rest is just accommodating to changes of simple words like the, it, and interrogatives. You can create broken, but understandable, sentences.

[Edited on 01.06.2013 6:04 AM PST]

  • 01.06.2013 6:01 AM PDT

iPhone 4S 64GB Black.

Europe - English.
North America - English.
South America - Spanish.
Asia - English.
Africa - English.
Oceania - English.

  • 01.06.2013 6:13 AM PDT

#rubberdingirapids


Posted by: TomoK12
British Isles- English
Europe - German/French
North America - English.
South America - Spanish.
Asia - Russian in the north, English/mandarin for the rest
Africa - French/English (Although there isn't any need to learn French if you don't fancy a trip to places such as the DRC or Chad)
Oceania - English.


Fixed

  • 01.06.2013 6:24 AM PDT
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  • Fabled Legendary Member

I understand nothing because my life is a conspiracy.

English, German, and Mandarin.

  • 01.06.2013 6:26 AM PDT

Allons-y!

French, English, and German. If you plan on going to Asia more often, then I suggest Chinese.

  • 01.06.2013 6:27 AM PDT

iPhone 4S 64GB Black.


Posted by: Cheeseoid

Posted by: TomoK12
British Isles- English
Europe - German/French
North America - English.
South America - Spanish.
Asia - Russian in the north, English/mandarin for the rest
Africa - French/English (Although there isn't any need to learn French if you don't fancy a trip to places such as the DRC or Chad)
Oceania - English.


Fixed

I thought the OP was talking about travelling the world, not living in every country. English will get you places more than any other language will. And why would you learn Russian or mandarin just to travel in Asia when there're plenty of people who speak English to go around? English is the official language of the European Union, and I've gotten around more than good with it.

  • 01.06.2013 6:30 AM PDT
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Dat illuminatic.

Learn English, and then a bot of spanish and ur good to go.

  • 01.06.2013 6:48 AM PDT
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Posted by: MyNameIsCharlie

Posted by: III H1TMAN III
Okay, then I might learn for those languages. Thanks you guys!

PS: French seems so hard! :O

So does latin. :P
french is probably the most useful after English.


I disagree.

I'd say Spanish/Italian/Portuguese are more useful after English. Just knowing one of those can help you understand and communicate with the other two.

I'm a fluent Spanish speaker and have had frequent conversations with other people who only spoke Italian or Portuguese, and we can understand each other fine.

  • 01.06.2013 6:51 AM PDT
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English, Spanish, mandarin.

  • 01.06.2013 7:26 AM PDT

There's a “U” and “I” in union but just an “I” in my beliefs

English someone else is bound to speak it.

  • 01.06.2013 7:32 AM PDT

English

  • 01.06.2013 7:34 AM PDT

Never make me angry. I am a Hitman and I can easily find you and take you out.

Wow.. I didn't expect to get so many replies.

You guys really want to help me. :'D

  • 01.06.2013 7:48 AM PDT

Posted by: Billygoat456
I'll bring the tritium laser cutters if you bring the beer!

Funny story.

Posted by: III H1TMAN III
Wow.. I didn't expect to get so many replies.

You guys really want to help me. :'D
People just enjoy being pedantic about these kinds of things.

  • 01.06.2013 7:49 AM PDT
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To copy someone else's format:

Africa: Arabic, English, French and Portuguese should get you along well, but it wouldn't hurt to learn native languages. Also, if you're going down to southern Africa, you should definitely learn Afrikaans (which you can easily learn due to it being a sister language of Dutch) and/or isiZulu.

Asia: While English and Arabic will get you places, learning Mandarin, Russian, Hindi and Japanese would definitely be beneficial.

Europe: Honestly, you'd be better off learning all the native languages (though many are mutually intelligible, such as many of the Scandinavian languages).

North America: English, French and Spanish are really the only languages spoken on the continent by a majority (excluding creoles that are common in the Caribbean), so if you know any of those three languages, you're set.

Oceania: Let's be frank and admit that you'd likely only go here for Australia, Hawai'i or New Zealand, so English. Heck, most of the smaller islands/countries are either possessions of Australia, New Zealand or the US or were former British possessions, so English would still be your most useful language.

South America: Spanish is of course the most widespread and used language on the continent, but learning Portuguese would definitely be a bonus, given Brazil's size and power.



[Edited on 01.06.2013 7:58 AM PST]

  • 01.06.2013 7:56 AM PDT

Mongolian

  • 01.06.2013 7:58 AM PDT

Posted by: Recon Number 54
Life is a journey, if you spend all of it with your nose in your map, you may miss some of the best parts.


Posted by: Kaltyr
Mandarin, Spanish, and French are the most useful. Perhaps German if you're traveling exclusively in Europe.

  • 01.06.2013 8:03 AM PDT

¡Español!

  • 01.06.2013 8:21 AM PDT

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