I need to learn Spanish, here :o(

Moni, when I met you I was impressed with how good your English is.

I speak Spanish, which also has pretty much the same sounds and letters as English.

I tried to learn some Korean, but it wouldn't stick in my brain.

Please define "foreign language"...

In any case, I do :)

I do (couple) both with "funny letters" :o)

when I moved to England (from US) I didn't think it would be a foreign language but they certainly speak differently that I do, my husband says they use the Queen's English and I speak American, so I'm adapting!!

Rose, your husband is correct. As a foreigner, I don't see why the language that is spoken in the US called English. It should be called American language. After all, people in the US are called Americans, why not the language too? There are differences between English and American languages.

Another point, wasn't that the theme of the Revolution War was all about? To proclaim independent from Great Britain. Early Americans built a new nation with a new government here. So, why not declare this language as the American language as well? It would help the rest of the world from being confused.

The same concept should go to the Mexicans. Their language should be referred to Mexican language and not Spanish! Again, there are differences in both of those languages too.

I think that designations already exist for the two english based languages, namely: English and American English. Maybe they should subdivide American english into Canadian and US English. Fortunately, almost all of the words are the same for Canadian and US. The major difference is pronounciation. People in Winipeg, Canada have a delightful lilt and slight Scottish brouge in pronounciation.

Word useage differs between England and the US.

US versus England

Elevator - Lift
US: May I give you a lift (meaning a ride).
Britian: May I carry you?
Hood of an auto - Bonnet
Tea, a beverage served in a cup same as coffee -> Mid-afternoon break where tea is served.

I could not understand english spoken by a Scotsman because of the large difference in pronounciation.

Speaking as a foreign language teacher of thirty years - if you want to really learn and retain a language, learn to read it. Speaking is the skill we usually acquire fastest, but it's also the skill we lose the fastest. With reading, we have added the visual sense, which reinforces our memory! So even if there's no one around to speak with, one can always go online to a foreign language site or pick up a book, e.g.

Languages are primarily related by grammar, even if there are discrepancies in vocabulary. American, Canadian, and British English are virtually identical in grammar and are considered pretty much identical, despite the bonnet-hood and nappie-diaper thingie.

I am bilingual in English and Hebrew and also read Arabic.

Moni, I can just imagine the difficulty your Chinese friend is having. Hard to think of two more different languages than Chinese and English!

I speak French well enough to carry on lengthy conversations, though I'm not fluent. I also read French, and I agree with you about that, Sable. I speak some Spanish, enough to interview and talk with my cllients, but can't read much.

I have a little 'beyond menu' French. With the help of a French/English dictionary I was able to correspond with a distant relative in France.

I took one semester of Russian in college -- a disaster! The alphabet has some letters similar to the English A-B-C's, but they represent completely different sounds and some are written 'backwards' their English counterparts. (I did better with the completely foreign letters.)

It's so important to be able to talk to someone in his or her native language. It's not just 'words'; there are slighly different 'concepts' in the use of the words. In French you don't say, "I am ten years old." You say, "I have ten years."

I speak French although not as well as I used to. My minor in university was French, I taught high school French for a couple of years too. Since I rarely get a chance to speak it I've lost a lot of it. I can get by in everyday conversation.

only english though took the required language classes in hs. (spanish) made sure the kids all took spanish as i figured we'd be in ca for the rest of our lives...not so, lol...but spanish has seen dd1 thru very well as a social worker, in south bend...

now i know more and more kids are opting for chinese, esp in the business world...

Actually, "American" is a bit of a misnomer, when used to distinguish the United States ...

... of "America", that is, not of some other area.

That title belongs to everyone in both American hemispheres from the North pole to Cape horn, doesn't it?

How about calling U.S. folks something like, "Columbians" ...

... but that sounds too much like "Colombians", doesn't it?

ole joyful

I wish I did. I would take up a language immediately if I had someone to converse with on a regular basis. I admire people who can function in more than one language.

Many years ago I worked for a Greek ship owner. This was way before the advent of computers and telecommunication; the closest thing we had were telegrams and cables. These used to arrive all the time. If I received one at the office while he was traveling, he needed me to be able to read it to him over the phone. So I learned the Greek alphabet and was able to read Greek phonetically. I learned some conversational Greek--not a lot, but I spoke with a perfect accent. I had fun being able to sound like a Greek with a limited vocabulary. LOL I've forgotten most of it, but have retained enough to let me fool the occasional Greek waiter.

PS: Moni, I called you out in my 30-mile bike ride thread. (No, I didn't ride the 30 miles! And it wasn't even my daughter this time.) :-)

I am a Dutch Canadian, so I speak both Dutch (although not fluently anymore) and Canadian.

Ole Joyful, in technical term, you'd be correct. However among foreigners, when we speak of Americans, we mean people that come from the USA, not from Canada nor Mexico nor any other countries of South America.

Incidentally, in my native language, we do differentiate the English language vs. the American language. It is the same way when referring to the people of UK and US. It is stated quite clear and there's no confusion between the 2 nationalities.