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RedDeerGuy1's avatar

How many languages can you understand?

Asked by RedDeerGuy1 (24947points) January 13th, 2024

Including computer languages?
Including sign languages?
Including fictional languages (Klingon)?

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12 Answers

Zaku's avatar

I have some at last somewhat level of understanding of about um . . . six natural languages.

Computer languages is maybe even harder to quantify, and after a point, they’re pretty easy to learn more, but oh, about another six.

No fictional languages.

elbanditoroso's avatar

English = fluent
Hebrew = almost fluent
French = half way
German = 50% understanding, 10% speech

Computer languages: At one point I was fluent in ALGOL and TAL but that’s decades ago.

JLeslie's avatar

English – fluent

Spanish – conversational with terrible grammar.

Yiddish – 50 words/phrases. Some of the Yiddish is now accepted as English.

French and Italian – 20 words/phrases each.

Call_Me_Jay's avatar

English – fluent

French – speak & comprehend a few phrases, reading barely more – I studied it in high school but have lost most of it

Spanish – read & write & speak a tiny amount thanks to its prevalence in America. Not nearly enough to converse in a Spanish-speaking country.

Ukrainian – I know a handful of words thanks to a Ukrainian co-worker who doesn’t speak English well. I don’t know the Cyrillic alphabet at all.

Other Latin-based and Germanic languages – I can sometimes grasp a little of them all in writing because of their common roots with English, their contributions to modern English, and their use of the Roman alphabet.

Strauss's avatar

English – native, fluent
Spanish – studied in High School, was almost fluent at one point; now, I speak better than i read
Greek – studied Homeric Greek in seminary, Can’t speak it, but it helps me to understand a lot of English words that have Geek origins.
Latin – Studied classical latin in one school, (Catholic) Church Latin in seminary. Became fluent in the dead language that sounds a lot like Italian.
Slovenian – my paternal grandparents immigrated from Slovenia in the late 1800’s. I know a few words and phrases, and a few songs.
Similar to @Call_Me_Jay above, I can recognize some words and phrases in a few European languages.

Jeruba's avatar

English: fluent
German: weak after >50 years, but I could still muddle through
French: a smattering
Japanese: a smaller smattering
Sanskrit: just a dash
Spanish: local exposure
Latin: some grammar and lots and lots of roots
Greek: lots of roots

And…bits and pieces of others here and there, unsystematically

Of all those, Greek is the only one in which I’ve had no formal study. For Japanese and Sanskrit, class instruction was quite brief.
 

Computer languages: RPG II, RPG III, a little Basic

LuckyGuy's avatar

English: fluent
Japanese: reasonably good. I can carry on a conversation if needed but will use simpler terms.
Morse code: good (Amateur Extra Class – all bands all modes.)
I took French, German, and Spanish in school but remember very little – only the basics.
Computer languages. Fortran is still my best but can suffer through Cobol, PL/1, BAL if needed.

gondwanalon's avatar

I’m fluent in cat language (Felis pussycatus).

Strauss's avatar

I forgot the non-linguals:
Morse Code—railroad and international
Computer—BASIC ans FORTRAN
It seems I’m literate in dead languages!~

Jeruba's avatar

Oh—I forgot: some nonmeasurable quantity of musical and operatic libretto Italian.

So no formal study in Greek, Spanish (miscounted above), or Italian.

Forever_Free's avatar

English – fluent
French – Conversational
Italian – conversational
Spanish – near fluent
Latin – understanding
Wookie – conversational with my dog
Music notation – Fluent
Morse Code for HAM license
Computer: Assembly, Fortran, Basic, C++, C#, Java, JCL, FCL, Python, Bash, COBOL, Crystal, PHP. Powershell, SQL, and many i have since forgotten

RocketGuy's avatar

Useful level: English, French, Thai, BASIC, FORTRAN
A few key words and phrases: Spanish, Mandarin
A few words: Cantonese, Korean, Italian

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