I couldn't learn any other language beyond sign tho i'm maxed out it seems.
OMFSM Maori! :D I'm so jealous! Studying the Maori culture & language is one of my dreams...
now i feel like an anthropology nerd...
If I could pick any language, though... Latin ftw. It's a doorway into the romance languages, and incredibly useful for understanding scientific terms. After that, ASL. I was conversational in kindergarten, but I've forgotten almost everything. ;_;
Right now I only speak English, but I can understand simple conversations in German. Three years in school with a teacher who was BATSHIT INSANE (bad enough to get sacked halfway through a year, not just a bit eccentric) means I know shit about grammar, construction, vocabulary, tenses, or genders, but I've picked up enough vocabulary that I understand the easy stuff. It helps that my community is still fairly Deutsche. My Opa speaks both languages fluently, but he didn't teach my father shit, so I don't know much. How to ask for food at the dinner table, mostly. XD Between school and the community I know about enough to give directions to German tourists because if we both understand every other word the point gets across eventually, lol.
It's worth noting that Deutschxan is the Tex-Mex of German and a lot of what I've learned is wrong, dated, or just completely made-up.
I'd rather study the culture instead of language. I'm one for cultural stuff, so I discovered. The culture and history of the Māori really does interest me and I think that it's really cool how they used to be really smart and were able to mimic people's voices. Maoris' nowadays are just sloppy little drunk heads. At least the majority I know. And one of the things I hate about Maoris, is that all the good looking ones are most likely to be your cousins, GAWD DAMMIT!!
But I do like the language when it comes to singing in maori. :)
Kapahaka is really fun and we're trying to bring it back up at my school.
I only know a few words in German, only know how to spell one of those words though (ja - yes), I think.
I think it's really cool how people know languages and can direct people like tourist to places. :)
The culture is just fascinating! It's a fascinating offshoot of the typical Polynesian due to climate and isolation... although really, it's the parallels in artwork between them and the Amerindian tribes of the Pacific Northwest that I find really interesting. The first time I saw pictures of Maori carvings I was brought back to a museum in Seattle- hard to believe how geographically separated such similar styles can be.
Ah, now I'm starting to ramble. XD
It really is a shame that so many native populations have gotten only the worst parts of European culture. :c The language and culture of so many places are just getting washed away with alcohol- it's estimated we lose almost a language every two weeks, largely due to the lack of new speakers and rapid decline of the old.
I also feel you with the cousins thing- I'm tenth generation, so anyone with a local last name has probably at least married into my family before! I'm dating a guy from Alaska just to be sure. XD
German is awesome to spell, but the grammar is no bueno. I wish all parts of the language were as simple- honestly, I wish we could apply German spelling rules to English. It riely mäks mor sens logiclie. For the most part there are no silent letters, no vowel combinations that can make more than one sound, no multiple sounds for one consonant, fewer random French words that we didn't bother to re-spell... man, that's the only thing I miss about German class. If I could say it out loud, I could spell it.
Well, I know a little bit of German.
Other than that, though, the only other "languages" I can "speak" are the languages I make up for RP settings. -.-
It's not really that hard. It's more a matter of knowing about how grammatical structures work and how to manipulate them into making something that is unique in its stylings, and then add flavorings of different cultural backing into them.
Hmmm....yeah, but it still seems cool. :)
I probably wouldn't have the time or space in my brain to make one, seeing as a lot of nonsense and silly things have filled it up. ^_^'
I speak English and some Spanish cause I work around lot of Mexicans. I think they like the fact that I at least try to speak with them, and I pick up new words and phrases from time to time. Honestly though if you threw me into a conversation with a native Spanish speaker, in a conversation unrelated to construction and my job, I would fail pretty hard, lmao.
Shit, I can barely speak EnglishScottish.