French vs German vs Spanish? Difficulty & Usefulness?

Libelle Reiher   Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:48 pm GMT
P.S. Chris, it's not too late -- you can always study a different foreign language when you get to Tulane (if you are indeed going there). I studied Latin in junior high & high school and then switched to French & German in college. Most math/science/engineering departments recommend German over any other foreign language. Are you planning to be a math teacher or go into engineering, or something else?
pyaarxto   Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:28 pm GMT
First it was between From Spain and Gallophile. Now, we have Libelle reiher and Chris. Now, what will be have?
As I said before. The three languages are very nice, difficult, interesting and challenging.
German is useful if you want to have a job in Germany and some other countries around it. I think nobody would study it for another reason. It doesn't sound pretty at all and it's very difficult in any aspect.
French is useful if you want to work in France, Canada or other 26 nations, most of them very poor (Africa countries -much poorer than Latin America countries). It seems nice to the ear, but when you want to write it, you have to learn everything by heart, which makes its learning so discouraging.
Spanish is chosen not only if you want to work in Spain or a Latin American country, and even the United States, but because it sounds beautiful. You write exactly (90%) what you hear and you get to know much much nicer people (than German or French people, who I don't know who they think they are).
So, Libelle, I disagree with you on what language sounds prettier: German is not nice at all. And Chris, don't speak like that. Don't be intolerant. Eye2Eye, I fully agree with what you have posted
A German guest   Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:58 pm GMT
Hi, I'm German and I speak English too ... :)
I would also choose Spanish for all the reasons mentioned before.

But I'd like to add some things about German.
You can use it to describe complex systems much more precisely than in most other languages. It's also used in many philosophic texts, classic literature and for technical descriptions, because many famous things and ideas where invented here.

< From Gutenberg's printing press to Hertz' discovery of electromagnetic waves, from Ehrlich's development of chemotherapy to Einstein's theory of relativity, to the creation of the MP3 digital music format, throughout history Germans have proven themselves time and again to be great innovators. That trend continues today. 4 of the world's 10 most innovative companies are located in Germany and at 12.7% of the world's patent applications, the country ranks 3rd in the world. >
(http://www.vistawide.com/german/why_german.htm)
Libelle Reiher   Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:05 am GMT
To the race card players:

Ahh, scraping the bucket, are we? You can't go any lower than calling someone "racist" if they don't like your language or culture. Actually, I am pretty indifferent to Spanish culture. Frankly, there isn't much world-famous Spanish culture with the exception of two 20th-century painters and the writer Cervantes. The Hispanic people I have met have actually been very nice people. It's not the people I have a problem with. I just don't like the sound of the language at all (and I have that right -- THANK YOU), and it is overrated as to why Americans should take it. If you took the time to actually RESEARCH which languages are used in which areas, you would stop accusing people of being "racist" because they know the facts.

*******And one more thing: I actually have a son with someone who is Spanish-American. That should shut you up, but it probably won't.*******
Chris   Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:01 am GMT
Hey Libelle, I think you should go shut up and do something more useful with your life than sit on this forum insulting other poeples languages. Afterall you are sooo educated , why arent you discussing your ideas in academia and writing books etc instead of on this forum for lowlife rejects.

You leave a bad taste in my mouth (literaly and figuratively)
eye2eye   Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:40 am GMT
Libelle,

Mija, maybe you're right.. racist was probably not the best word to use in this situation. You are, however, EXTREMELY prejudiced towards anything Spanish, your posts faithfully reflect that:

"It's not that Spanish isn't useful -- it is if you are going into certain fields such as public health or corrections (i.e., you want to work in a prison) or social work, for example."

Come on now.. is a statement like that really a true reflection of your deep admiration for Hispanic culture? Your assertion is woefully ignorant and laughable at best.. it's all about how you present your argument and it's weak. It's not that Spanish won't help you in those areas, it's the fact that you present them as the ONLY areas where Spanish would be helpful.

Allow me to shed a little Freud on you.. since you let us in on a little shadow about having a child with someone of Spanish-American descent.. perhaps it's time to examine the REAL nature of your dislike for anything Spanish..? Just a suggestion.

ps. I love Dora by the way ;) VAMONOS.. VAMONOS!
Guest   Tue Feb 06, 2007 11:43 am GMT
Hey all of you! Please don't gang up on Libelle!

The only one whom Libelle is having an argument is Chris.

How would you feel if all the people around you do the same thing on Libelle? Just because you love the Spanish language so much.
eye2eye   Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:59 pm GMT
Guest,

There is no 'ganging up' on Libelle. She is an adult and is responsable for what she posts and everyone else is responsable for their replies. On the subject, I thought her initial posts were actually quite informative though a little biased (no prob there, she is in her right). But then she sprang back into the thread with a whole different attitude.. the point is quite simple:

YOU DON'T HAVE TO ATTACK ANOTHER LANGUAGE (HER CASE, SPANISH) IN ORDER TO PROMOTE YOUR LANGUAGE OF CHOICE.

BUT, if you do.. then expect replies from those who don't agree with your arguments.

Lastly, it's a free public forum.. and if you read her last few posts carefully, you'll realize she's quite the cunt who thinks she's god.. but enough praising her, hehe :p
Libelle Reiher   Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:10 am GMT
Senor Eye2Eye (I don't have the Spanish squiggle accent thing -- sorry):

Hmm, I have never liked the sound of the Spanish language. I am not crazy about the sound of Italian either, really. Portuguese sounds okay, I guess. I have no idea what regular Spanish sounds like -- maybe it is like comparing American English to British English -- they don't sound very much alike when you consider accents. The people are cool; once again, I just am not wild about the sound of it. And as for your thinking it has something to do with the fact that I have a son with a Spanish-American, it's not -- he is not Latino. He is 6'4" and has blond, straight hair and blue eyes. He says his ancestors came from Spain, not Latin America. His last name is Spanish, however. My point is, that's not where my annoyance for the sound of the Spanish language comes in. He doesn't look or sound Latino (he doesn't speak a word of Spanish and certainly doesn't look what most people would consider typically Latino). Nice try, though.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY, and I cannot stress this enough: WHO STARTED THIS? Did you read the posts CAREFULLY? CHRIS, your Hispanophile buddy, started attacking ANOTHER person's posts (not mine) about the French language. He attacked French and German(y) in one fell (ignorant) swoop and I didn't see you pipe in anything on that. Why aren't you calling him a "racist"? Why is that? I guess in your mind if it's someone who hates the sound of German and/or French and loves Spanish, he is okay, especially in calling others "dumb bitch, dumb hoe [sic]," etc. Of course you think it's okay: you just called me a "cunt."

Anyone reading this forum who has half a brain will realize that the mob here is the group who vehemently and crassly opposes any elevation of the French and/or German (read: evil white European) languages and cultures. I never called any Spanish people any names and if I were of Spanish descent, I am sure I would do everything to try to elevate my people's culture. People like you and Chris and some others on this forum take violent exception to the fact that not everyone finds a huge amount of value (aesthetic or otherwise) in the Hispanic culture of the world. This doesn't mean that they don't have any and I never said that. I do love Benicio del Toro, after all... ha ha

BY THE WAY, since you think Spanish is SO relevant and SO useful in SO many areas besides the ones I mentioned, why don't you name some? And while you're at it, why don't you start mentioning all of the world-famous and world-renowned scientists, inventors, composers, and literary giants of the Hispanophone world? And additionally, why don't you tell us the GDP of the Spanish-speaking countries of the world when compared to that of those countries whose people speak German?

YOU and your buddies are the one who are desperate because you can't come up with good reasons to take Spanish. No one asked if you think it's PRETTY or UGLY or whatever -- the original poster wanted to know GOOD REASONS FOR TAKING THE RESPECTIVE LANGUAGES.

I will be astonished if you come up with anything relevant.

Regards,
Le Con

P.S. Toi, tu es le roi des cons, connard -- va te faire foutre chez les Grecs
Gallophile   Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:09 am GMT
Hey Libelle Reiher! I sympathize with you. What you experiencing right now happened to me before. A number of viewres in this thread turned agaisnt me accusing me of hurling filthy words on them but they know who started it and the same thing they couldn't reprimand them because they're proponet of Spanish. It's like déja vu to me.

It's a negative advertisement for the Spanish language because it would make people wonder what kind of attitude do Spanish speakers have.
Chris   Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:15 am GMT
Libelle, all i can say to you is GET OVER YOURSELF! You are soooo bloody arrogant. If you haven't noticed,it's the 21st century and all those people you referred to are long dead. Well, maybe german has a good history but what about now. Spanish rules contemporary culture whereas german has died.

French and german are dying where as spanish is growing so fast. Its foolish patriots like you who are rooted in the past and cant accept the future.
Lafayette   Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:45 am GMT
It looks like that Spanish world is building an armada to wage war this time not against English but against French and German. They think that the Hispanic armada is invincible as what the Spaniards thought in 16th century.

But they were beaten by superior guns of the English despite being outnumber. This time the weapon to be used against the armada is the quality speakers of a language not on the quantity of its speakers.
Chris   Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:01 am GMT
Omg, lafayette, your analogy is b.s

I hate people who go back and trawl up meaningless events from history and assume it's the same now. it's so.... pathetic. Get a life man.
Guest   Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:06 am GMT
So Chris is a fucking Brit, I guess... No one would call someone's views on the aesthetics of language "patriotic." You are beyond being a spaz...

Note to self: Be careful! People will think you're "arrogant" if you speak proper English, state facts, and speak favorably of the most important European cultures of the last millennium.

Note to self: people who can't even spell English will call you a "hoe bag" [sic], "dumb bitch," and "quite the cunt who thinks she's god [sic]" if you dare mention the fact that, at the end of the day, the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of the world haven't really contributed all that much to western culture apart from a couple of 20th-century painters and a single classic author.

Note to self: If you don't like Spanish or kiss the asses of the Latino world, people will think you are "racist," "arrogant," and "patriotic" (oh my). :o

Note to self: If you dare counter SOMEONE ELSE's (completely retarded) ATTACKS on the sounds of German and/or French (go back and LOOK who started the attacks on others' languages AND on its speakers), somehow YOU will end up being the "racist" evil bitch/asshole [insert appropriate vulgarism here].
Libelle Reiher   Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:07 am GMT
That last post was obviously mine -- can't you tell by how "arrogant" and "cuntified" it is?