Everything else is pissing in the wind.
I want to expand my ability to explore and communicate in the world, and also experience a wealth of litterature otherwise unavailable to me in its original form.
It'll either be German, French, or Spanish, as I have a passing familiarity with all of them. But they all represent different areas of opportunity; french will let me be understood in large parts of Africa, and let me read many great works of Humanism and Realism, German opens up a host of philosophical texts, will let me read Kafka as it was intended, and I could live comfortably in Berlin, which is the greatest city I've ever been in, while Spanish of course would let me travel and communicate in Latin America, even travel through the Amazon for a year as I may do, and I could read the many great works of Latin American authors (Spansih authors as well, obviously, though I'm less familliar with the Spanish litterary tradition).
So, any suggestions? Pros or cons?
It'll either be German, French, or Spanish, as I have a passing familiarity with all of them. But they all represent different areas of opportunity; french will let me be understood in large parts of Africa, and let me read many great works of Humanism and Realism, German opens up a host of philosophical texts, will let me read Kafka as it was intended, and I could live comfortably in Berlin, which is the greatest city I've ever been in, while Spanish of course would let me travel and communicate in Latin America, even travel through the Amazon for a year as I may do, and I could read the many great works of Latin American authors (Spansih authors as well, obviously, though I'm less familliar with the Spanish litterary tradition).
So, any suggestions? Pros or cons?
OK linguaphiles and intelligentsia of RAFO, which language should I learn?
- 20/12/2009 05:25:54 PM
1258 Views
If you learn Spanish, it won't be that hard to learn Portugese and Italian *NM*
- 20/12/2009 08:18:11 PM
447 Views
I vote German. It's the closest that I I come to "speaking" another language.
- 21/12/2009 03:15:42 AM
943 Views
German, for the Philosophy.
- 21/12/2009 04:38:10 AM
977 Views
I'd suggest Spanish.
- 21/12/2009 07:30:26 AM
928 Views
*NM*
I'm neither of those things in your title, but I'll put in another vote for Spanish.
- 21/12/2009 02:08:09 PM
857 Views
We all have our own prejudices for suggesting languages. Of the three, I suggest French.
- 21/12/2009 02:32:45 PM
1046 Views