h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just had a look at the ingredients list on the citronpeppar Milla was so nice to give me.

Although I do not talk Swedish, Finnish or Danish (although I have some understanding of the latter), I was able to understand most of the ingredients by studying the list of them in all three languages*. So, how about you?

*with the help of a Danish online dictionary for a couple of words I didn't understand in any language but had a moment when I saw the translation.

Nom nom, citronpeppar is wonderful stuff!

(we can even get lemon pepper now here in UK )

I was quite surprised when I was in Sweden at how close to German many of the words were. And when I was studying Shostakovich and taught myself the Cyrillic alphabet, it was often easy to guess the word's meaning once I knew how to pronounce it

Hardly at all. A speak a little french and I can probably remember howto count up to ten in German, write 'good morning'and 'way out' in welsh. Oh, I speak reasonable english.

English and German. School level French. I took Russian A-level and used it a bit in the military but I've forgotten it all now. Did Latin at school but I can't remember more than about 1% of what I learned there. And now I'm learning Korean.

So, from what you know, benjamin, do you think you could guess the meaning of an ingredients list if you had the versions in say, Italian, French and Spanish?

Bea, Milla and I found out that there are a LOT of similar words in Swedish and German. That was new to me. Hooray for h2g2 meets.

I did Russian once, when I was still in school. I've forgotten even the alphabet. I'm not sure I'd dare trying to learn Korean.

Not very, I speak a wee bit of Spanish, French, Cantonese and can make out a bit of German (usually with my son B's help) Sadly, though I'm rubbish at all of them (even English)

I could probably have a decent guess Bel since all the languages share some common ground, but I wouldn't want to be first to eat the result

Well, a lot of what we learn depends on whether or not it is offered (in school, university). Here in Germany, it's compulsory to learn English. Any additional foreign language is optional (if it is offered in the first place.

I was lucky, I grew up in an area where it was of advantage to have some understanding of Danish (my mum speaks it fluently but never taught us, alas).
Languages spoken were high German and low German. I learnt English, then French, then later I added some Latin, Russian, Italian and Spanish - but my knowledge of those languages is very, very small (especially Russian). I can understand a lot of Dutch if I read it.

The advantage we have here, is that lists of ingredients always come in several languages 8usually German, Dutch, English), but sometimes Danish, too,so you can learn lots of words just by studying the lists of ingredients.

However, Korean, Arabic, Cantonese throw me. I haven't the slightest idea about them (same goes for lots of other languages).

Korean is great - once you get over the strange way of writing and the idiosyncracies of things like having two sets of numbers and all the polite things. It's the writing that put a lot of people right off before they start.

I can understand a lot of Dutch too - it seems to be largely a cross between German and English :D

I'm envious of you all. Given that many of you can make something of Dutch, you might be able to talk to Willem in Afrikans. He would be thrilled if anyone tried, surely.

Oh, I can understand somje written Dutch, but I can't write it, Elektra.

That's true about Dutch. A week or two ago I somehow stumbled into Dutch Wikipedia. I've never had a Dutch lesson in my life, but I found myself browsing around reading and understanding it for about an hour.

Hey, I'd be as interested in speaking with people in German, Danish, Swedish, Spanish, French, Italian or Russian for that matter!

if only we could write Korean...

I grew up with Danish, Low German and High German (yes, in that order) and at 10 to 12 or something learned English (mostly from a cousin who has spent some 10 years in Canada and had forgotten all his Danish when he returned to Copenhagen with his divorced father).

Knowing these languages (the first three in particular) makes me able to understand *some* Dutch, Flemish, Letzeburgish and Jiddish - but only to a certain extent - and I *might* be able to understand a little Afrikaans also if I were ever given the chance

I once met a researcher who thought Danes and Germans could talk easily with each other. Definitely not true!

Scandinavians however can talk to other Scandinavians - each in his or her own language - but it requires some patience - and since we all speak English we don't have said patience

I barely speak English, by all accounts!

Don't mind me, I'm just poking a little fun at you.

I immensely enjoyed meeting you and talking to you.

It takes all sorts...

B