Can you speak any language/s

[Andy in Sig]

Cornish actually died out in that the last native speaker died some time in the 19th century but I believe that there is a serious attempt being made to get it going again.

 

[bonj2]

pointless, imho. Same as welsh. They'd save loads of money in white line paint if they didn't have to paint 'ARAF' on the road all the time!

 

[Fnaar]

pointless, imho. Same as welsh. They'd save loads of money in white line paint if they didn't have to paint 'ARAF' on the road all the time!

You're going the wrong way! It's FARA

 

[Aperitif]

You're going the wrong way! It's FARA

You mean bonj should go 'faraway'?

 

[Dave5N]

Welsh. Tipyn bach.

 

[snapper_37]

Some russian - better written than spoken though Bits of polish and welsh.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Cornish actually died out in that the last native speaker died some time in the 19th century but I believe that there is a serious attempt being made to get it going again.

There are at least 3 rival versions in fact, each now with significant numbers of speakers. A friend of mine did his PhD on the situation!

In case anyone is interested, one version is based on the last known version from the C19th (a very practical, industrial and according to the other schools, 'debased' version), one is supposed to be a 'purer' version based on the Cornish spoken in the middle-ages, and one is a more practical version (like modern Welsh, with lots of loan words and transliterations from English). I think it's this last one that gets taught in many Cornish primary schools now.

 

[Unkraut]

It is fascinating to think that a language like Cornish could be revived having fallen into disuse. Whether or not native fluency is possible is difficult to say, as being surrounded by native German speakers I am certainly not at mother tongue level. The difficulty with Cornish is not having a native speaker base to learn from and have 'mistakes' corrected. I assume AiS would agree with this experience.

The best hope is bilingual eduction, which seems to be halting the decline in Welsh.

 

[Arch]

Presumably learning an additional language can't hurt, even if it's not widely used* - I'd assume that the mental skills developed would be useful in all sorts of ways, just as puzzles and so on are good at keeping the mind active...

*I'm not thinking of Latin, I think that has additional benefits anyway, in seeing where so many of our words come from. I'm thinking Cornish and Welsh and so on.

 

[yello]

Someone once said to me that languages die out on a daily basis; if you consider that each of us has our own language (our own nuanced meanings for words, our own peculiar usages, our own grammars even) then this is true... nerdy, geeky and arguably p-in-the-a pinicky but true.

 

[goo_mason]

French, what little German I can recall from 'O' Grade back in 1984, and some basic Slovene.

 

[mangaman]

Spanish pretty good
French getbyable

French - pretty good, German working on it and reasonable Cornish.
My English is clearly a work in progress.

Out of interest, how did you learn your Cornish Puddleglum?

 

[Arch]

Out of interest, how did you learn your Cornish Puddleglum?

"Cornish Puddleglum" sounds like a traditional rare breed of something. Apples, or ducks, maybe....

 

[mangaman]

You can't beat Cornish Puddglum - I like it on toast personally, with a touch of Worcester sauce.

Lovely

 

[Arch]

You can't beat Cornish Puddglum - I like it on toast personally, with a touch of Worcester sauce.

Lovely

of course, it would have to be a cheese.

I may start telling everyone it's my favourite, see them all rush off to try and buy it...