Forums (not only this, but in general)...

[JumboShrimp]

English is not a romance language with the latin roots.   It is a bastardized language with tons of roots and words stolen from every other language out there.  

There are plenty of latin root words that are at your disposal:

Stolen in your sentence can be replaced with "inspired by" or "influenced by" other languages...

[[ATA] - lilius]

I like bastardardized languages. Its like cherry picking from time and place. I think a swedish without the influences of french or english for example would be rather grey and dull.

[Neotion]

I studied Latin for 4 years and it really gave me an appreciation of my own language and vocabulary as well as learning the derivatives and meanings of words.

Same for me, though I studied ancient Greek instead of Latin (my high school gave me the choice).

[alexgv1]

Same for me, though I studied ancient Greek instead of Latin (my high school gave me the choice).

Which language would you said it gave you an appreciation of? Dutch or English?

This interests me because I may be learning Dutch (Flemish) soon if career plans work out so I would wonder if my English/French/Latin (plus some German and Turkish) language background would aid me.

[Jona L.]

Well, indeed, English uses a mixture of millions of languages, most of it have a German background though (due to the English being the Anglo-Saxonians which derives from Saxony, an east German municipality covering Leipzig, Dresden and Gera as her biggest cities.)
The second biggest language in English must surely be French followed by Latin, I think the Latin influence is a lot lower in England due to Henry VIII. having cut Britain off the Roman-Catholic church which were the only ones still using Latin.

In the same German lesson we had the discussion about forums (see OP) we had a prior collection of words having come into German language, and came across German words (not derivates of them, but the actual words) in the English language... and those go far behind "Sauerkraut" and "Reich"; e.g. Computer is a German word, same as "Doppelgänger", "Poltergeist" and many more.

I like bastardardized languages.

Just because of the "bast*rd" in it?

my English/French/Latin (plus some German and Turkish) language background would aid me.

We both know that your German is sh*t, and your Turkish isn't very much exceeding my 10 words I don't know how well your French is, because I am only capable of saying: "Non parle pa Francaise" (which is even badly misspelt) and maybe "Un Croaissant s.v.p.".

cheers,
Jona L.

[alexgv1]

Well studying German for 2 years hopefully counted for something, even if I dropped it at the first opportunity  my French is good I took some lunchtime classes during uni (althoGh was kinda chasing skirt too). And Turkish is work in progress (learning) but I am assured I wi know more than you Jona.

[Tujue]

I don't know how well your French is, because I am only capable of saying: "Non parle pa Francaise" (which is even badly misspelt)

Me too, but I've learned not to use "Je ne parle pas Français" in France, especially when you're talking with a police officer.

[swiftus27]

Me too, but I've learned not to use "Je ne parle pas Français" in France, especially when you're talking with a police officer.

I'm with you, he prolly mean ne parle pas...  They'll get the point

[Jona L.]

Me too, but I've learned not to use "Je ne parle pas Français" in France, especially when you're talking with a police officer.

I used to say "Je ne'cest pas francaise" which my mom told me afterwards meant "This is no French" or similar...

When a frenchman asked me for the way to AirBerlin check in at Cologne Airport I said: "Ici direction" and my mom was nearly ROFL and when they went, she told me it meant "here direction"

[exchlbg]

Just a short correction of things I noticed in the last posts (for the people that just read the forums and would take things for real because one of the "scientists" stated them):
French is a romanic language, although women think it´s romantic.
English is a germanic language, like German ,Dutch, Swedish and so on.English doesn´t come from German, they just share the same roots.
English is so diverse because the British Isles  were settled by so many different tribes...there were Celtics,Vikings,Anglo-Saxons,Latins and Normans.
Aglo-Saxons have little to nothing to do with the people the Germans now know as Saxons. Saxony was an old tribe area in the far north of Germany ,now known as "Lower Saxony". The name wandered because it was claimed by a new dynasty.Same thing as  for "Prussia". "Angeln" until now is a landscape in Schleswig-Holstein, also far north.
Gera never has been a saxon city, it belonged to the ancient principality of Reuss,nowadays is a part of Thuringia.
Saxony is not a "municipality", it´s a state.
The little french bun is called croissant.
"Je ne sais pas..." means "I don´t know." What´s so funny about that?
Greetings...
Christian

[exchlbg]

Computer is an English word with latin roots."computare" means "count". The german word is Rechner.
Germans even form new german words out of English.We call cell phones "Handy", maybe because we drag it around in our hands, not knowing that the proper meaning is "practical".Generally we use so many English expressions in our modern German that it sometimes sounds like "Dinglish".
Few other german words used in English come to mind:"Rucksack","Gemütlichkeit", "Blitzkrieg" and "Kindergarten" ,characterizing our funny state of mind pretty well.

Cheers
Christian

[Jona L.]

"Blitzkrieg" and "Kindergarten" ,characterizing our funny state of mind pretty well.

Blitzkrieg is unequal to funny, I'd say... but anyways...

[swiftus27]

Computer is an English word with latin roots."computare" means "count". The german word is Rechner.
Germans even form new german words out of English.We call cell phones "Handy", maybe because we drag it around in our hands, not knowing that the proper meaning is "practical".Generally we use so many English expressions in our modern German that it sometimes sounds like "Dinglish".
Few other german words used in English come to mind:"Rucksack","Gemütlichkeit", "Blitzkrieg" and "Kindergarten" ,characterizing our funny state of mind pretty well.

Cheers
Christian

Franglais, Spanglish.... most of this is a product of prevalent American movies/tv.

[exchlbg]

I never stated the word (nor the action of) "Blitzkrieg" as funny.Please read carefully and try to get the point.

Just another funny one comes to mind....if you come to Germany you will surely be confronted with a "Back-Shop". Don´t get too excited about what to find there.The owners just try to be international as hell neglecting that they just sell industrial manufactured and ready-to-go heated bakery goods....

Cheers
Christian

[JumboShrimp]

Computer is an English word with latin roots."computare" means "count". The german word is Rechner.
Germans even form new german words out of English.We call cell phones "Handy", maybe because we drag it around in our hands, not knowing that the proper meaning is "practical".Generally we use so many English expressions in our modern German that it sometimes sounds like "Dinglish".
Few other german words used in English come to mind:"Rucksack","Gemütlichkeit", "Blitzkrieg" and "Kindergarten" ,characterizing our funny state of mind pretty well.

Cheers
Christian

I have to say that German sounds pretty cool in heavy metal.

BTW, I just booked tickets for Rammstein at Nassau Coliseum (on Long Island, New York)

[exchlbg]

I have second feelings about Rammstein. Sure it´s cool that a german Rockband with german texts is so famous the world over.But I hope that
their texts and way of diction,which pretty much resemble to a certain horrible phase of German history, will be understood as what it is:
a provocative travesty. And fortunately the everyday spoken German doesn´t sound like this.

[JumboShrimp]

I have second feelings about Rammstein. Sure it´s cool that a german Rockband with german texts is so famous the world over.But I hope that
their texts and way of diction,which pretty much resemble to a certain horrible phase of German history, will be understood as what it is:
a provocative travesty.

Nobody would think of it if they were Swedish or Dutch...  Germans, IMO, are just a little paranoid, thinking all the time they are offending someone.  Probably 99% of Germans alive today were born after 1945, or were children during those years...  I am not into a collective guilt, only individual...

And fortunately the everyday spoken German doesn´t sound like this.

I know, I grew up watching Austrian TV.  But I know some Germans would say that is not what normal German sounds like either  

[exchlbg]

Yes, for most Germans the Austrians talk something between charming and funny. Like the Canadians for the Americans, I think.

[exchlbg]

Oh, and about the paranoia.....at least in Europe this topic always returns.You should see English newspaper fronts before major soccer games against Germany or comments of the Greece over german finance politics, watch american film-topics connected to Germany or making fun of the Germans......n*** over and over.

[swiftus27]

Yes, for most Germans the Austrians talk something between charming and funny. Like the Canadians for the Americans, I think.

We mock people from Minnesota and North Dakota more than our neighbors to the North.