All the languages in the world

Thought of this maybe a month ago: 

I've already stated that if I won the lottery and could just quit work (i.e. be a stay-at-home dad; songwriting, woodworking and yardwork -- plus exercising on a more regular basis), that I would take one martial arts course a year (e.g. Judo one year, BJJ another), and cycle through most of the styles until I figured out which I liked the best (and acquiring a hodgepodge of skills along the way).

In addition, I now think that I'd take about one semester each of many foreign languages (skipping every second semester):  that is, take [Name of language] 101, and then at the start of the next school year take something else.  This was prompted by my trying to read the various "copyright warnings" at the end of a DVD (the ones that appear after the movie is over) out loud, and realizing that although I did a decent job of knowing the different languages (I think I knew more than half), my pronunciation was pretty bad.

So it would be good to know just some basic vocabulary, pronunciation rules, and language structure, for a bunch of different languages.  I already know some French and Japanese (and American Sign Language) -- so do Spanish, Italian, and German (in an arbitrary order); and then in no particular order, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Laotian, Cambodian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Australian sign language, Portugese, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Irish (Celtic?), Welsh, and a few local Aboriginal languages.  That's about 21 years right there.

I'm pretty bad at anything involving straight memorization -- which is why I'd only do the first semester of each language:  I'd reach a saturation point with vocabulary.


I will say, though, that for some reason Italian has an extra appeal:  I think it's a combination of the sound, the expressiveness... and the gestures while talking!  :)

I knew a guy who was taking Italian at the University of Washington, and he said that his instructor said that you can't speak Italian properly without moving your arms.










--GG

Sorry bookstore

While exploring the neighborhood of my new job posting, I came across a small bookstore.

Had a look.  In their ''Foreign Language'' section, didn't have Australian Sign Language (Auslan), so I asked at the front counter.

''No,'' the lady said.  ''But we can order it in for you.''


Sorry, modern-day bookstore.  The only advantage that non-internet stores have is that you can feel it hold it touch it browse it feel it, and take it home today.

If it involves ordering it, waiting for it, and having to come back -- if it involves buying it sight-unseen, don't know if it's the right size or not -- I know how to do that myself.  For cheaper.


''Ordering it in'' only works for people that don't know how to use the internet.


--GG

And it meant something

Although I'm not fluent, I **used** to -- sometimes -- dream in American Sign Language.

Most of it's gone now, thorough dis-use.


--GG

Technology signs

A year ago -- maybe two -- I tried to find out what the American Sign Language signs were for "hard drive". It was for a Weird Al-ish music video idea I had: a cover of NIN's "Head Like a Hole", but about technology. When I was working out the different shots in my mind, a lot of it involved me signing (badly!) to the camera.

When I did the search, a year or two ago, I couldn't find anything. Maybe I just chose better search terms this time (in Google, "ASL technology signs"), but I found something right off the bat: a whole web page on signs for technology.

The signs for "hard drive" and "CD" were pretty boring: "H, D" and "C, D". And "database" is "D, B". Ah.

But the sign for "internet" was pretty neat-o.

That's as far as I got: there's a 3 x 18 array of links to click for the video clips, and I didn't want to invoke my latent OCD-ness.


--GG