One of my regular viewing vices are body-worn camera police videos and this one had me in stitches because of the stupid guy playing games under rules that the cops already knew.
That reminds me of a story from when I was in high school (where Latin was on the curriculum). A Dutch national team speedskater went to a similar school. She found herself in Italy with a broken car. Needed help. Didn't speak Italian, but was happy to discover her Latin was understood well enough to get the help she needed.
I'm not surprised, given the Latin origins of most Romance languages' vocabulary. Had 2 years of Latin in high school and it has significantly helped me with English, and occasionally when on TDY to foreign countries. Not enough for conversation, but enough to get a point or two across.
In contrast, I once spent 7 hours in the home of a German family who spoke not a word of English and I not a word of German, but we all had an enjoyable time and somehow managed to communicate fairly well. I even managed to come away with a handful of recipes for that evening's meal! After the fact, so a lot of pointing to measuring cups/spoons and cupboard ingredients as well as some pantomime of the process. It was as enjoyable as it was informative.
Yup. I spent a few weeks studying Romanian in college, it shows your point quite nicely. And I once looked at the 4th and most obscure language of Switzerland, "Romansch" which I would describe as a blend of Latin and German.
Studying languages is fun. German is pretty easy (a bit more so if your native language is Dutch, but starting from English isn't too bad either). Of course, if you want to give your brain something different to play with, look at an unrelated language. Japanese is not too hard. But it's fascinating how it makes distinctions that English doesn't, and vice versa. For example, the word forms depend on your relative social rank vs. the listener. And the words use to count things depend on what thing it is, for example a different word for round things than flat things (pencils vs. sheets of paper).
I later found German not too difficult, on a superficial level at least, being able to put two familiar parts together to understand the whole word. I want "flugplatz" on my tombstone. However, the advent of international road signs was still a lifesaver when driving there! I and a team of 20 or so were studying like crazy in side seats staring at our cargo on a C-141 on the way over because we had to have international licenses on arrival (short notice and NOT on bases).
When in Okinawa, before we "gave it back" to Japan (Okinawans were NOT happy with that move) I tried, sort of, to learn Japanese and quickly decided my brain wasn't capable. I was in my 20s then. I have, however, found that I know a few bits of various languages, much are not for mixed company owing to their being garnered while in the military. Heh.
I remember Heinlein talking about a character learning "a smattering of ungrammatical Spanish from horizontal dictionaries".
Re German words: Dutch does that too though not as much. My favorite word, perhaps not actually seen but certainly validly constructed, is "Vierwaltstätterseedampfschiffaktiengesellschaftratspräsident".
Har!!!! I of COURSE had to look that one up. At the risk of making a mountain of Miguel's space, just this once, for others who might be reading, this is what AI gave me. Uh, not exactly for casual conversation!
This German compound word translates to "President of the Board of Directors of the Vierwaldstättersee Steamship Company Limited" in English.
It is a highly specific, formal title referring to the head of the supervisory board (Ratspräsident) of a limited liability company (Aktiengesellschaft) that operates steamships on Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) in Switzerland.
Breakdown of the compound:
Vierwaldstättersee – Lake Lucerne (a body of water in Switzerland)
Dampfschiff – Steamship
Aktiengesellschaft – Limited liability company (corporation)
Ratspräsident – President of the board of directors
While this word is grammatically correct and structurally consistent with German compound word conventions, it is not commonly used in everyday speech. It would typically appear in formal documents, official titles, or historical records related to Swiss transportation history.
...
I can pronounce it, haltingly, but don't think I could after a single beer. :-)
Was stationed in Japan for 2 years. I "leared" enough Japanese to get around OK, mostly from my girlfriend and crawling through gutters in the ginza. About 4 years later I was stationed in Hawaii at a training command and had the pleasure to train several Japanese Navy ships in my little area of expertise. When the equipment I was demonstrating went wonky I told the Japanese sailors what I thought was wrong...in detail, in half English and half Japanese. They started chuckling but were very polite. One of the Chiefs pulled me aside Chief-to-Chief and said he appreciated my attempt at Japanese (he spoke English very well) and asked how and where I learned it. He laughed. Said I had indeed learned Japanese in the gutter and that I spoke it like a sailor. "Anata, Chiefu Fuwahra-san...taksan bakatari sukebe potty mouth, jodai." (SP)
Wonder what the Chief was telling HIS men on the QT? :-)
4 years at Hickam covering the years of Vietnamese resettlement. Paradise with a two thousand mile fence around it and we worked our butts off. 12 hr shifts, 6 days a week. When we had to go get a broke bird somewhere I always went so as not to screw up the "schedule." I was the branch chief and floated (a.k.a. odd and more than 12 hrs). When resettlement was over we finally got to enjoy things. Years later, stationed in Korea, went to a conference at Hickam. My old place had been turned into senior NCO visiting quarters and I stayed in my old home!
Latin. I took 3 years of it in high school. Failed the first year. Passed Latin I and Latin II. I think studying another language helps in understanding your own language better. Latin, especially so.
My 7th and 8th grade teacher taught some of us Latin (he was busy teaching some of the other kids, "it," "and, " and, "the." It was the backwoods in the U.S. in the '70s, after all). Although I've forgotten most of it, it does help me decipher medical terminology.
So retard just screwed himself out of a sweetheart job and got himself multiple charges all because he wouldn't get a f*cking Dr's note?
Obviously Trump's fault for being a p*do white supremacist. /sarcasm
Obviously!
And show the door code LOL.
Stupid is as Stupid does. And did you ever, pendejo.
Wonder if we will eventually see an individual claiming he speaks only Latin. And yes, I am aware I am 3 days late for The Ides of March. :-)
That reminds me of a story from when I was in high school (where Latin was on the curriculum). A Dutch national team speedskater went to a similar school. She found herself in Italy with a broken car. Needed help. Didn't speak Italian, but was happy to discover her Latin was understood well enough to get the help she needed.
I'm not surprised, given the Latin origins of most Romance languages' vocabulary. Had 2 years of Latin in high school and it has significantly helped me with English, and occasionally when on TDY to foreign countries. Not enough for conversation, but enough to get a point or two across.
In contrast, I once spent 7 hours in the home of a German family who spoke not a word of English and I not a word of German, but we all had an enjoyable time and somehow managed to communicate fairly well. I even managed to come away with a handful of recipes for that evening's meal! After the fact, so a lot of pointing to measuring cups/spoons and cupboard ingredients as well as some pantomime of the process. It was as enjoyable as it was informative.
Yup. I spent a few weeks studying Romanian in college, it shows your point quite nicely. And I once looked at the 4th and most obscure language of Switzerland, "Romansch" which I would describe as a blend of Latin and German.
Studying languages is fun. German is pretty easy (a bit more so if your native language is Dutch, but starting from English isn't too bad either). Of course, if you want to give your brain something different to play with, look at an unrelated language. Japanese is not too hard. But it's fascinating how it makes distinctions that English doesn't, and vice versa. For example, the word forms depend on your relative social rank vs. the listener. And the words use to count things depend on what thing it is, for example a different word for round things than flat things (pencils vs. sheets of paper).
I later found German not too difficult, on a superficial level at least, being able to put two familiar parts together to understand the whole word. I want "flugplatz" on my tombstone. However, the advent of international road signs was still a lifesaver when driving there! I and a team of 20 or so were studying like crazy in side seats staring at our cargo on a C-141 on the way over because we had to have international licenses on arrival (short notice and NOT on bases).
When in Okinawa, before we "gave it back" to Japan (Okinawans were NOT happy with that move) I tried, sort of, to learn Japanese and quickly decided my brain wasn't capable. I was in my 20s then. I have, however, found that I know a few bits of various languages, much are not for mixed company owing to their being garnered while in the military. Heh.
I remember Heinlein talking about a character learning "a smattering of ungrammatical Spanish from horizontal dictionaries".
Re German words: Dutch does that too though not as much. My favorite word, perhaps not actually seen but certainly validly constructed, is "Vierwaltstätterseedampfschiffaktiengesellschaftratspräsident".
Har!!!! I of COURSE had to look that one up. At the risk of making a mountain of Miguel's space, just this once, for others who might be reading, this is what AI gave me. Uh, not exactly for casual conversation!
...
Vierwaldstättersee-Dampfschiff-Aktiengesellschaft-Ratspräsident
This German compound word translates to "President of the Board of Directors of the Vierwaldstättersee Steamship Company Limited" in English.
It is a highly specific, formal title referring to the head of the supervisory board (Ratspräsident) of a limited liability company (Aktiengesellschaft) that operates steamships on Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) in Switzerland.
Breakdown of the compound:
Vierwaldstättersee – Lake Lucerne (a body of water in Switzerland)
Dampfschiff – Steamship
Aktiengesellschaft – Limited liability company (corporation)
Ratspräsident – President of the board of directors
While this word is grammatically correct and structurally consistent with German compound word conventions, it is not commonly used in everyday speech. It would typically appear in formal documents, official titles, or historical records related to Swiss transportation history.
...
I can pronounce it, haltingly, but don't think I could after a single beer. :-)
Was stationed in Japan for 2 years. I "leared" enough Japanese to get around OK, mostly from my girlfriend and crawling through gutters in the ginza. About 4 years later I was stationed in Hawaii at a training command and had the pleasure to train several Japanese Navy ships in my little area of expertise. When the equipment I was demonstrating went wonky I told the Japanese sailors what I thought was wrong...in detail, in half English and half Japanese. They started chuckling but were very polite. One of the Chiefs pulled me aside Chief-to-Chief and said he appreciated my attempt at Japanese (he spoke English very well) and asked how and where I learned it. He laughed. Said I had indeed learned Japanese in the gutter and that I spoke it like a sailor. "Anata, Chiefu Fuwahra-san...taksan bakatari sukebe potty mouth, jodai." (SP)
Wonder what the Chief was telling HIS men on the QT? :-)
4 years at Hickam covering the years of Vietnamese resettlement. Paradise with a two thousand mile fence around it and we worked our butts off. 12 hr shifts, 6 days a week. When we had to go get a broke bird somewhere I always went so as not to screw up the "schedule." I was the branch chief and floated (a.k.a. odd and more than 12 hrs). When resettlement was over we finally got to enjoy things. Years later, stationed in Korea, went to a conference at Hickam. My old place had been turned into senior NCO visiting quarters and I stayed in my old home!
Latin. I took 3 years of it in high school. Failed the first year. Passed Latin I and Latin II. I think studying another language helps in understanding your own language better. Latin, especially so.
My 7th and 8th grade teacher taught some of us Latin (he was busy teaching some of the other kids, "it," "and, " and, "the." It was the backwoods in the U.S. in the '70s, after all). Although I've forgotten most of it, it does help me decipher medical terminology.
Fascinating to see an expert analyze this. I really enjoy coming here. I always learn something.
So full of machismo until confronted by real men. Then he screams like a bitch.