WHY are you learning the languages you're learning?

I'm interested in knowing what made people decide on the languages that they are trying to learn, or simply interested in.

For me, I guess there are a bunch of reasons for each one.

For Welsh, I really became interested in it for this story I'm writing, actually. It's a very important story to me (most likely series) that is close to my heart, and it's set in Wales. I've been to Wales and I find it beautiful, and I've heard the language, and it's also beautiful (though not everyone thinks this). So I started studying it for my story, and now I can't stop!! Plus, I want to live in Wales some day. I know almost everyone there also speaks English, but i think it'd be nice to know Welsh too.

With Chinese, well, it's just beautiful, and the country is beautiful, and I watch some movies in Chinese, and there are so many Chinese speakers in the world, and I want to go to China, and it's a good challenge, and... so many reasons!
Same for Japanese. Plus, I watch all my anime in Japanese.. and I'd like to do away with the subtitles!
For Korean, it's kinda the same, but also I watch TONS of horror movies from Korea, and yeah... I think the language sounds really awesome too. XD

Hungarian, well I became interested in that when I was younger and all into the whole Elizabeth Bathory thing (if you're not sure who that is look it up, it'd be too much to explain) So I hear she spoke Hungarian so I wanted to. then I learned it was Slovak. Now I have no clue, but the areas that speak those languages are beautiful and full of mystery and folklore (atleast that's how I see it) actually, the same with Romania. I want to learn Romanian too!! So yeah... then I actually started listening to some Slovak (and Czech) music, and I found the language to be EXTREMELY beautiful!

So... those are all my reasons. What are yours? I'd like to hear. :)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kat M on September 21, 2008 at 4:05am: I was reading a little on Welsh the other day. It's a really beautiful language.

It started out with me wanting to learn a foreign language because I wanted to be able to communicate with more people... so I decided to learn Spanish. I also thought it would help me in learning Filipino because some of their words are borrowed from Spanish. However, when I took the classes in middle and high school, it wasn't enough to captivate my interest.

Around this time, I started getting into hockey... so I decided to learn French. I mean, it IS one of the official languages of Canada and hockey is their official sport, so why not? That's when I became in love with French. :D I ended up taking French for three years in high school and two years in college. I actually wanted to major in French or romance languages for college, but that's another post in itself. :P

I want to learn Filipino... because that's what I am. :) My heritage is pretty important to me. All of my older relatives speak it. My Mom didn't want to teach me when I was younger because she was afraid that I would grow up with an accent. (I'm Filipino-American, btw.) I'm bummed out that she didn't. It's been really hard trying to learn. I have a passive knowledge of the language, I can understand it when spoken... but I have to respond in English. :| Anyway, I'd like to learn it because it would be cool to talk to my family in a second language.

Those are the main languages that I want to learn. The other ones, I'm just learning little bits and pieces. I hope to gain fluency in the above languages so that I can divert my attention to another language.

I'm not really sure why I'm interested in German. I'm simply intrigued by the language. My SO knows a little bit about it, so I've been picking up a few words here and there. The cool part is, this has traversed into my dreams. I had a dream the other night that I was learning German... and in it, I said the German words that I do know. lol

Italian - Another romance language. It's really close to French... I think I'd be able to pick it up easily.

Swedish - I didn't think about it until recently. My friend is obsessed with Sweden and learning the language. I began looking into it and I've found it to be incredibly easy to figure out than I had expected.

I think that Ido or Esperanto would be cool languages to learn as well.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by BigBadVista on September 21, 2008 at 11:39am: I wanted to learn German because 1. I am German and the language just sounds awesome. 2. I want to be able to understand what Rammstein is saying in their songs >.<<br />
I'm learning French because I really didn't have a choice since you only have 2 languages to choose from in Middle School here - French and Spanish. And seeing that I hate all of the Spanish teachers in the school, I chose French.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Oliver on September 22, 2008 at 3:23am: I wanted to study English in highschool because it is "the" international language, and is easy to learn.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Beans on September 25, 2008 at 1:27pm: My parents forced me too.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by houtkooper85 on September 27, 2008 at 12:28am: Korean, my mom side all speak the language but i never was intrigued as a kid, i pick up few word over the years to get by.
Japan, a lot of show and anime i watch are spoken in Japanese and I want to know what they are saying
ASL,; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by The 64-bit geek on December 6, 2008 at 2:44pm: Well, English is international so that is what you HAVE to learn in the Swedish school from the 4:th grade.
From the 9:th grade you will be able to learn another language besides English.
I picked German just because the grammar is similar to Swedish.
If you can speak German, you can learn Swedish easier. Same thing if you can speak Swedish.
So I basicly speak three languages, Swedish, English and German.
I heaven´t been using German that much so I have forgotten most of it.; ▶ Reply to This