Multilingual Chinese Linguist

[Lawal]

The title might be misleading or does it serve the purpose? I want to know if there are Chinese speaking people that speak five languages and what they think of it. Not neighbouring dialect but languages especially each distant from the other, even if not very fluent but can express themselves is more than 3-4 or 5... and more?

Not just Chinese natives though, even those that have learnt it. I want to speak 5 languages, not that I have the time in my life to do that little wishful thinking doesnt hurt.

My languages of interest are Hindi/Urdu, Korean, Japanese, Arabic and ofcourse Chinese, i can brush up on French and English too i guess along the way

I find it very easy to pronounce new words in new languages, I learnt some hindi just watchin movies growing up, I can understand 70% at least of whats said in an indian movie now, though the subs are always handy, even Amitabh Bachan was impressed when I spoke to him. Chinese always came easy, Cantonese, I can only say 'can you speak cantonese' from Pimsleur lesson 1 but Cantonese people are always suprised because they think i can speak alot more.... or they are just being polite.

Wel its not about the little i know, the question is about someone that can mix and infuse all those languages. And how it feels to be a linguist..

[chrix]

yes, I think it's misleading. I know the US army uses "linguist" to mean "translators" and the like, but as a linguist myself, I'd really like to see the usage of this term restricted to people trained in the academic field of linguistics.

I think, "polyglot" is a better word here, and there have been some discussions on these forums.

But ultimately, what is the point of your post? I might fit the criteria for your post, but I'm really not sure what it is you want to talk about

[Lawal]

Hey Chrix, I think i'l stick to my linguist, it sounds better than 'glot'.. I think you pretty much understand the post, what you can say is, it might not invite much contribution.

Answer what you understand of it but please do not restrict the usage of any word, if i was writing a dissertation, i'l be careful with my appropriateness of words, punctuations and so on, here i am typin as i would speak, why limit words just to the academics or US army? More insight please!!! But i like the dissection or words and definitions... educative!

I can speak two languages, I am in the process of understanding 3 more and I am picking up some words across other languages. Languages intrigue me and just wondered what it felt like to know them fluently, speak, think, without too much effort or awareness of going across languages. I know it doesnt make much sense, its all it my head... I guess i'll do a polygot search in the forum, unless some polyglots care to share...

I am a linguist though not academically trained as proposed. I like the word, i'l use it, as opposed to being bilingual or multilingual... I am a linguistic connoisseur

[wushijiao]

You might like this thread Lawal (although it may not be exactly what you are looking for):

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/22183-some-thoughts-on-polyglottery

[Lawal]

Thankx Wushijiao... I have started reading it and i guess its goin in the direction i was hoping... other than a few that digress..

Chrix thanx fot the suggestion of other threads... did a search n came up interesting..

[chrix]

Lawal,

not liking the term "linguist" being misused is a minor pet peeve that comes with the territory.

(Many linguists indeed do not know many languages, as they usually choose one or two to specialise on, usually their mother tongue.)

And I don't really know what's wrong with the word "polyglot" either.

My major point was, I don't get the point of your post. What do you want to talk about? What do you want the polyglots on these forums to share with you?

[chrix]

wushijiao, that is indeed a great thread, thanks for pointing it out! Too late for me to chime in there now, but I agree with a lot of things people have said there...

[wushijiao]

Too late for me to chime in there now, but I agree with a lot of things people have said there...

Not to late...feel free to give your 2 cents.

[Lugubert]

In my usage, a linguist is a person who has an academic training in linguistics. A person who manages several languages is a polyglot. (What "manages" means can be discussed...)

I'm not "Chinese speaking", but I'm not too bad at translating from Chinese. And I translate professionally from six languages, and am at survival level in at least two more. I'm also a linguist, holding two Bachelor degrees in languages and linguistics.

A friend from university, on the other hand, is not at all a linguist. But she is a real polyglot, fluent in Putonghua, Cantonese, Vietnamese and some four European languages.

This might be a good opportunity to stress the difference between translators and interpreters. They are very different professions. What is immediately apparent is that an interpreter must find solutions on the spot, while a translator can use a day to find a proper translation of a key word. There's also the aspect that minor errors from an interpreter often will be forgotten in minutes, but translator output will remain for a long time as files or printouts.