Your native language

[Comte Arnau]

This poll is not about the languages you can speak, but about your native language, which in most cases is only one and usually the one you identify with ethnically. Multiple options are aimed at those people who really consider themselves bilingual, with the same or similar ability of expressing themselves in both languages and understanding fully both cultural worlds.

I'd say all major European languages are in the poll. Forgive me if I left yours because I forgot or for lack of space. You can vote "another" and specify which in the thread. :)

[Grumpy Cat]

Both French and English, I spoke since a very young age.

[Max]

Your native language is the one you speak or hear in your dreams

[Pallantides]

Lol wtf "Lapp" is not a language...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_languages

[Comte Arnau]

Lol wtf "Lapp" is not a language...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_languages

I'm aware of it. But I just didn't feel like writing all of the Sámi languages --some of which are hardly spoken, so I put them all under the 'roof term' Lapp.

If you noticed, I also put in the same option very close varieties which form the same macrolanguage to the eyes of many.

[Pallantides]

'Lapp' is an offensive term.



Anyway my native language is Norwegian.

[Comte Arnau]

'Lapp' is as an offensive term.

Yeah, and Eskimo, and Bushman, and Gypsy... But if we had to be PC all the time, we should change almost all names of things and places. I precisely used it as a 'cover term' not to refer to any specific Sami people.

Are you a Sámi native speaker, btw?

EDIT: Oh, I've just seen your addendum. Forget the question.

[The Lawspeaker]

Dutch.

[Pallantides]

Ok not being PC... can I call all Romance languages as Dago speak?

[Comte Arnau]

Ok not being PC... can I call all Romance languages as Dago speak?

No. Only for the Spanish language, as the word comes from Diego, James in Spanish only.

[Ibericus]

Ok not being PC... can I call all Romance languages as Dago speak?
Never heard of that before. Is it supposed to mean..romance languages ?

[Comte Arnau]

Never heard of that before. Is it supposed to mean..romance languages ?

dago
1823, from Sp. Diego "James." Originally used of Spanish or Portuguese sailors on English or American ships; by 1900 it had broadened to include non-sailors and shifted to mean chiefly "Italian." James the Greater is the patron saint of Spain, and Diego as generic for "a Spaniard" is attested from 1610s.

[Max]

Both French and English, I spoke since a very young age.

Bonjour je mappele Maksim, Et toi? Cava? Cava camci camsa. Ughh huh huh Tres Bein! Zut! Quelle here est il? Fut toi! Moi chien tres grossir. Je parler vous Francais tres bein! :D

I learned that from a French guy in my ESL class:D

[askra]

'Lapp' is an offensive term.



Anyway my native language is Norwegian.

i went in Norway on holiday when i was a child and i still remember that anyone told me that the term Lapp is offensive.
why is it considered offensive?

[askra]

i have voted italian and sardinian as native language, though in northern sardinia where i live local languages are more related with Corsican dialects

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Dialetti_corsi.gif

[Comte Arnau]

i went in Norway on holiday when i was a child and i still remember that anyone told me that the term Lapp is offensive.
why is it considered offensive?

Because it's not a self denomination, but a term given by others to them which has become pejorative in its usage.

More than 70% of the terms in the world used to call ethnicities have in fact been given to them by their neighbours. So go figure.

[Duckelf]

English.

[antonio]

I have so early exposure to Galician branch of Portuguese than I consider it also a native language of mine, even if I consider myself mainly Aragonese (not only familiar but historical reasons) and barely indulge into speaking Galician: curiously more at Castilianized cities than in Galician-speaking rural, maybe to draw a line (o.c. not of superiority but of self identity)

[Treffie]

Welsh and English equally.

[Lithium]

Bulgarian

[Blossom]

Spanish and English........I used to speak German till my 6 and after that I havent been using the language so its kinda rusty though I understand everything...but yes.

[poiuytrewq0987]

What is this shit clumping Serbian together with other South Slavic languages? Why don't you clump Ukrainian or Belorussian and Russian together?

Oh also I laff at you for clumping Bulgarian and Macedonian together. You might as well clump Slovak and Czech together.

[Ushtari]

What is this shit clumping Serbian together with other South Slavic languages?
Because they are just different dialects. There is probably more differences between tosk Albanian and that one spoken in kosovo(gheg) than there is between serbian/croatian/bosnian, how come they are not divided in separate languages?

[Lithium]

Bulgarian=Macedonian deal with it :)

[Arne]

Spanish and English........I used to speak German till my 6 and after that I havent been using the language so its kinda rusty though I understand everything...but yes.
For you German ain´t your Native Language caused of a long absence.

[mymy]

What is this shit clumping Serbian together with other South Slavic languages? Why don't you clump Ukrainian or Belorussian and Russian together?

Oh also I laff at you for clumping Bulgarian and Macedonian together. You might as well clump Slovak and Czech together.

Differences between Czech and Slovak are bigger than between our South Slavic languages.
I don't mind putting them together and call them how you want. In Bosnia all people speak totally same language, cant even say it's dialect, but call it with different name.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Bulgarian=Macedonian deal with it :)

Vardarska was Bulgarian for only two years during WW2 whereas Vardarska has been an integral part of Serbia post-Balkan Wars. Now go back to Central Asia Khan Asparukh and take your Bulgar propaganda with you.

[Blossom]

For you German ain´t your Native Language caused of a long absence.

Stfu. Thank you.:)

[Comte Arnau]

Spanish and English........I used to speak German till my 6 and after that I havent been using the language so its kinda rusty though I understand everything...but yes.

Liia, this thread is aimed at your native language, not the languages you have some competence in. There is already another thread (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25893) for that. I mean, I can understand English, French or Italian perfectly (or almost), but I wouldn't count them among my native languages. The multiple option is meant for those who have been bilingual from a very young age.


What is this shit clumping Serbian together with other South Slavic languages? Why don't you clump Ukrainian or Belorussian and Russian together?

They are separated by a stroke. If they are together is: 1, because linguists consider them the same linguistic system, most often by the name Serbo-Croat; 2, for lack of space.


Oh also I laff at you for clumping Bulgarian and Macedonian together. You might as well clump Slovak and Czech together.

Again, they are clearly separated by a defined stroke, it's not as if I'm saying they're the very same language, although many linguists think so. The same thing goes for other (macro)languages like Galician-Portuguese, as you can see.

[Svanhild]

German, of course.

[Panopticon]

For you German ain´t your Native Language caused of a long absence.

Doesn't make sense seeing as your native language or mother tongue as one can also call it, has the same meaning as the word itself suggests, the language of one's ethnic origin. Therefore, even though she doesn't speak German and has had a long absence from Germany, her native language would be German.

[Murphy]

Tha Gàidhlig agam.

[Blossom]

Liia, this thread is aimed at your native language, not the languages you have some competence in. There is already another thread (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25893) for that. I mean, I can understand English, French or Italian perfectly (or almost), but I wouldn't count them among my native languages. The multiple option is meant for those who have been bilingual from a very young age.

I've been bilingual since my 4 years if that's enough to you.:) Though my first language was German, I've stopped using it since I came here at the age of 1,5 almost 2.

[Comte Arnau]

I've been bilingual since my 4 years if that's enough to you.:)

Bilingual means two languages. You wrote three.

[Blossom]

Bilingual means two languages. You wrote three.

Well yes. German and Spanish during first 4 years of my life and English came 1 year later :) I am free to consider English as native language since I've been using it for such a long time and since I never took lessons at school...I even use it with family..since my relatives are from Canada and etc.

[Cato]

American English.

[Blossom]

American English.

F*ck yeah!:D

[Cato]

F*ck yeah!:D

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQUwGQsZx-Y/TJ6fnv-EGaI/AAAAAAAAAgc/RihRfm2BdM8/s1600/American-british-english.gif

[Murphy]

Scotland: taemata.

[Cato]

Scotland: ach taemata.

Fixed. ;)

[Murphy]

Fixed. ;)

That's only in formal conversation. It's dropped in informal discussion ;).

[Comte Arnau]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rQUwGQsZx-Y/TJ6fnv-EGaI/AAAAAAAAAgc/RihRfm2BdM8/s1600/American-british-english.gif

How did I dare cluster them together? :eusa_doh:

[Pallantides]

Never heard of that before. Is it supposed to mean..romance languages ?

It's an offensive slur for Spaniards, Portuguese and Italians, just like Lapp is an offensive slur for Saami.

[Comte Arnau]

It's an offensive slur for Spaniards, Portuguese and Italians, just like Lapp is an offensive slur for Saami.

Do you consider Viking a slur for Norwegians, Danes and Swedes?

[Pallantides]

Do you consider Viking a slur for Norwegians, Danes and Swedes?

Lol no, it's not a derogatory term like 'lapp' is and it's not used as an ethnic slur against Norwegians, Danes or Swedes.


In Norway nobody refer to a Saami as 'Lapp' unless their intention is to offend the Saami.

[alzo zero]

Italiano and bresciano (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huKOy2LrxCs). :D

[Comte Arnau]

Lol no, it's not a derogatory term like 'lapp' is and it's not used as an ethnic slur against Norwegians, Danes or Swedes.

Here it is sometimes, although usually in a joking manner. I myself call my gf vikinga every now and then. :D

That's what I mean. Any term that wasn't necessarily derogatory in the beginning can become so if it's used with that intention. If we have to change it constantly, then happens that a negro becomes a black that becomes an Afro-American that becomes an African American that becomes whatever comes next. Basically to refer to the same but constantly changing for the sake of PCness until the next term gets worn out.

[Olavsson]

Native language? Norwegian, the most beautiful of the Scandinavian languages. :thumb001:

[Alchemist]

Slovenian.

[Grumpy Cat]

Your native language is the one you speak or hear in your dreams

Can be either French or English, depending on the subject and setting of the dream.

For multilingually raised people like myself, there is a thread (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14842) for determining what your real native tongue is.

[Max]

Can be either French or English, depending on the subject and setting of the dream.

For multilingually raised people like myself, there is a thread (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14842) for determining what your real native tongue is.

Thats true Bilingualism. I've never had an English dream :( and when people speak to me in English I always have to restructure into Russian and back to English again. Sometimes that makes for funny sentences :D

[Grumpy Cat]

Thats true Bilingualism. I've never had an English dream :( and when people speak to me in English I always have to restructure into Russian and back to English again. Sometimes that makes for funny sentences :D

I don't even translate English to French in my head. Or French to English.

For dreams, it depends who is in the dream or where the dream happens. If I usually speak English to this person, the dream will be in English, French, the dream will be in French. I also will speak both languages in the same dream.

I just understand both.

But during sex, it's French. So, I guess that's my native tongue. :embarrassed

[Max]

Thats neat because you Canadians have a little language war going on. I visited the greater Vancouver area, Victoria and nobody wanted to have anything to do with French. I guess the 100 years war lives on Ehhhh?:D You are like the bridge between them:thumb001:

[Grumpy Cat]

Thats neat because you Canadians have a little language war going on. I visited the greater Vancouver area, Victoria and nobody wanted to have anything to do with French. I guess the 100 years war lives on Ehhhh?:D You are like the bridge between them:thumb001:

One of the managers at my work is from South Africa and he said the tension between English and French in Canada is worse than that between whites and blacks there. I was like "really"?

Then I noticed when he added me to Facecrack that he has more white friends than I have Anglo friends, so maybe he has a point. O_o

[Comte Arnau]

Thats true Bilingualism. I've never had an English dream :( and when people speak to me in English I always have to restructure into Russian and back to English again. Sometimes that makes for funny sentences :D

Well, I've had dreams in languages other than Catalan or Spanish and still I wouldn't regard myself as a native of those languages. I'd say it pretty much depends on the people and the context in the dream.

What's funny is that if he/she's a native of that language, he/she'll speak it perfectly in my dream while I'll probably make some mistakes. :D

[Nurzat]

carpathian russian (dialect of ukrainian) and moldavian (dialect of romanian, heavy slavic influence)

[Curtis24]

Its English. Somewhat off-record, but I'm always impressed by how well non-native speakers can speak English on this forum.

[Ausência Forçada]

portuguese!

best language :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT9j9DUEtUE

[Comte Arnau]

Somewhat off-record, but I'm always impressed by how well non-native speakers can speak English on this forum.

Do not think it is representative of real life, though. In Europe, only most Dutch and Scandinavians have an acceptable level. :p

[antonio]

Its English. Somewhat off-record, but I'm always impressed by how well non-native speakers can speak English on this forum.

In fact, we, as Spaniards, are impressed too. :D

[antonio]

Its English. Somewhat off-record, but I'm always impressed by how well non-native speakers can speak English on this forum.

In fact, we, as Spaniards, are impressed too. :D

Ps. I have to include Count Arnau in the bunch. He does not even resemble a Spaniard writing in English.

[Comte Arnau]

Ps. I have to include Count Arnau in the bunch. He does not even resemble a Spaniard writing in English.

^ This has a very easy explanation. :tongue

[Peyrol]

I choose italian and occitan...but for occitan, i mean piemonteis (that is close to occitan, anyway:D).

[antonio]

^ This has a very easy explanation. :tongue

What an easy target I left behind! :cool:

[Äike]

lol, Balticus is such a troll for voting Estonian. He has never been to Estonia nor has he even heard Estonian being spoken. He's a random Balt who cannot understand a single word of my language.

[Comte Arnau]

I choose italian and occitan...but for occitan, i mean piemonteis (that is close to occitan, anyway:D).

My opinion, inasmuch as I know about Romance linguistics, is similar to that of linguists such as Hull, Schmid or Bec: the Gallo-Italic varieties (among which, Piedmontese) along with the Veneto-Istrian and the so-called Rhaeto-Romane languages (Romansh, Ladin and Friulian) form one big linguistic system or macro-language (which they sometimes call Padanian or Rhaeto-Cisalpine) that is closer to the other two Gallo-Romance groups (Oilitan+Arpitan and Occitan+Catalan) than to the Central+Southern Italian languages.

I'm aware that this is a bit controversial to some, specially when language is mixed with politics. But for what I know, it makes sense.

The graphic would be a bit like this:

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/4106/rmlgskem.jpg

[perikolez]

basque and castilian.

[Thorum]

Where are the Swedes!!?

[Comte Arnau]

Where are the Swedes!!?

The Swedes and many others! Come to vote, this is a compulsory census!!! :D

[Damião de Góis]

Well i voted "Portuguese | Galician", but i must say that my Galician is very poor.

[Moonbird]

The Swedes and many others! Come to vote, this is a compulsory census!!! :D

Well, my native language is Swedish.

[Macedonian]

I strongly object having Macedonian in the same checkbox as Bulgarian. I suppose this is due to the fact that most of you don't know the degree of difference between both. Although remotely being mutually intelligible, they are separate languages, not just from 1945 onwards, like some of you want to think. It was only the codification that took place in 1945.

Please make a separate checkbox for Macedonian, my native language.

[Lithium]

I strongly object having Macedonian in the same checkbox as Bulgarian. I suppose this is due to the fact that most of you don't know the degree of difference between both. Although remotely being mutually intelligible, they are separate languages, not just from 1945 onwards, like some of you want to think. It was only the codification that took place in 1945.

Please make a separate checkbox for Macedonian, my native language.

The "macedonian" is just a Bulgarian dialect... if you are not sure about that check some resources.

[Macedonian]

The "macedonian" is just a Bulgarian dialect... if you are not sure about that check some resources.

I don't need resources for my own language. You Bulgarians want to present the matter like the one of Moldovans and Romanians, whose languages ARE the same. In the case of Macedonian and Bulgarian, it is just not so.

Furthermore, the real Bulgarian is a Turkic dialect, your language that you call Bulgarian would be better described as "Thracian Slavic". But if you choose to identify yourself as a Bulgarian, and your language as Bulgarian, it's your full right.

Заќути еднаш. (that's Млъкни веднъж in Bulgarian as Google Translate tells me)

[Lithium]

I don't need resources for my own language. You Bulgarians want to present the matter like the one of Moldovans and Romanians, whose languages ARE the same. In the case of Macedonian and Bulgarian, it is just not so.

Furthermore, the real Bulgarian is a Turkic dialect, your language that you call Bulgarian would be better described as "Thracian Slavic". But if you choose to identify yourself as a Bulgarian, and your language as Bulgarian, it's your full right.

Заќути еднаш. (that's Млъкни веднъж in Bulgarian as Google Translate tells me)

The ancient Bulgarians were Aryans, not Turkic. We are much older as an ethnicity than them. :)

[Macedonian]

Then, explain to me what are the Balkars in northern Caucasus?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkars

I know that theory about the "aryan" origin of the Bulgarians. You identify with Iranians, Croatians and Germans. And how do you explain today's Slavic Bulgarian language? My opinion is that it's far less founded. I personally think that today's Bulgarians are from Thracian stock, with the western parts mostly ancient Macedonian, later all of them Slavicized and a few centuries after that they all took an ethnonym after their turkic Bulgarian rulers. Only after the 16th-17th century, Russia wanted to create it's transdanubian puppet-state, thus helping and forcing the Bulgarians' expansion. And they almost succeeded, no argue about that.

[Lithium]

Which part of "the ancient Bulgarians" you don't understand?

[Boudica]

English

[Thundermark]

Bosnian obviously. ;)

[Macedonian]

Which part of "the ancient Bulgarians" you don't understand?

The non-existent one.

[hajduk]

I don't need resources for my own language. You Bulgarians want to present the matter like the one of Moldovans and Romanians, whose languages ARE the same. In the case of Macedonian and Bulgarian, it is just not so.

Furthermore, the real Bulgarian is a Turkic dialect, your language that you call Bulgarian would be better described as "Thracian Slavic". But if you choose to identify yourself as a Bulgarian, and your language as Bulgarian, it's your full right.

Заќути еднаш. (that's Млъкни веднъж in Bulgarian as Google Translate tells me)

You came here today and start with provocations. You should mind your attitude. We've had enough Balkan wars recently. Let's everyone mind their own business

[Macedonian]

You came here today and start with provocations. You should mind your attitude. We've had enough Balkan wars recently. Let's everyone mind their own business

I regret that I had to respond in the ways I did, but have in mind that it wasn't me that provoked. I absolutely agree that we should change our mentality, and promote tolerance between ourselves.

Personally I have a good number of Bulgarian friends. I don't condemn the whole nation, nor hate it. You can only judge people.

In the sense of good spirit I will try my best not to respond to provocations in the future.

[hajduk]

Okay. I am born and live what you consider to be "Pirin Macedonia", everyone here consider himself bulgarian.
I also have many macedonian friends, who live in Blagoevgrad and Sofia. Most of them also consider themselves bulgarians and have BG passports

[Macedonian]

Okay. I am born and live what you consider to be "Pirin Macedonia", everyone here consider himself bulgarian.
I also have many macedonian friends, who live in Blagoevgrad and Sofia. Most of them also consider themselves bulgarians and have BG passports

Well, the thing with Pirin Macedonia is that we in the Republic of Macedonia consider you Pirin Macedonians as ethnic "Macedonian", you in Pirin Macedonia consider yourselves "Bulgarian" (a vast majority), but also consider us from the Republic of Macedonia as "Bulgarians".

This means that we both are aware that we Vardar and Pirin Macedonians are the same people, it's just that we Vardar Macedonians consider "Macedonian" an ethnic denomination, and you Pirin Macedonians consider "Macedonian" a regional denomination, while superimposing "Bulgarian" as an ethnic denominations.

Also, I would like to say that I have many friends from Blagoevgrad/Gorna Dzumaja who refuse to call themselves Bulgarian. Also, I have friends who went to Bulgaria to study and had to sign a paper which stated that they are "Bulgarian by blood, as well as their parents and grandparents", so that they could be granted scholarships. This was done because of the poor state of Macedonian education. We envy the level of Bulgarian universities, especially in medicine and technology (but not history ;) ).