Day 28/365: Friday Five on a Sunday

[nanila]

1. After your first language, what language would you most like to learn? (Say first language too)
   My first language is English. For most of my earlier life, especially early adulthood, I would have wanted to learn Tagalog. (The story of me not learning or being taught to speak Tagalog or Ilocano is too depressing a subject for this post.) I have a passable knowledge of Spanish, and so it would be easiest to dedicate myself to attaining fluency in it.
   
   
2. Does your country have a second language? What is it?
   Neither of my countries has an official first language, and hence cannot have an official second language. However, the de facto first language of both is English. The de facto second language of one country is Spanish, and of the other, either Scots or Polish, I'd imagine.
   
   
3. How many languages can you count to 5 in? To 10 in? List them.
   I can count to five from memory in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch. To ten: English, Spanish and German.
   
   
4. What is the first overseas country you visited? And from where? (ie/ timbuctoo to mars)
   The first overseas country I ever visited was the UK, from the USA.
   
   
5. What country do you most want to visit? And why?
   To be honest, I've been extremely lucky to visit quite a lot of countries I've wanted to see over the course of my life. If I were told tomorrow that I couldn't see any more new ones, I would be sad, but not devastated. I'd quite like to go to Norway (this is a holdover from being a Roald Dahl fan and reading Boy at a formative age). I also want to go to the Philippines. I'd like to go with my dad, but I think he still may not want to go back.

Comments

[ayebydan]

I don't think England has Scots as a second language because then it would have to admit we have a culture and that won't do. I know Scotland, on the other hand recognizes 4 official languages. English, Scots, Gaelic and BSL. I think you would be more likely to see Welsh recognised in England than Scots. There are bi-lingual signposts near the border so that makes more sense.

It is a shame because about ten years a go there was a real shift to try preserve and bring back the old celtic and britonic languages of England but then...UKIPness happened.

[bryangb]

It depends what you mean by "country", I guess. Within the UK there are three official languages I'm aware of - English, Welsh and Scots Gaelic. I'm not sure if Irish Gaelic an official language in Norn Ireland, but it might be by now.

Unofficial could include Cornish and Scots - the latter is either a dialect of English or a related descendant within the Anglo-Saxon family, depending who you ask. (-:

[ayebydan]

Well I covered that I was referring to the four nations of the so called UK.

Scottish is sometimes spoken of as a dialect of English but Scots is seen as a standalone and developed around the period Middle English did.

[bryangb]

Middle English? Hm, interesting - it makes sense.

I'd assumed it could trace back further, to the Lowlands being (partly) settled by Angles and then Anglo-Normans. Wikipedia confirms the divergence from Northumbrian Old English being later, though (and also confirms the range of opinion on the relationship between Scots and standard English!).

[cmcmck]

Middle Scots indeed- people like Henryson and Dunbar!

[cmcmck]

Living where we do (East Shropshire) Welsh is definitely a thing- this area is functionally bilingual.

They have to recognise Scots down our street as the husbandly person speaks it! :o)

[nanila]

I was speaking of the UK as a country as a whole when I wrote this post because I identify as "British". I do not identify as "English". (UKIP/BNP/EDL have ruined any possibility of me considering that as an identify I want to take on for many years to come.)

Aaaanyway, I know that Welsh is recognised as an official language by Wales, along with English. There are fewer Welsh speakers than Scots speakers in terms of total numbers, but possibly more in terms of percentage of total population.

[meepettemu]

I can do French german Spanish and sign :)

[nanila]

That's a pretty cool combination! :)

[mysterysquid]

So many countries I want to visit... Very glad we got to the UK last year.

[nanila]

:) I'm glad you made it over, too.