Speaking about myself and my personal experience, I tend to "collect" languages just like other people collect stamps and postcards or spend their time on knitting. What drives my interest is the process of learning itself, mastering new words and grammar structures, slowly deciphering a new language and understanding it more and more with each week/month, analyzing the similarities between languages thanks to my (limited but still) linguistic background. I don't know how much time I will continue with language learning, maybe I'll be lured by something else at one point in the future! It's just a hobby after all.
People learn multiple languages for many different reasons that may be specific to these people's interests or musts. It may happen you won't be convinced by any of the reasons that will be listed here (just like no-one will ever convince me to collect stamps!) - it doesn't make these reasons less valid.
I'd like to hear what you mean by "enjoying the culture" if you don't mind. I mean, I read books (I could even say I read quite a lot), I read foreign magazines, listen to foerign radio stations, sometimes even watch TV shows (though I'm not that much into Netflix and all that stuff). And I'm glad I can do that in several languages.
What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
- AroAro
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
Last edited by AroAro on Thu Nov 04, 2021 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
As mentioned by einzelne above, there are some Latin tools for Classical Chinese. Not a crazy amount but still a decent one.Ezra wrote:I would like to have my Classical Chinese textbooks, dictionaries, grammars and readers in Latin only,
Angelo Zottoli, SJ, published a massive Cursus Litteraturae Sinicae (5 volumes, 1879-1882, with plenty of notes, characters lists, indices, illustrations):
- • Lingua familiaris
• Studium Classicorum (三字經, 百家姓, 千字文, 四書)
• Studium Canonicorum (五經)
• Stylus Rhetoricus (古文)
• Pars oratoria et poetica (eight-legged essays and poetry)
Séraphin Couvreur, also SJ, published various Chinese-French-Latin editions and a dictionary:
- • Dictionarium linguae Sinicae latinum (1877). Couvreur later published a Classical Chinese-French dictionary which was well regarded in its time, I don't know if this extends to its earlier Chinese-Latin incarnation
• Les Quatre livres (四書, 1895)
• Cheu King (詩經, 1896)
• Choix de documents (official documents, 1st edition 1894; slightly different format in the 3rd, 1901, and 4th, 1906, editions)
• Li ki (禮記, 1913, vol. 1, vol. 2)
Here is the beginning of the Analects in both Zottoli's and Couvreur's editions:
Edit. Added Couvreur's Dictionarium linguae Sinicae latinum.
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- RyanSmallwood
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
I mean there's no correct answer, just try not to think too far ahead, and make decisions as you go. If there's more you want to do with the languages you have/are improving, then keep using them, when the scales tip that you want to do stuff in another language badly enough that its worth going through the beginner/intermediate years again, then you start a new one, and see where you end up.
I've discussed this elsewhere, but I'm personally more optimistic that access to tools/resources on the internet will make it easier for people to learn more languages to a higher level. But it still takes time, and there's no point in over-thinking about what might happen later. Enjoy the languages you're working on as if you might never learn another, and if the opportunity comes where you can add another comfortably, then you're fortunate.
I've discussed this elsewhere, but I'm personally more optimistic that access to tools/resources on the internet will make it easier for people to learn more languages to a higher level. But it still takes time, and there's no point in over-thinking about what might happen later. Enjoy the languages you're working on as if you might never learn another, and if the opportunity comes where you can add another comfortably, then you're fortunate.
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
acorngalaxy wrote:Obvious economic / show-off benefits aside,
Obvious economic / show-off benefits aside, what's the point of mastering/learning anything?
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
SCMT wrote:Obvious economic / show-off benefits aside, what's the point of mastering/learning anything?
If I only had learned things for economic or show-off reasons, I'd be very, very ignorant.
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
Nogon wrote:SCMT wrote:Obvious economic / show-off benefits aside, what's the point of mastering/learning anything?
If I only had learned things for economic or show-off reasons, I'd be very, very ignorant.
A lot of us would, and we would probably lead less happy and fulfilling lives as well.
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
einzelne wrote:Ezra wrote:Instead of this, to enjoy European literary culture alone, one needs to learn English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish... The list is just going on. And one still needs Latin and Ancient Greek!
Hmm, and what's your point? The OP's argument is precisely this: if you have too much languages under your belt, you cannot go deep enough in all of them. Precisely in how many languages can you read comfortably high register literature now?
I sympathize with your feelings because I basically learn languages for the reasons you outlined. But it's one thing to read A Little Prince or Harry Potter in a dozen of languages and completely another to reach the level when you can comfortably read Dante in Italian, Pessoa in Portuguese, Kawabata in Japanese, Sophocles in Greet etc.
Well, how many people read "high-register" literature even in their native language? For a lot of people, it is just not interesting, and modern attention spans aren't what they used to be. For those people, reading visual novels and manga would be more appealing than Kawabata.
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
You may as well ask what is the meaning of life. Why do people do anything?
I imagine most of us do it because we get enjoyment out of it. That's pretty much why I do any of my hobbies. Sometimes I ask myself if I'd rather be doing something else in my free time but so far I've continued with the languages.
I imagine most of us do it because we get enjoyment out of it. That's pretty much why I do any of my hobbies. Sometimes I ask myself if I'd rather be doing something else in my free time but so far I've continued with the languages.
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Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: film:
IT: books: film:
PT: books: film:
Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: record:
PT: write: record:
PT: Read 100 books:
DE: books: film:
IT: books: film:
PT: books: film:
Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: record:
PT: write: record:
PT: Read 100 books:
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
guyome wrote:Ezra wrote:I would like to have my Classical Chinese textbooks, dictionaries, grammars and readers in Latin only
As mentioned by einzelne above, there are some Latin tools for Classical Chinese. Not a crazy amount but still a decent one.
[snip]
Will I ever study classical Chinese? Probably not. Have I downloaded all of these anyway? Absolutely.
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- Jean-Luc
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Re: What is the point of mastering/learning so many languages?
Some reasons why (in my case) :
Business : as a former export manager in Europe, travel and business with English, German, Spanish, Italian and French available was useful. Latin (and all languages of the world) for current "naming" business is a must...
Friends : Having Russian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian friends makes you want to please them (and travel in their countries)
Curiosity : History, drama, memories... Chinese films with costume, Korean dramas... so many incentives!
Opportunities : My neighbors are Chinese...
Knowledge : Toki Pona, hieroglyphs... If you have some interest in languages !
Life : going to retire in Croatia makes you learn... Croatian!
Business : as a former export manager in Europe, travel and business with English, German, Spanish, Italian and French available was useful. Latin (and all languages of the world) for current "naming" business is a must...
Friends : Having Russian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian friends makes you want to please them (and travel in their countries)
Curiosity : History, drama, memories... Chinese films with costume, Korean dramas... so many incentives!
Opportunities : My neighbors are Chinese...
Knowledge : Toki Pona, hieroglyphs... If you have some interest in languages !
Life : going to retire in Croatia makes you learn... Croatian!
Last edited by Jean-Luc on Sun Nov 07, 2021 2:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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