Looking For A Language To Study

[SpitfireV]

That's very true. An anecdote: I have a friend who spent 5 years in China. When people to speak to him on the telephone in Chinese, they think he's Chinese and get a shock when they see a pasty white guy LOL. Anyway, he came here, he applied for a government department that uses that sort of language and they told him he needs a degree to go along with it and they can't hire him until he does.

So a lesson there me thinks.

 

[0699]

That's very true. An anecdote: I have a friend who spent 5 years in China. When people to speak to him on the telephone in Chinese, they think he's Chinese and get a shock when they see a pasty white guy LOL. Anyway, he came here, he applied for a government department that uses that sort of language and they told him he needs a degree to go along with it and they can't hire him until he does.

So a lesson there me thinks.

I think the lesson is you will almost always go further with a degree. My degree (history & poli sci) has NOTHING to do with my current job, but I came in at a higher pay rate because of it. I'm not saying it's right, just saying what it is...

 

[Manolito]

There comes a time when people quit taking you serious without a solid education under your belt.
Honest to god I had a GS-15 manager send three spanish speaking people to meet a Brazillian flight. What is the language of Brazil boys and girls

 

[Marauder06]

Me! Me! It's.... not Spanish! Do I win?



(Portuguese)

 

[Chopstick]

Portugese.

 

[x SF med]

Topless Thong Bikini and Tan , oh no, sorry that's the dress code... Portugese, not Spanish.

 

[DoctorDoom]

去與自己性交

Slainte

Fellas fellas fellas... you need to learn some slang... telling someone to go have "sexual relations" with himself simply lacks a certain forcefulness... :)

 

[DoctorDoom]

If you look at the character styles, Japanese has a lot of curves and swirls that Chinese doesn't have. There's a lot of commonality between Japanese and Korean I'm told.

Japanese has multiple alphabets, and so only some of the characters are Chinese in origin (kanji); there's hirugana and katekana, phonetic alphabets that have nothing to do with Chinese. Grammar are completely unrelated.

Likewise Japanese and Korean are completely different. Korean writing is a phonetic created alphabet. Korean is actually closer to Turkic language than any other, IIRC is closer to Hungarian than Japanese.

 

[DoctorDoom]

I completely understand, and I will. Thank you.

SeaJack, some general thoughts. Enthusiasm is good, but you won't get all the answers right now. You're in school? Work on being a good student right now. You're exercising? Get as fit as you can without detriment to school success. You're a teenager? Make some friends, have some fun, date some nice girls, don't impreganate any of them. Don't do anything stupid.

Learn as much about the world as you can. Get as much knowledge as you can. If you still want to become SOF, you'll find a way. People who learn to excel in anything they do will achieve what they want. Getting carried away and wanting to get there RIGHT NOW when you are not close to being ready to handle the demands and the responsibilities of adulthood, much less advanced soldiering, will be to your detriment as a person and a soldier.

Just my opinion as a slightly older, not so wise, non-SOF officer type. Slow down a little, work hard, keep your eyes and ears open. You might one day find yourself doing something crazy, like, oh, say, leaving Wall Street to volunteer for the Army. And you'll know it's the right decision because you've seen a little bit of the world and know yourself well.

 

[SpitfireV]

Japanese has multiple alphabets, and so only some of the characters are Chinese in origin (kanji); there's hirugana and katekana, phonetic alphabets that have nothing to do with Chinese. Grammar are completely unrelated.

Likewise Japanese and Korean are completely different. Korean writing is a phonetic created alphabet. Korean is actually closer to Turkic language than any other, IIRC is closer to Hungarian than Japanese.

I knew about the alphabets but I didn't know about the JP/KR lack of relationship. Thanks!

 

[mike_cos]

Italian... why? Many chicks... trust me....

 

[DoctorDoom]

I knew about the alphabets but I didn't know about the JP/KR lack of relationship. Thanks!

No worries man!

 

[Marauder06]

I knew about the alphabets but I didn't know about the JP/KR lack of relationship. Thanks!

Apparently there is a lot of crossover from Chinese into Korean- I think it's called "hanja." I could always tell when there was Chinese in the words because Korean is highly phonetic (and thus the alphabet was very easy to learn) but when they started throwing in Chinese characters, I was screwed.

 

[Crusader74]

Language isn't much of a warrior task. Go workout. Get on www.crossfit.com and work on getting a sub 4 minute Fran time. Go run a 10k, and if it's over 40 minutes, work on that. Work on a double body weight squat, 2.5 body weight deadlift, and 1.5 body weight bench. Then you'll really have something you can work with. Get in the woods and learn how to pattern deer- where they sleep, where they eat, when they move; it's 100% transferable to hunting humans.

If it's not your first language, you'll have a terp- don't worry.

Remind never to get on your bad side..

 

[Headshot]

Fellas fellas fellas... you need to learn some slang... telling someone to go have "sexual relations" with himself simply lacks a certain forcefulness... :)

How's this brainiac? Go Fuck Yourself!

 

[DoctorDoom]

How's this brainiac? Go Fuck Yourself!

See, that's what I was talking about! :)

 

[DoctorDoom]

Apparently there is a lot of crossover from Chinese into Korean- I think it's called "hanja." I could always tell when there was Chinese in the words because Korean is highly phonetic (and thus the alphabet was very easy to learn) but when they started throwing in Chinese characters, I was screwed.

Yes Sir, in the written characters and some transliterated terms. Hanja is basically Korean for "Chinese words." But linguistically Korean is totally different from Chinese, as you noted.

 

[surgicalcric]

Language isn't much of a warrior task. Go workout. Get on www.crossfit.com and work on getting a sub 4 minute Fran time. Go run a 10k, and if it's over 40 minutes, work on that. Work on a double body weight squat, 2.5 body weight deadlift, and 1.5 body weight bench. Then you'll really have something you can work with. Get in the woods and learn how to pattern deer- where they sleep, where they eat, when they move; it's 100% transferable to hunting humans.

If it's not your first language, you'll have a terp- don't worry.

I have to disagree with my brother on the idea that being able to speak the language of those you are working with isn't important. Even if its only greetings and such it has profound effects on ones ability to build rapport.

Furthermore, there are places where terps just are not going to be provided. This has been true in South/Central America and most Francophone countries in Africa I have had the pleasure of working.

As for the physical parts, I am in total agreement. Get into the gym and work on strength and endurance...

 

[SpitfireV]

Well I've learned from this thread, so thanks guys.