jarandhel

Just archiving some thoughts as I begin to broach the field of linguistics (been reading a bit on the subject this evening.)

I am fluent in English at an above average level.
I am somewhat familiar with German, having studied it for three years, but am by no means fluent in it.
I know a small smattering of other languages, but am not even familiar with them in truth, much less fluent.

I would like to deepen my understanding of English.

I would like to become fluent in German.

I would like to become at least more familiar with, and preferably fluent in, Latin and Gaelic (I have not yet decided which branch) and Spanish and Hawaiian. For starters. I know certain words and phrases in each of these, to varying degrees, Latin being the one I am best with. I can generally intuit the meaning of latin texts based on my knowledge of roots and Latin's influences on English. I'm also familiar with a few latin phrases. Non scholae sed vitae discimus. Actually, I think learning such sayings is easier on the memory than other methods of increasing one's vocabulary in a foreign language. Much of my knowledge of german, learned by rote, has fled despite my adeptness when first learning it. I have little to anchor it to, unlike these phrases stolen from Latin.

I am curious about native american languages, australian aboriginee language(s?), asian languages, and arabic; but I think learning any of these languages would come after the others, and perhaps not at all. Though I'm sure my family will try to convince me to learn at least two languages from this set, Japanese and Arabic. ;)

These, then, are likely to be the languages through which I approach the study of linguistics, and in turn which I may draw nearer to understanding through that study.