[French] I'm going to learn French!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

It's of course easier to assimilate new vocabulary and some structures, because they're apparently very similar to one another, but it's easier to make elemental mistakes because grammar rules can be very different from one language to the other and there's plenty of false friends in vocabulary. What I have seen is that you can't take anything for granted when you're learning a new language.

[Rusty]

Just like learning Spanish is made a bit easier by having some cognates with English, the Romance languages have a great affinity one towards another in vocabulary. The grammar is very similar, as well.
However, you're still faced with learning many different words and some different grammar rules when learning another Romance language.

Here's a sampling of 3 words, translated into five Romance languages:
caballo - cavallo - cheval - cavalo - cal
hablar - parlare - parler - falar - a vorbi
comer - mangiare - manger - comer - a mânca

Here's a Latin phrase translated into several Romance languages and dialects (grouped by country, where possible):
loqui discere est interpretari discere

Spain
aprender a hablar es aprender a traducir
aprender a falar é aprender a traducir
aprender a fablar ye aprender a traduzir
aprender a falar ye aprender a traducir
aprendre a parlar és aprendre a traduir

Latin America
aprender a hablar es aprender a traducir

Portugal/Brazil
aprender a falar é aprender a traduzir

France
apprendre à parler c'est apprendre à traduire

Italy
imparare a parlare è imparare a tradurre
émparà a parlà, l'è émparà a traduser
si te mpari a parra' te mpari puru a traduce
´mpararisi a parari voli riri ´mpararisi a traruciri
chini si 'mpara a parra' si 'mpara a traducia
imparâ a fevelâ jè imparâ a tradusi
'mparare a parlare è 'mparare a tradurre
mparà a parlà vò ricere mparà a traducere
inparèr ed dscårrer l é inparèr ed tradûSer
na mattèsi n'omilìsi ene na mattèsi na traducèzzi
inparar a parlar l’è inparar a tradur
imparà a parlà è imparà a tradurre
imparèr a parlèr l'è cumpàgn a imparèr a fèr al traduziòun
imparare a parlare voe dire imparare a tradure
imparär a parlär l'é imparär a traducir
mpara a parlà e a fà la traduzione
amprende à parlé a l'é amprende à traduve
imparér ma scòrar l'è imparèr ma tradour
´mpara´ a parla´ è ´mpara´ a tradurre
imparè a z-córr e vó dî imparè a tradòur
imparai a fueddai est imparai a tradusi
'mparari a parrari è 'u stessu ch'mparari a trarurri
mbarà a parlà è 'mbarà a tradurr
imparar a parlar vol dir imparar a tradur
'mparà a parlà è 'mparà a traduce
inparar a parlar vol dir inparar a tradur
imprende à descorrî veu dî imprende à tradùe

Switzerland
appreindre à dèvesâ, l'è appreindre à translatâ

Romania
a învăţa să vorbeşti este a învăţa să traduci

Judeo-Spanish
ambezarse a avlar es ambezarse a trezladar

[SPX]

Interesting, Rusty. Why all the variations for Italian?

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

. . . but it's easier to make elemental mistakes because grammar rules can be very different from one language to the other and there's plenty of false friends in vocabulary.

I guess it seems to me that the grammar across all the romantic languages would be pretty close. But maybe not. I really know nothing about any of them beyond Spanish.

Speaking of the romantic languages, two questions: 1. What's supposed to be so romantic about them? I've never understood the name. 2. Has anyone ever noticed that no one ever hears about Romanian? I was actually pretty surprised that it was even in the same category.

[Rusty]

As with all areas of the world, the people who settle each region (and sometimes each village) have a particular way of speaking. Without outside influence, the people of a particular area will adapt their language to the circumstances they live in. Conversely, if contact with a neigboring people is frequent, the two groups tend to use a common language. If regions of people are isolated (separated by vast mountain ranges, for example), there is less of a need to maintain a working relationship with the 'neighbor' and the two languages diverge.

If you think Italy is bad, check out how many languages are spoken in India. Most Indians speak at least three languages (not counting English, which many know as a fourth language).


Edit: The classification of 'Romance language' doesn't have anything to do with the English word 'romance'. All these languages stem from Latin, the language of the Romans. That is where the word comes from. That is also where 'Romanic languages' comes from, in case you didn't know them by that name.

By the way, I think Spanish is a romantic language, using the English sense of that word.

[VivaEspana]

I am in-between intermediate and advanced. I did almost all of them through self-study but I depend on a french language forum website for corrections. I get bored with basic. I took it for about 2 weeks, dropped out and now I am on my own..I must learn French language or else...Love the French language. No wonder Paris is the fashion wonder of the world..French ladies are one of the most beautiful in the world next to Russian..

[poli]

You are going to have to change your name to Vive la France.

[PureChristi]

I want to eventually learn french after I master spanish. 1/4 of my family lives in quebec and they mainly speak french. My grandma's native language is french, and my mom knows some so i've picked up a few words growing up.

[ROBINDESBOIS]

I lived in Paris for 3 years, French is easy, though the pronunciation is hard. Italian is a bit easier à mon avis.

[Seth]

Originally Posted by PureChristi

I want to eventually learn french after I master spanish. 1/4 of my family lives in quebec and they mainly speak french. My grandma's native language is french, and my mom knows some so i've picked up a few words growing up.

(Don't say it too loud), but the differences btw French spoken in France and French spoken in Quebec are greater than between British and American.
For ex., an average French unaware of some forms of "Quebecois" will be mostly unable to understand an "average" Quebecois unaware of the slowness and the 'break-you-damn-accent' that a French needs to understand quebecois (and I do not speak about dialects, which can lead to some... dramatical misunderstanding. Ex. : in (french) slang : "les gosses" : the kids. in (quebecois) slang : "les gosses" : the nuts (not the one that squirrel usually eats. My sentence definitely sounds weird. )).

[poli]

Similar meaning changes are extremely common in between Spain and Latin American countries, and among Latin American countries too. Bicho and chicha are perfect examples of this. A multi-cultural hispanic society must learn to understand and accept these differences. If not, fights can and sometimes do result.