Multilingualism: Good or Bad?

I like learning rare languages, but I see more value and potential with learning major languages of the world.

And I also think any language is beautiful. I think it is so neat when people speak in a foreign language.

Hans comes from Rotterdam. At school he was taught Dutch, German, French and English. He wasn't very good at any of them, he says, but he got better marks in English than in Dutch. When he was 14 he went to England where he stayed for six weeks. After he returned to Holland, his marks in English improved a lot, but so did his ability in Dutch, German and French.

After he had lived in Australia for several years he began to mix Dutch and English in his talk and even in writing.

But now after nearly 40 years in Australia he says he hardly understands Dutch at all.

I have heard of that happening before; losing one's native language after spending a lot of time in a foreign country with a foreign language. But I have also seen a great deal of older people who remain bi- or evern tri-lingual their whole lives.

I think that it is important to know different languages in order to communicate ideas and cultures with all the worldand to have the doors open to world. So all languages are important.

I think that it is important to know different languages in order to communicate ideas and cultures with all the world and to have the doors open to world. So all languages are important.

I think that it is important to know different languages in order to communicate ideas and cultures with all the world and to have the doors open to world. So all languages are important.

I could not agree more.

I could not agree more.

I could not agree more.

Rare languages are the best, I think. You haven't lived until you've had a shot at Old Breton!

Old Breton!!!! Trying to find anything on Breton in French is next to impossible, and in English...forget it!

Well...the French don't like the Bretons much, so they're not too interested in learning the language. There is an English translation of a Breton grammar on the way (being translated from Welsh), and there are a few Breton-French vocabularies out there.

I have heard about this translation from Welsh into English.

And the French government in the past has gone so far as to say that Breton is just a dialect of French; a DIALECT of French. Hah!