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Should I learn French first or Vietnamese?

Hello!

I am a fluent Esperantist and also speak English natively. This puts me in a good position to learn French. At some point in the next 10 years, I may live in France. Obviously, therefore French is useful to me.

I also would like to speak Vietnamese. I am interested in the language, and where I live there are many Vietnamese speakers- as well as in France, for that matter. Vietnamese would be useful in many respects. It is certainly more useful than French while I am not living in France.

I understand that French would be very easy to learn for an Esperantista anglophone. Vietnamese, not so.

I also know that if you learn L2 and then L3, L3 is picked up much more quickly than it would be, if you had not learnt L2. Since Vietnamese and French are not very closely related, this difference is probably not going to be huge but I think definitely measurable.

I would certainly like to speak French at a native level at some point. I have a little phobia of living in a country where I speak the language badly. For tourists it is acceptable, but for permanent residents, to not learn the language to a native level (and with only a slight accent or none) if they are capable is simply being rude and I do not wish to be like that.

With that considered, logically, which language do you think I should learn first?

Thanks.

<<Hello!

I am a fluent Esperantist and also speak English natively. >>

I highly, highly doubt you're fluent in Esperanto, for reasons I won't go into because I have no desire to get into a debate about Esperanto. That would be completely useless as I know all the pro-Esperanto arguments by heart.

<<This puts me in a good position to learn French.>>

Not really. The difference is rather minute, nothing worth writing home about.

<<At some point in the next 10 years, I may live in France. >>

But you probably won't. Anything could happen. Who knows, you might even be dead in 10 years.

<<Obviously, therefore French is useful to me. >>

Useful, but not that useful. You can get around with minimal French.

<>

And I would like to be President...

<>

Why do you assume they want to talk to you?

<>

Wrong. It won't be easy. Esperanto means little.

<<Vietnamese, not so. >>

Here, you're right.

<>

This is a half-truth. It may be helpful at the beginning stage, but it won't make a difference if your goal is to get to a native-like level.

<>

Who wouldn't? Doesn't mean it's gonna happen.

<<I have a little phobia of living in a country where I speak the language badly. For tourists it is acceptable, but for permanent residents, to not learn the language to a native level (and with only a slight accent or none) if they are capable is simply being rude and I do not wish to be like that. >>

You should get over this. It'd be a lot easier to overcome this little phobia than to learn a whole language. You may think it is rude, but the truth is that no one cares about you at all, not even enough to be offended or even interested in how well you speak the language.

<<With that considered, logically, which language do you think I should learn first? >>

Neither. Take a quick course in phobia conquering and dedicate your life to something else. Even though your psyche is probably somewhat warped given the Esperanto thing, I think this is a goal that is achievable as opposed to the fantasy of speaking Vietnamese and French!

Thanks for your comment. I'm not sure if you're just some really cynical crazy on the Internet, or a comedian, but I laughed anyway. Although I kind of would like serious answers.

<<but for permanent residents, to not learn the language to a native level (and with only a slight accent or none) if they are capable is simply being rude and I do not wish to be like that.>>

And yet you wish to learn Vietnamese so you can speak to Vietnamese in foreign countries? If your phoebia of living in a country and not using the native language is so strong then you should be encouraging the Vietnamese to better their usually poor foreign language skills than start trying to speak in Vietnamese to them.

But to be honest you're probably one of those left-wing idiots who thinks any white European who doesn't speak the language abroad is a rude, ignorant idiot, but any non-white who doesn't speak the language/speaks it badly is just cultured.

If your native language is English is easier to study French. Your knowledge of Esperanto is also good for that matter.

Vietnamese is not an Indo-european language. If you start to study this language, you will study only some months because it is too difficult, unless you REALLY need to study it. I think like Demotivator.

OTOH, French, like Spanish, is one of the easiest major languages that an American or a British can study. You can have a good knowledge of the language with some effort.

Thanks L.L. You're right.

<<French, like Spanish, is one of the easiest major languages that an American or a British can study.>>

The English language belongs to the English, hense British people, so please have the respect to quote British before Americans. You wouldn't say "Italian, like Spanish, is one of the easiest major languages that a Québécois or French can study", so why do the same for English speakers?

Matemik, it seems that nobody respects our mongrel language. It was the language forced upon the world by America. If I wasn't a native, I'd probably hate it too.

Anyway, our language has been ruined a bit by the use of bombastic latin radicals everywhere. People have forgotten our language is Germanic and should be respected as such.

It's a little sad, but oh well. I'll just find some other languages to appreciate the beauty of. That's Esperanto down, French and Vietnamese to go. ;)

This is one of the funniest threads I have seen in a long time. I know that one of the regulars here occasionally posts hilarious thread starters. This is a masterwork.

In any case, shouldn't an Esperantist who also speaks English be able to cover more of the world than Sherwin Williams?

On the wild chance that this is (and I can't believe it is) a genuine post, I have to say that I don't think knowing Esperanto is going to help you much with Vietnamese.

I think you have to learn three natural languages before they start clicking for you and even then, if you venture out of your language family, it's chore time again.

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<<Matemik, it seems that nobody respects our mongrel language>>

Well, why respect it? It's not like anyone is forcing you to respect French or Vietnamese either. Don't respect them! It feels good to not respect things.

<<It was the language forced upon the world by America.>>

Good on them. It means they respect themselves. Better to respect oneself than to respect others.

<<Anyway, our language has been ruined a bit by the use of bombastic latin radicals everywhere.>>

Another little phobia that wouldn't be too hard to overcome...

<<People have forgotten our language is Germanic and should be respected as such.>>

It's just a bunch of noises. Now that I think about it, what does respect have to do with anything?

<<I'll just find some other languages to appreciate the beauty of.>>

As if you're capable of appreciating the beauty of a language that is not your native one! This is one of my old pet peeves. Non natives who comment on the beauty of a language they don't master, as if their opinion had any authority whatsoever!

<<That's Esperanto down, French and Vietnamese to go. ;)>>

If you were really interested in learning languages properly, you'd know that languages never are "down".

<<Although I kind of would like serious answers. >>

I'm serious. Even if it sounds exaggerated, take it into account, because I speak from experience.

<<
In any case, shouldn't an Esperantist who also speaks English be able to cover more of the world than Sherwin Williams? >>

No, an Esperantist can not cover anything except a couple of internet forums. Even if you manage to get in contact with Esperantists in some foreign countries and arrange to meet, how are you going to get to the meeting point?

<>

That's possible, though there's little evidence, since few souls have ever learnt three natural languages to find out whether it's true or not.

{{<<Although I kind of would like serious answers. >>

I'm serious. Even if it sounds exaggerated, take it into account, because I speak from experience.
}}

While I advise you to take into account what I say immediately, more importantly, you should you should not forget what I've told you. In the future, when you look back on your efforts, remember what I told you, and then tell me whether you think I was being serious or not. I even encourage you to go for it, you will learn an important life lesson. Even on the off chance you're successful, you will still appreciate and be grateful for the brutal truth in my argument, and will count yourself very, very lucky to have overcome the trials and tribulations of which you were forewarned.

Demotivator, if you are serious, then I will respect that. I will respect your purported experience, too.

However, you seem to be seriously misinformed about Esperanto. I'll mention that first. I'm not stopping you from reading about it on the Internet. What you have mentioned here is mostly all untrue.

It is not difficult to find Esperanto speakers. I know many personally. I am fluent, and I'm not sure why you doubt it. There are many fluent speakers. I may not be the greatest speaker. I sometimes make grammar mistakes and so on, but I definitely am able to comfortably and without straining, converse about any topic or read any book. You wouldn't mistake me for a native, but I'll get there.

You're right in that I may not ever accomplish Vietnamese proficiency. I don't have any pressing imperatives- I am motivated by interest.

As for French, it will have practical utility to me. You mentioned that it's possible to get by with minimal French, but I doubt it's possible to get by /comfortably/ in France without it. Also, given that the majority of Esperanto radicals can be traced back somehow to Latin or German, I would say that it will certainly be helpful in my learning of vocabulary.

Don't forget that learning a language in itself is a skill. The fact that I have accomplished the learning to a certain proficiency of one language, means any language I take on will be easier. Vietnamese may not have many cognates shared with Esperanto, but it will still be easier than had I been a monoglot.

Lastly, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto#Language_acquisition
I don't want to sound preachy about Esperanto. Frankly I don't care if you choose never to look at it again. However, I think that information is useful for understanding L3 acquisition more generally. It basically says there is propadeutic value in learning Esperanto, particularly for future French learners.