Your skill points in Speak Language :P

Johnny Wraith · August 16, 2006, 12:29:17 AM

The first thing that caught my attention when I started reading some campaign settings here in this guild was the way in which people wrote, what I mean by this is the knowledge of the english language that most of you seem to have. I've noticed this not only on CSs but also in regular posts. I started to wonder why and figured the best way to know how you reached that level of experience was simply by asking so... It'd be nice to know also, what's your mother tongue (You use another term for this, but I forget) in case it isn't english.

Edit: Oh, btw... My mother tongue is spanish :)

Numinous · August 16, 2006, 12:49:54 AM

I think this is an answer... My mother tongue is English and I got to writing coolby reading too much and being a geek for most of my life. It's as simple as that.

Stargate525 · August 16, 2006, 01:19:27 AM

Reading. Far too much reading. That and the innate ability to understand Shakespearean language without translating.

Ghost · August 16, 2006, 02:01:18 AM

Quote from: stargate525Reading. Far too much reading. That and the innate ability to understand Shakespearean language without translating.

Verily.

In any case, a number of the inspirations for campaign settings is made of dense writing; see pretty much anything by Tolkien, or many religious texts, or other fantasy novels. One can't base a setting entirely on a movie.

Well, one can, but it just wouldn't have that certain...feeling, of deep history and plausibility.

CYMRO · August 16, 2006, 02:22:14 AM

My Mother Tongue is English, and I had the benefit of an excellent education. I was in high school and college in Tennesee in the early and mid eighties when that state was pouring obscene amounts of money into education.

Jürgen Hubert · August 16, 2006, 03:59:01 AM

My native language is German, though reading more than a thousand English-language books has helped my English skills... ;)

Wensleydale · August 16, 2006, 07:26:48 AM

*nods* Mine's english. Although I also know a bit of french.

Túrin · August 16, 2006, 07:57:17 AM

I speak Dutch in daily life, and have done so all my life. But I've been reading and writing English for years now(mostly in places such as this one). Baldur's Gate taught me to read English, and forums taught me to write (roughly speaking). Of course, I also had about three hours of English a week for six years in secondary school, but meh. I remember playing Baldur's Gate, and when I got through it the second time, I actually understood what was being said. :D
Túrin

Lmns Crn · August 16, 2006, 08:05:11 AM

Another native English speaker here. I used to be semi-fluent in Spanish, but I fear I've lost most of that over the years, and I never had a really impressive Spanish vocabulary to begin with. I suppose a lot of my linguistics and naming issues have a bit of Spanish in them, in the sounds of the words and the syntax of phrases.

You're absolutely right about the speech on the boards here, although I hadn't noticed it specifically. Everybody speaks intelligently, even in casual conversation, which is not something I find on a lot of online communities. So, thanks.

Non-Native-English-Speakers: I really wouldn't have guessed. All of you speak English as well as or better than plenty of native speakers I've met. I am jealous of your bilingual skills!

Hibou · August 16, 2006, 09:33:23 AM

My first language is English, and though they've tried to impose French on me, I've never been able to really learn it because it just doesn't interest me. I can understand some of what people write or say in it, but for the most part it might as well be Cthulhu talking to me.

SDragon · August 16, 2006, 10:05:22 AM

Quote from: WitchHuntMy first language is English, and though they've tried to impose French on me, I've never been able to really learn it because it just doesn't interest me. I can understand some of what people write or say in it, but for the most part it might as well be Cthulhu talking to me.

im reminded of an old SNL skit, about a militant, abusive "french camp"....

(dan ackroyd?)"how big is the cat?!"
(bill murray) "its a little kitty...."
*slap!* "LE PETITE CHAT!"
"its a little kitty...."

anyways, english is my first tongue.... well, actually, its the first language i learned. my first tongue was many years later, but thats an other story for another time, in another place...
*back on topic*
anyways, the first language i learned was english, but i learned it in america, so im sure it could improve.
believe it or not, i got to this level of "expertise" through a game i played with my mom when i was little; we would actually open the dictionary to random pages, looking for the hardest word we could on the two pages we had. upon finding the word, we would challenge each other to spelling and defining it. yea, lame, i know, but if i ever have a five year old child, i will pray to every god and goddess, real and imaginary, that s/he will be so easily pacified.

geekling · August 16, 2006, 11:46:42 AM

My native language - Swedish.

But I suppose after having being an expat in an English speaking country for a few years, I'm getting to the point where I can almost claim that I'm becoming fluent in English.

CYMRO · August 16, 2006, 11:52:12 AM

Quote from: geeklingMy native language - Swedish.

An interesting side note: in English a Swede may either be a person from Sweden or a yellow root vegetable.

Wix of Bel-Air · August 16, 2006, 02:38:56 PM

I'm an leet haxor, with an uber discro. Leet, homeslice!

Native: English.

Johnny Wraith · August 16, 2006, 04:26:17 PM

I figured most of your answers would end up being the same (reading). Unfortunately for me, I can't really concentrate when reading unless it's about sports, D&D, cars, or any other interests I have (I dislike this about myself, really, I'd love to be able to read novels but my mind just drifts somewhere else after a few lines).

I'm hoping, though, that my english improves from reading your posts. I haven't posted my setting yet and one of the main reasons I'm so slow at it is because I've seen the quality of the english spoken in this forum and I feel the need to turn in a product that's up to your level... Admittedly, I've taken it as a challenge...

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Your skill points in Speak Language :P

Johnny Wraith

Numinous

Stargate525

Ghost

CYMRO

Jürgen Hubert

Wensleydale

Túrin

Lmns Crn

Hibou

SDragon

geekling

CYMRO

Wix of Bel-Air

Johnny Wraith