| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Poll: How many languages and dialects are spoken in your home country? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many languages and dialects are spoken in your home country?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Deirdre Brophy (X) 
France
English to Irish
+ ...
Not to be facetious.... but is this limited to the official languages, or all the languages spoken by new arrivals to the country, tourists, language learners?
| | | | | One language + several dialects | Nov 19, 2014 |
In Portugal we speak one language and several regional dialects (mirandês (an Asturian dialect), barranquenho (heavily influenced by Southern Spanish dialects), alentejano, algarvio, madeirense, açoriano, …). The differences between these dialects are mostly in phonology and vocabulary and may make it difficult even for those who have Portuguese as their native language to understand rapid speech.
[Edited at 2014-11-19 09:09 GMT]
[Edited at 2014-11-19 09:09 GMT]
| | | | Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 08:42
Turkish to English
+ ...
Well, there are two official languages in my adopted home of the Republic of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish, but as a result of the ethnic conflict of the 60's and early 70's and later de facto partition of the island, Greek and Turkish speakers now mainly live in separate zones which have to all extents and purposes become monolingual, so Greek is the main official language where I live. There are also Armenian and Aramaic-speaking Cypriots, although these languages do not have official status. As a... See more Well, there are two official languages in my adopted home of the Republic of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish, but as a result of the ethnic conflict of the 60's and early 70's and later de facto partition of the island, Greek and Turkish speakers now mainly live in separate zones which have to all extents and purposes become monolingual, so Greek is the main official language where I live. There are also Armenian and Aramaic-speaking Cypriots, although these languages do not have official status. As a legacy of British colonialism, most people here also speak some English, and quite a few are very fluent in the language of their former colonial masters. There are also the so-called 'Charlies', people of Cypriot heritage who grew up abroad (almost invariably in English-speaking countries such as the UK and Australia) and have settled on their parents' or grandparents' island, and they obviously speak native-level English, their accents often pointing to their north London origins. On the other hand, about 20% of the population of the government-controlled part of Cyprus is foreign, so in practice many other languages are spoken here. There is a large community from South Asia in Cyprus and, in particular, Singhalese and Tagalog can be heard on the streets. Quite a few Arabic speakers live here. Now that Cyprus is a member of the EU, it is open to migration from other EU countries, and along with the sizable British community here (of which I am one), there are significant numbers of residents from such newer EU-member countries such as Poland, Romania and Bulgaria who speak their respective national language.
[Edited at 2014-11-19 15:29 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Welsh, the self-proclaimed Language of Heaven, which comes in distinct southern and northern dialects, not sure which of them God prefers
Oh, and English
| | | | Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 08:42
Turkish to English
+ ...
I see dialects are mentioned as well, so it is worth adding that the Cypriot Greek and Turkish dialects vary considerably from the standard languages in Greece and Turkey, to the extent that mainlanders cannot easily understand the vernacular forms of their languages used on the island - especially in the case of Cypriot Greek. Sadly, people in both communities are increasingly using the standard language rather than dialect. This is especially true of the Turkish Cypriot community, in which onl... See more I see dialects are mentioned as well, so it is worth adding that the Cypriot Greek and Turkish dialects vary considerably from the standard languages in Greece and Turkey, to the extent that mainlanders cannot easily understand the vernacular forms of their languages used on the island - especially in the case of Cypriot Greek. Sadly, people in both communities are increasingly using the standard language rather than dialect. This is especially true of the Turkish Cypriot community, in which only elderly people speak dialect in its broadest, comprehension-defying form. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 08:42
Turkish to English
+ ...
Chris S wrote:
Welsh, the self-proclaimed Language of Heaven, which comes in distinct southern and northern dialects, not sure which of them God prefers
Oh, and English
I have only ever encountered it once, while travelling on a train bound from London to Swansea, but I must admit that it is the most melodic language I have ever heard.
| | | | Chun Un
Macau
Member (2007)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Hundreds if not thousands... | Nov 19, 2014 |
enough said.
| | |
|
|
|
David Wright
Austria
Local time: 07:42
German to English
+ ...
| How do you define dialect? | Nov 19, 2014 |
Is the speech of lower austria a diaslect separate from that of Upper Austria, bioth of which are varaints of the Bavarian dialect? Is the dialect of Kilb a separate dialect from that of Mank (there are locals who can identify people's home on the basis of minor differences here)? Is the German of the 18th district of Vienna a different dialect to that of the 23rd? Is the Slovene dialect of Carinthia a different dialect to that of Styria?
and so on and so forth!
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 07:42
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
There's the official German plus the dialects in each state. However, one can hear several more languages being spoken, especially in the major cities.
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 07:42
Member (2006)
German to English
| | 337 at least, 176 of which | Nov 19, 2014 |
are indigenous languages, Native American languages, English being the most commonly spoken language. Spanish is the second most popular language. Apparently spoken by 30 million people. (out of 318 million)
[Edited at 2014-11-19 10:12 GMT]
| | |
|
|
|
| Not sure which is my home country... | Nov 19, 2014 |
Anyway, I answered 'don't know'.
I thought of England first.
Ever since there was anything officially thought of as English, there were variants and dialects.
A homesick Northumbrian doesn't long for the Queen's English, let alone the Estuary lingo. English for me is a range from Wilfred Pickles' best BBC English through my godmother's West Riding to the lilting Border burr. I love Geordie, whether I can understand it or not... and could listen to my sister-in-la... See more Anyway, I answered 'don't know'.
I thought of England first.
Ever since there was anything officially thought of as English, there were variants and dialects.
A homesick Northumbrian doesn't long for the Queen's English, let alone the Estuary lingo. English for me is a range from Wilfred Pickles' best BBC English through my godmother's West Riding to the lilting Border burr. I love Geordie, whether I can understand it or not... and could listen to my sister-in-law from Paisley all day!
I have made my home in Denmark too, and even this small country is very multilingual - Few people other than Danes understand Danish.
There are dialects here too. And it's well worth the effort to crack them - it's a fantastic language - or palette of dialects... ▲ Collapse
| | | | svetlana cosquéric
France
Local time: 07:42
Member (2008)
Russian to English
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Gudrun Maydorn (X)
Germany
Local time: 07:42
English to German
+ ...
| At least 4 (plus the languages of immigrants and refugees) | Nov 19, 2014 |
You may think that all native Germans speak German, but this is not so. There are several officially recognised minorities speaking Danish (near the Danish border), Frisian (near the North Sea coast) or Sorbian (in the Southeast).
I apologise if I have forgotten any others.
[Bearbeitet am 2014-11-19 11:46 GMT]
[Bearbeitet am 2014-11-19 11:46 GMT]
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: How many languages and dialects are spoken in your home country? | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
