As I said above - no discernable accent.

1. I use three languages on a 24/7 daily basis myself in speaking and writing but I would need at least some 3 months or so to pick up on the languages I seldomly practice but studied and speak.

LaoPo

1. interesting is the fact that one loses the capability to speak fluently even if the language is used by writing. not a single day passes that i don't participate in a spanish forum exchanging views (mostly about investments). but when i attend once a year a meeting where South Americans dominate i have problems to formulate correct sentences because i don't have the time to think it over as opposed to typing.

My Russian improved when I was in another country for almost 1.5 years by sending dozens of SMS messages daily to Russian friends.

Chinese speakers? Mandarin? Cantonese? The others? Unlike English, Spanish or French - "Chinese" speakers are mostly limited to China and a few Chinatowns in North America. For God's sake, Russian is understood in more places around the world than Chinese.

Really....? How many Russian towns are there worlwide versus China towns? There are large Chinese communities all over the world not just America.

You're totally mistaken since Mandarin is spoken by more than 1.5 Billion people versus Russian by some 300 million max including as a second language

LaoPo

Touche' LaoPo. As Chinese can be found throughout Chinese communities worldwide, obviously in greater areas than some would like to admit.

Actually, the touche' is mine. First of all "Chinese" isn't a language. You can find isolated pockets of people speaking Mandarin worldwide but other than maybe Taiwan, it isn't widely spoken throughout the majority of the population. It isn't even spoken throughout China (hence the "Chinese" subtitles on "Chinese" movies).

Since LaoPo opted to avoid answering my question below, maybe you would care to take a shot at it?

Total numbers don't tell how wide spread a language is.

In how many countries can you be understood if you speak Russian (I can think of over 20)? French? English? Spanish? Mandarin? I'm talking about going up to almost anyone on the streets, shops, taxis, etc? - not just in specific neighborhoods like Chinatown.

Actually,koheesti, while "chinese" is not a language Mandarin IS the official language of the People's Republic of China and, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica is the native language of about 2/3 of the nation. (a total population of about 1.3 billion)

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/361585/Mandarin-language

USA!USA!

EUROPE! EUROPE!

Outer Space! Outer Space!

..are you?

LaoPo

No. Think outside the box.

Sooner or later the next step for mankind will be space migration. By this time constructs like USA or Europe will be history.

That is what Brian Gysin meant when he said: "We are here to go" or Timothy Leary came up with the concept S.M.I².L.E.

Thats how the virus language will be spread.

USA!USA! ...where most of it's citizens are descendants from good old Europe..and what's more..most of those descendants are very proud of their ancestors and right they are..

EUROPE! EUROPE!

LaoPo

Erm .. from what I hear from my American colleagues, most of the people in the US now are illegal Hispanics from Central America.

The rest travelled over in rather uncomfortable conditions from West Africa.

Those of European descent are being swamped by these peoples, only fighting back by importing Russian mafiya members.

Hispanics as in Spain?

Is now Spain not a part of good old Europe anymore?

These non-catholics WASPs are crazy.

Actually,koheesti, while "chinese" is not a language Mandarin IS the official language of the People's Republic of China and, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica is the native language of about 2/3 of the nation. (a total population of about 1.3 billion)

http://www.britannic...ndarin-language

I know Mandarin is the official language. For one third of the Chinese population (which is about 440 million people, roughly the population of the USA and Japan combined) it isn't a native language. Hence all the subtitles on TV where I lived in Guangzhou (formerly Canton).

Further research clearly points to Mandarin not belonging in a discussion about languages widely used around the globe.

* There are 29 countries around the world where French is the offical language:

http://en.wikipedia....ficial_language

* There are 55 countries around the world where English is an official language. That's not including the USA, UK, Australia and MALAYSIA where it is the de facto language.

http://en.wikipedia....ficial_language

* German is the offical language in 7 countries (all surrounding Germany).

http://en.wikipedia....German_language

* Any Chinese dialect is an official language only 2 countries - China and Taiwan. Of course, from the offical Chinese point of view, Taiwan is part of China so that would mean Chinese languages are official in only ONE country, their own. World language?

http://en.wikipedia....hinese_language

* There are 29 countries around the world where French is the offical language:

* There are 55 countries around the world where English is an official language. That's not including the USA, UK, Australia and MALAYSIA where it is the de facto language.

The subtle difference between French being THE official language (i.e. the only official language) and English being AN official language.

Fr'instance my girlfriend speaks Cebuana, Tagalog, English (all official languages in the Philippines) and our daughter also speaks babble. (NOT an official language, but widely spoken throughout the world)

1. I use three languages on a 24/7 daily basis myself in speaking and writing but I would need at least some 3 months or so to pick up on the languages I seldomly practice but studied and speak.

LaoPo

1. interesting is the fact that one loses the capability to speak fluently even if the language is used by writing. not a single day passes that i don't participate in a spanish forum exchanging views (mostly about investments). but when i attend once a year a meeting where South Americans dominate i have problems to formulate correct sentences because i don't have the time to think it over as opposed to typing.

My Russian improved when I was in another country for almost 1.5 years by sending dozens of SMS messages daily to Russian friends.

but did your spoken Russian improve too?

* There are 29 countries around the world where French is the offical language:

http://en.wikipedia....ficial_language

That's incorrect!

I take that list in Wiki with a mountain of salt since it's more than likely published by a fierce and proud Francophile*

As an example: Luxembourg: French is only ONE of the three official languages and not, as you claim THE official language.

In Belgium, French is also just one of three official languages and only the second one.

Same with Canada where French is the second (official) language.

Also the same with most African countries (former French colonies) where French is an official language...not THE official language since most African citizens of those countries speak countless African languages and dialects and not French on a daily basis.

French is spoken by some 110 million native speaking people, mainly in France, French part of Switzerland, Monaco, Bruxelles, Wallonia/Belgium and Quebec in Canada next to some smaller places and islands.

For the rest it is a second language up to a max of some 250 million people, native and non-native combined; it doesn't even surpass the population of the US with some 310 million.

* Additionally, French is studied as a foreign language by some 200 million people, making it the second-most studied foreign language in the world, after English

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language

Speaking about French nationalism; the Wiki writer probably forgot that there's another -much larger used- and studied language: Spanish

LaoPo

* There are 29 countries around the world where French is the offical language:

* There are 55 countries around the world where English is an official language. That's not including the USA, UK, Australia and MALAYSIA where it is the de facto language.

The subtle difference between French being THE official language (i.e. the only official language) and English being AN official language.

Those are my words, I didn't copy/paste verbatim from a website. I think it's pretty obvious that in those 29 countries French isn't the only official language.

My Russian improved when I was in another country for almost 1.5 years by sending dozens of SMS messages daily to Russian friends.

but did your spoken Russian improve too?

Yes, oddly enough, it did. The reason I know is that when I returned after all those months I noticed speaking was easier and more fluid. All I could think of is writing all of those text messages because I didn't speak when I was away. Perhaps all that thinking of the proper transliteration and grammar.

Oh sorry koheesti, i thought you were looking at sheer numbers and as far as I can see 2/3 of 1.3 billion is around 866 million, not pockets as you suggested, but since the numbers don't seem to be your point, but rather dispersal, then perhaps Spanish should be considered as Lao Po has pointed out

Europe

Spain

Africa

Equatorial Guinea

North America

Mexico -

Central America

Guatemala

Honduras

El Salvador

Nicaragua

Costa Rica

Panama

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico

South America

Venezuela -

Colombia

Ecuador

Peru

Bolivia

Paraguay

Chile

Argentina

Uruguay

They should probably add the United States into this list since there is a very large minority of Hispanics in the United States and a large percentage of them do speak Spanish as their first language.

French has a pretty good inroad in Africa but I wonder how many of them speak it as their first language?

There's some communities in Argentina that speak only Welsh. Clearly a testament to the might of the Welsh empire.

Last I checked there were something like 6,000 languages in the world. So if yours is in the top 10, that's still pretty good. Even if you can't use it when you travel.

Last I checked there were something like 6,000 languages in the world. So if yours is in the top 10, that's still pretty good. Even if you can't use it when you travel.

Only 6,000, loh? Pondering about the hundreds {even thousands} of languages and dialects lost to us.

Thanks to my mother, I do speak francais, and I have to say, they are EVERYWHERE !

I took a train in Dehli, the people next to me were French. I'm in a hotel near lake Roturua, the next door, they are French ! I take a bus in a remote place in Hong Kong, people get in the bus, they are French ! They are EVERYWHERE !

It's amazing, such a small country, only 60 millions people, the size of Thailand, but they are everywhere.

They probably want to get away from all the rude French people.

They probably want to get away from all the rude French people.

It's just like Thailand, if you avoid the crowded tourists places, people are nice. I spent a summer in Paris for an internship, in the 17th district, people were nice, it was really ok.

I was joking. I have nothing against the French.

Thanks to my mother, I do speak francais, and I have to say, they are EVERYWHERE !

I took a train in Dehli, the people next to me were French. I'm in a hotel near lake Roturua, the next door, they are French ! I take a bus in a remote place in Hong Kong, people get in the bus, they are French ! They are EVERYWHERE !

It's amazing, such a small country, only 60 millions people, the size of Thailand, but they are everywhere.

So are cockroaches

The Americans and the French have a lot in common. They cop it from almost everyone.

Ah, such is the curse of coming from more advanced countries!

The Americans and the French have a lot in common. They cop it from almost everyone.

Ah, such is the curse of coming from more advanced countries!

Ahhh - the advanced French.

Use half a gallon of cologne instead of a bar of Lifebuoy.

Build pissoirs to obstruct the pavements.

Drive on the wrong side of the road (like the Americans)

Allow their Presidents to have two or more families (in advance of the Americans here - they only have Californicating governors with a family on the side)

Charge twice as much for their wine as Italians, but of lower quality. (Californicating vintners take note - Brits are buying much more Italian wine than your stuff nowadays. Used to be the opposite)

They invented Freedom Fries. They can't be all bad.

Indeed HB, the advanced French, I mean who can compare their food to the fine cuisine of the British?

They probably want to get away from all the rude French people.

They are probably running from the 80 million "tourists" that cross their border each year.

Indeed HB, the advanced French, I mean who can compare their food to the fine cuisine of the British?

Indeed HB, the advanced French, I mean who can compare their food to the fine cuisine of the British?

Steak, egg and chips is what it's all about.

You mean a bacon butty with marmite and a splash of worcesteshire sauce?

Nothing to beat it. I can even do that here in Vietnam, but I seldom find the Bovril to wash it down.

Or you could try Gary Rhodes - excellent cooking, all traditional British dishes (with a twist). Love his stuff too,

Indeed HB, the advanced French, I mean who can compare their food to the fine cuisine of the British?

Steak, egg and chips is what it's all about.

That's right. Start with first class ingredients and you don't need all those sauces to hide the rubbish that you're trying to palm off onto 'les touristes'. At an exhorbitant mark-up.