Comments on: Rosetta Stone http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/ This We'll Defend Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:11:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: MajorDad1984 http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6538 MajorDad1984 Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:36:09 +0000 http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6538 I don't need the "Jersey Speak"....I grew up there. I suppose I'm a 3/3 native! See you on the high ground or Exit 142! MajorDad1984 I don’t need the “Jersey Speak”….I grew up there. I suppose I’m a 3/3 native!

See you on the high ground or Exit 142!

MajorDad1984

]]> By: trailing wife http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6530 trailing wife Thu, 02 Mar 2006 04:05:33 +0000 http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6530 I wouldn't want to try Chinese as a first non-Latin alphabet language. Because the writing is pictograms instead of letters, one can't use reading the written language to drive verbal learning. (I was not successful with Mandarin even after having mastered Hebrew, German and British, and acquiring a smattering of Dutch and Spanish.) After having mastered Italian, any of the Romance languages will come fairly easily, but I don't see how that will benefit you, career-wise. If I had the opportunity you're being given, I'd go for either Russian, Arabic or Farsi, depending on what you think your next assignment will be. Just remember that the Arabs and the Persians despise each other, and Farsi is an Indo-European language, whereas Arabic is Semitic, so the one won't help if you end up in the other country. Then Pashto after Arabic, I'd think, because isn't it written with Arabic letters, as Urdu is? And there are Pashtuns on both sides of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border (all cousins, in fact, which is why the Taliban and Al Qaeda hang out there, as I understand it), in fact I b'lieve Pashtuns are the largest tribe on the Afghan side. Good luck, sir, and happy learning! I wouldn’t want to try Chinese as a first non-Latin alphabet language. Because the writing is pictograms instead of letters, one can’t use reading the written language to drive verbal learning. (I was not successful with Mandarin even after having mastered Hebrew, German and British, and acquiring a smattering of Dutch and Spanish.) After having mastered Italian, any of the Romance languages will come fairly easily, but I don’t see how that will benefit you, career-wise.

If I had the opportunity you’re being given, I’d go for either Russian, Arabic or Farsi, depending on what you think your next assignment will be. Just remember that the Arabs and the Persians despise each other, and Farsi is an Indo-European language, whereas Arabic is Semitic, so the one won’t help if you end up in the other country. Then Pashto after Arabic, I’d think, because isn’t it written with Arabic letters, as Urdu is? And there are Pashtuns on both sides of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border (all cousins, in fact, which is why the Taliban and Al Qaeda hang out there, as I understand it), in fact I b’lieve Pashtuns are the largest tribe on the Afghan side.

Good luck, sir, and happy learning!

]]> By: Bou http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6497 Bou Wed, 01 Mar 2006 04:07:40 +0000 http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6497 Chinese. I think we're in trouble there... Chinese. I think we’re in trouble there…

]]> By: Jim - PRS http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6471 Jim - PRS Tue, 28 Feb 2006 01:34:39 +0000 http://sgthook.com/2006/02/27/rosetta-stone/#comment-6471 Jerseyspeak. Yo!! Jerseyspeak. Yo!!

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