Thread: Most valuable languages

What languages are the most valuabe?

I think perhaps (at least since I live in the U.S.) Spanish and English are almost necessary to both have.

Next I think perhaps some sort of Asian/Japanese language (can you consider Japan part of Asia?)

I also think French is really cool, though I don't know if it is one of the most valuable languages.

Whatever language Sweden's speak would probably be on the list as well, so what is that Swedish/German?

I don't really like the German language though.

So my list sort of...

1. English (cause I'm in America =P)
2. Spanish (same)
3. Asian language which I don't know, Chinese or Japanese?
4. Um Um...Something really European sounding =P Some sort of Nordic language I suppose. Even though I don't like German =(

Swedish and German are not so similar, and German is not considered a Nordic language.

I speak German and love the language. Most people think it's an ugly language based on hearing Hitler speak it (or generic German villains in movies). I happen to like it when it's not being shouted.

If you wanted to cover the most linguistic territory possible in just a few languages, I'd think something along these lines:

1. English
2. French, Spanish, or Italian (one only)
3. Japanese
4. Mandarin
5. Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish (one only)
6. Russian (or maybe Polish)

With that, you could go just about anywhere in the world.

Stay away from Finnish and Icelandic. Two of the most difficult languages on the planet!

I would put Chinese higher on the list.

1. English (Obviously... everyone speaks it)
2. Chinese/Cantonese (spoken in China, one of the fastest-developing countries in the world)
3. Spanish (spoken in Spain, most of South America and Mexico)
4. French (Spoken in France, and various ex-colonial states)
5. Russian (Russia = big important country, and it's similar to other East-European and Asian languages)

At the moment I speak English, German to an acceptable level and French to an almost acceptable level.

I didn't include German on my list because Germany's really the only place you can speak it, and it's not really similar to any other languages (maybe dutch)

Originally Posted by Lord Toaster

5. Russian (Russia = big important country, and it's similar to other East-European and Asian languages)

I didn't include German on my list because Germany's really the only place you can speak it, and it's not really similar to any other languages (maybe dutch)

How is Russian similar to other Asian languages? Unless you mean Kazhastan (and others). I don't think you'll be able to understand anything apart from slavic languages in Asia.

About German... What about Austria and Switzerland (maby Luxemburg, I'm not sure)?

Originally Posted by Sandform

Lol i'm confused. Why did you say no? Was it just at the notion of Africa?

That's just how I wanted to begin my post.

Ah well I see.

Originally Posted by skysaw

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I speak German and love the language. Most people think it's an ugly language based on hearing Hitler speak it (or generic German villains in movies). I happen to like it when it's not being shouted.

I just don't like it because of the way native tongued Germans laugh. I don't know how to describe it. I guess that is a crappy reason not to like a language, but it is that way and I can't change my sturdiness.



1. English
2. French, Spanish, or Italian (one only)
3. Japanese
4. Cantonese
5. Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish (one only)
6. Russian (or maybe Polish)

I'm working on Spanish right now...I'm getting there =P

Japanese seems really hard.
I had no clue Cantonese was a widespread Asian language!
Swedish then =D I want to go to Sweden someday.
Russian is nice I guess hehe, though I don't know if I would ever want to go to Russia, isn't it really cold in the harsh sense and not the fun time kind? hehe. Also I heard Russia isn't very a very consumer oriented country.


Is there a language that most countries try to have their country's people speak? I know in southern states of the U.S. they try to put Spanish on us, and then in others they try French.

I was thinking I could try to learn lots of languages cause a linguist is always necessary to people who need translations =P

Originally Posted by Sandform

Japanese seems really hard.
I had no clue Cantonese was a widespread Asian language!

Probably not as hard as you think. Chinese is probably much harder.

Just how wide-spread is Cantonese? There's Hong-Kong Cantonese, and then what else?

Originally Posted by Lord Toaster

Just how wide-spread is Cantonese? There's Hong-Kong Cantonese, and then what else?

I just went to wiki to answer the question hehe.

70 million (2000)[1] people speak it.

Originally Posted by Lord Toaster

Just how wide-spread is Cantonese? There's Hong-Kong Cantonese, and then what else?

Actually, I mispoke on this. Mandarin would be the Chinese language of choice. I just had the two reversed in my head (never tried to learn either). Fixed in my first post.