No, I got that, but it makes no sense.

Yeah, clearly we've been focusing too much of our attention on the one border.

Its the american way of talking to people who don't speak english. Talk louder and slower while staring at them like they're dense.

Oh well, guess it was more amusing in my head

Oh. Makes sense.

I thought it was funny.

So did I.

Cantonese isn't the only Chinese dialect, psh. English is my first language, Mandarin is my mother tongue (though I'm terrible at it), and I can speak some Hainanese and understand Hokkien due to grandparents on both sides. Currently learning Japanese.

'Nd there's Taiwanese! Not that I can speak it.

English and Mandarin Chinese for me. I took four years of French, but I can speak Java more fluently. (Not Javanese. if-open-parentheses-conditional-statement-close-parentheses-curly-bracket-for--)

The thing with Spanish, especially in the South, where I am, is that while we can't all speak it, almost everyone understands enough of it to be able to get get the gist of whatever someone is saying. In Texas, Spanish is taught starting in elementary school, up until the age when you get to pick your language. Most people continue with Spanish, but more than you would think decide to be ornery, and pick something else. Having chosen French myself, which is a Romance language, I do a little better with Spanish than most of my former school mates, who forget it all the second they graduate.

I had to learn Spanish at my high school in SoCal (needed two years of a language and they only had one language to teach), but I never really was any good at it. I suck at languages. I really can't do them. As I said, I am kind of shocked I can even speak English.

I took 2 years of french in high school, got the best grades in my class, and forgot it all during summer break.

Hah, pretty much the same thing I did. I was really good at French up until 11th grade... Now I just remember assorted words. And I can count pretty high. But that's it.

My biggest fear now is that being away from the philippines, I may eventually forget my tagalog. I really wish I had somebody to speak it to. I keep in contact with my filipino friends on Facebook, but i would like somebody in person to make it verbal.

Yeah, Cantonese isn't the only dialect.

I know English and Chinese (Mandarin in US and Putonghua in China), and can understand Hokkien and Teochew. I guess everyone in Singapore knows a few words in Bahasa Melayu as well.

And don't forget Singlish!

Stangmar, I suggest you change Tagalog to Filipino. It's more..national and does not delineate between the Tagalog dialects and the others.

I'm trying to learn Italian now, since my parents (and a lot of other relatives, too) are fluent in it and I'm planning to join them after college. My Japanese is just enough to speak a few sentences and understand a bit. It doesn't extend to the alphabet though. (I'll slave myself just trying to learn that). English is our country's secondary language..while Filipino (Tagalog) is my main language for communication, I tend to slip into English when I'm being talkative.

I don't know if it's because of practice..but I know a lot of people who've been away from the Philippines for a long time and are still able to communicate in Filipino. As for verbal practice, stick with things like Skype!:D

I'm slowly slogging away at learning French, and if I ever get that down I'll have to choose between Latin, Japanese, and Finnish for my next. (Yes, Spanish would be easier and more practical, but oh well).

Whoa. A Teochew speaker. (I guess it's a lot more common there than here though)

More common in China than in Canada? Who'd have thought.

Astig! May pinoy dito! Saan ka sa pilipinas? 2 years ako sa Pangasinan at La Union. Napakainit, pero magandang lugar.
I'm used to calling it Tagalog cuz that's what they called it in the parts i was at.