Guest realmayo Posted April 8, 2015 at 03:18 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 03:18 PM Would you switch Chinese for .... another language? Okay it's a rather whimsical question but: If someone could wave a magic wand and instantly & irreversibly remove all your current level of Chinese ability and give you the equivalent ability in a new language, would you do it? And which language? For me, it'd be a toss up between Korean or Burmese. I don't regret at all the time spent on Chinese or the time spent in China, and of course the magic wand won't remove those memories or the friends I've made (just the ability to, erm, communicate with some of them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renzhe Posted April 8, 2015 at 03:42 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 03:42 PM No. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demonic_Duck Posted April 8, 2015 at 04:48 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 04:48 PM Two roads diverged in a yellow wood... The vast majority of what makes up your interests and even your personality is based on choices you made in life that could have gone another way. Whilst it can be interesting to think "what if", the me that I am now doesn't want to go back and erase or change those decisions (probably because of the current me's instinct for self-preservation - if those decisions had gone a different way, the current me would cease to exist and be replaced by a different me). Of course, if those decisions had gone another way (e.g. if I'd instead devoted my efforts to Russian, French, Burmese or one of the many other languages I've dabbled in), the hypothetical me that would exist (hypothetical me0) would have the same self-preservation instinct, and wouldn't want to be replaced by hypothetical me1, who devoted his efforts to Chinese instead. All this, despite the fact that hypothetical me1 is in every way identical to the actual me that exists right now within this particular universe. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GotJack Posted April 8, 2015 at 04:59 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 04:59 PM No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted April 8, 2015 at 05:10 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 05:10 PM No Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest realmayo Posted April 8, 2015 at 05:38 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 05:38 PM Ah but DD the magic wand won't do anything to your past, it'll just take your Chinese language out of your head and replace with with another language at a comparable level! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted April 8, 2015 at 05:50 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 05:50 PM Have to say I wouldn't be me if you did that. Chinese permeates my whole life. Agree with DD. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
li3wei1 Posted April 8, 2015 at 06:47 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 06:47 PM No. Now if the offer were to replace it with the equivalent amount of effort in another language (or possibly two or three), I might consider it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wushucrab20 Posted April 8, 2015 at 07:30 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 07:30 PM I wouldn't trade it for any other language, I think there are so many amazing things about the language especially the written form, that can't be replicated with any other language. That being said I still hope to learn other languages and I am working hard on learning Japanese right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
889 Posted April 8, 2015 at 07:56 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 07:56 PM There's a bias on this board, since almost all are native English speakers or deal in English at least as well as they deal in Chinese. The real question is for Spaniards and Koreans and Greeks and Turks who never got too far in English but do well in Chinese. In hindsight, would they have rather put their time into studying English rather than Chinese? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted April 8, 2015 at 08:04 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 08:04 PM No, absolutely not. Learning Chinese has brought me so, so much. I might consider swapping Chinese for English though. If my Chinese were as good as my English, that would be great. Although I would lose some other things in my life that I value if my English dropped to the level of my Chinese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest realmayo Posted April 8, 2015 at 08:06 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 08:06 PM Nono, it's not a hindsight question, it's about the future. Switch your current ability in Chinese for an equivalent ability in another! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted April 8, 2015 at 09:00 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 09:00 PM Still no. Too much I still want to do with my current and future Chinese abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted April 8, 2015 at 09:22 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 at 09:22 PM Could I trade Mandarin and retain Cantonese? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted April 9, 2015 at 12:34 AM Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 at 12:34 AM If it's for a limited time. I would swap chinese for japanese for a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofmann Posted April 9, 2015 at 02:49 AM Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 at 02:49 AM Wouldn't it be nice to allocate skill points into languages on a whim? But no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest realmayo Posted April 9, 2015 at 07:44 AM Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 at 07:44 AM Could I trade Mandarin and retain Cantonese? ha that woudn't be fair skylee unless you're trading for a language similarly close to Cantonese. Wanna speak Hakka? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest realmayo Posted April 9, 2015 at 07:45 AM Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 at 07:45 AM sorry anonymouse, it's a one-time only irreversible wand wave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawrt Posted April 9, 2015 at 08:16 AM Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 at 08:16 AM Turkish.Since learning Chinese my skills have gone up up up and my Turkish skills are now abysmal. It's very hard to talk to a huge portion of my family members, especially the ones that can't speak english (or chinese). I can understand everything they're saying but can't say anything back D: Or maybe Tatar to get more in touch with my past culture although it's not very useful as there aren't that many speakers. At a younger age I always pushed it aside thinking why bother but I regret it a bit. I can only say a few words and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelina Posted April 9, 2015 at 09:47 AM Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 at 09:47 AM African American Vernacular English http://www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/aave.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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