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To: Valin
What a great article! Thank you for posting it.

I only speak 3 languages (English, French & Italian) while my pastor, a veritable polyglot, speaks 8 and reads 4 (Arabic, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek and Aramaic. He even understands Swedish. He reads Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek).

I spent many years traveling throughout Italy. It was so fascinating to hear the local dialects - each village has its own. One of the dialects I heard, retained elements of the Etruscan language. Today, all children are taught the official language of Italy which is Italian but even that comes in different forms. The purest form is 'high' Italian, spoken in Parma. It is both lilting and poetic.

My present goal is to learn Arabic. The great challenge, however, is learning the alphabet along with the language. Arabic, BTW, is descended from Syriac and Aramaic.

58 posted on 01/03/2007 5:48:06 PM PST by NYer (Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to Heaven. St. Rose of Lima)
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To: NYer

I can curse fluently and pick up a hooker in Korean. Thanks to Uncle Sam. Not that I ever did such a thing when I was stationed there, but I watched others do it.

All I thought about in my off duty time was Moms apple pie, Baseball, and how could I help my Sgt..
That's my story and I'm stickin with it!


59 posted on 01/03/2007 9:25:24 PM PST by Valin (History takes time. It is not an instant thing.)
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