tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post1932599056846738133..comments2024-03-18T23:23:20.948+01:00Comments on Itchy Feet: the Travel and Language Comic: Common DenominatorsMalachi Ray Rempenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-40589959670468531872016-12-11T23:54:37.880+01:002016-12-11T23:54:37.880+01:00I just wanted to make a joke about Austria and Swi...I just wanted to make a joke about Austria and Switzerland being worse than Germany in terms of speaking English, when they're not. But then I saw that apparently only my cute little Austria isn't allowed to speak English. (It is cute, see? You could hug it, that's how small it is!)<br /><br />Actually, Austria's better at speaking English than both of them. Proof! http://www.ef.co.uk/epi/ (Changed the language to English, so everyone can understand it :D)Guesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09840201383695182739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-15581776528702876842016-04-20T17:27:08.531+02:002016-04-20T17:27:08.531+02:00@zoi
I don't totally agree with..living in fra...@zoi<br />I don't totally agree with..living in france a few years, i agree we can understand a lot, but not everything (e.g. whatever is Hindi/Tamil and Chinese based... ;) )<br /><br />@ithcy<br />Well Itchy you can add Greece in the english speaking group.<br />Allmost the whole country is vacations' destination so everyone speaks English.JohnyQhttp://meltemia.blogspot.grnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-69379208351777907602016-02-27T17:11:04.421+01:002016-02-27T17:11:04.421+01:00Sunken into the sea, sadly. Climate change...Sunken into the sea, sadly. Climate change...Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-77864747084990291062016-02-27T01:04:04.263+01:002016-02-27T01:04:04.263+01:00Where are the Carribbean Islands?Where are the Carribbean Islands?Étienne Murasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703875439801356764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-20921497257088509222015-09-28T23:07:27.935+02:002015-09-28T23:07:27.935+02:00Yes. Spanish is spoke and understood more, despite...Yes. Spanish is spoke and understood more, despite English being the official language.Étienne Murasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703875439801356764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-7120251842016244202015-09-28T22:16:08.374+02:002015-09-28T22:16:08.374+02:00See the comic Second Mother Tongue.See the comic Second Mother Tongue.Étienne Murasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703875439801356764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-60737880777694574002015-08-27T03:48:25.650+02:002015-08-27T03:48:25.650+02:00Well, Anonymous, Malachi "decided against doi...Well, Anonymous, Malachi "decided against doing multiple shades for countries like Morocco (or Canada) [French, English] to keep the map simple."<br />Also, there's a map on Wikipedia showing the knowledge of English in Europe. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knowledge_of_English_EU_map.svg<br />Austria and Greece are the same colour as Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Europe#ProficiencyÉtienne Murasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703875439801356764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-6871995424982737062015-05-16T16:47:15.504+02:002015-05-16T16:47:15.504+02:00Sounds to me like you're more than halfway the...Sounds to me like you're more than halfway there already! Nice workMalachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-44310089124382247302015-05-12T16:18:04.936+02:002015-05-12T16:18:04.936+02:00now i only need to learn arabic, spanish and chine...now i only need to learn arabic, spanish and chinese... and to improve the other language skills.. oh long day<br />thx for the motivation. i read all of ur comics. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-70213395481787317302015-01-28T06:23:19.461+01:002015-01-28T06:23:19.461+01:00You are Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, and I c...You are Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, and I claim my five pounds.Philip Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17991519523477002229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-8466967111285574232015-01-27T21:58:28.248+01:002015-01-27T21:58:28.248+01:00If you know greek you can understand any languageIf you know greek you can understand any languagezoihttps://www.facebook.com/ztzartanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-88307906700406024752014-09-06T08:41:11.161+02:002014-09-06T08:41:11.161+02:00That makes sense. My question is - if you learned ...That makes sense. My question is - if you learned Standard Arabic, would you be able to travel to those countries and get around? Obviously not as well (or at all) in small villages, where the dialects would be, as you say, too different, but in cities at least?Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-23385018144088841762014-09-06T08:15:45.539+02:002014-09-06T08:15:45.539+02:00Taiwan, of course, uses Mandarin as its primary la...Taiwan, of course, uses Mandarin as its primary language. <br /><br />The "Arabic" part of the map is somewhat misleading. While Arabic is indeed the, or a, official and primary language in most of the Arab world, the various national dialects -- as spoken on the street -- are so different that they aren't necessarily mutually intelligible. <br /><br />"The issue of whether Arabic is one language or many languages is politically charged, similar to the issue with Chinese, Hindi and Urdu, Serbian and Croatian... etc. Similar to how speakers of Hindi and Urdu will claim they cannot understand each other even when they can, speakers of the varieties of Arabic will claim they can all understand each other even when they can't... The issue of diglossia between spoken and written language is a significant complicating factor... For political reasons, Arabs mostly assert that they all speak a single language, despite significant issues of mutual incomprehensibility among differing spoken versions... From a linguistic standpoint, it is often said that the various spoken varieties of Arabic differ among each other collectively about as much as the Romance languages [i.e., e.g., Spanish/ French/ Italian/ Portuguese/ Romanian]."<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_language#Classical.2C_Modern_Standard_and_spoken_ArabicAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-11882660135910079652014-08-09T02:18:54.432+02:002014-08-09T02:18:54.432+02:00En el caso de Guinea Ecuatorial tiene más sentido ...En el caso de Guinea Ecuatorial tiene más sentido colorearlo de amarillo (español).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03392510605255306591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-49318913690220358452014-08-04T19:28:33.435+02:002014-08-04T19:28:33.435+02:00Philip - Perhaps you have encountered more Chinese...Philip - Perhaps you have encountered more Chinese of the older generation instead of the younger generation. People from the older generation are mostly better in speaking in other dialects compared to speaking in Mandarin, as a lot of them were English-educated when they were still in primary/secondary school. Chinese schools were not common back then. But I can assure you, most of the younger generation speak Mandarin fluently. :) <br />PS. By Older generation I mean back from the 70s, 60s or even earlier. <br /><br />Malachi Rempen - Unfortunately I am NOT able to provide you with a source that says Mandarin is a major language spoken in Malaysia, as Mandarin has no official status in Malaysia. However, Mandarin is undoubtedly widely spoken within the Chinese community here in Malaysia, along with other dialects such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teowchew, Foochow, etc. Nevertheless, English is more widely spoken compared to Mandarin due to its status in today's world and also it is compulsory for us to take English as a subject in primary and secondary school. But again, it depends on which part of Malaysia you are in. If you are in places which are Chinese-dominant, Mandarin is definitely more useful compared to English. (PS. Chinese suck in English, just saying).<br /><br />I hope you understand what I'm trying to say, and just fyi, I am Malaysian Chinese.Andy Tanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08224778690610019427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-45479095501178879312014-08-04T19:13:40.352+02:002014-08-04T19:13:40.352+02:00English is definitely more widely spoken in Malays...English is definitely more widely spoken in Malaysia compared to Chinese, but it really depends on which part of Malaysia you go. If you go to places which are more Chinese-predominant, Mandarin and other Chinese dialects are definitely more helpful than English. As a Malaysian Chinese myself, I would say that the Chinese here suffer quite a bit to speak in English. Andy Tanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08224778690610019427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-27373915625176791462014-07-17T09:21:11.111+02:002014-07-17T09:21:11.111+02:00English in India? I dont think so.There are 1635 l...English in India? I dont think so.There are 1635 languages in India and many dialects as well.Even if you learn the most used language ie Hindi, you will be restricted to the the north India only.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-75299992959263729492014-07-16T21:37:02.341+02:002014-07-16T21:37:02.341+02:00This is beyond the comic, but just to be exact. le...This is beyond the comic, but just to be exact. learning Mandarin in Singapore is mandatory only for those of Chinese ethnicity. Parents need to register their children's ethnicity, which then determines their mother tongue, and that's the language they have to study in school. For Malays it is Bahasa and for Indians it is Tamil, I guess.<br /><br />Having travelled quite a bit in Malaysia, I agree that English is the language to get around with, even in rural areas.<br /><br />As a person having lived out of my home country for the past 15 years, I also totally love this comic.teihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04289745868554035019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-14039559067434279702014-07-11T21:05:16.260+02:002014-07-11T21:05:16.260+02:00But I'm glad you love the comic!!But I'm glad you love the comic!!Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-42708736672281216302014-07-11T21:04:13.422+02:002014-07-11T21:04:13.422+02:00Well...Wikipedia says that English is a wider seco...Well...Wikipedia says that English is a wider second language in Malaysia than Chinese. Since the point is, more or less, to identify the language it would be easiest to get around in (of the seven main ones), I think English takes precedence!Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-80783597585673201512014-07-11T19:39:35.027+02:002014-07-11T19:39:35.027+02:00I definitely vote for adding Chinese in Singapore ...I definitely vote for adding Chinese in Singapore (one of the 4 official languages + learning Chinese is now mandatory there, I hear) + in Malaysia (one of the three major languages spoken in the country, along with Malay and Tamil). Just discovered Itchy Feet, love it!Sarah Abermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528435427302780056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-2271488560857816082014-06-30T14:10:27.699+02:002014-06-30T14:10:27.699+02:00If anyone else will back up these claims then I wi...If anyone else will back up these claims then I will change the map! I'm definitely open to it.Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-76196077339989517082014-06-29T22:58:08.870+02:002014-06-29T22:58:08.870+02:00I am sorry, but I am not a Chinese Mandarin speake...I am sorry, but I am not a Chinese Mandarin speaker, but I'm pretty sure, given the size of Chinese population in Malaysia, that one could manage with Mandarin there. On the other hand, I've managed to travel well using English in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan, and Nepal (I think you definitely need to add Nepal to English).<br /><br />My information about French in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos is based on the history, the fact that it is their diplomatic language, and used in public sector and higher education, but also more and more in secondary education, and all three countries have some level of revival attempt of the French language.teihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04289745868554035019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-4351997356518332192014-06-29T16:24:06.162+02:002014-06-29T16:24:06.162+02:00I wanted to add French to those countries because ...I wanted to add French to those countries because I know that some French is spoken there, but I can't find any statistics or maps that reflect that, and no one that has traveled there has told me that French was widely enough spoken that you could travel with it. <br /><br />Is that the case in Malaysia with Mandarin? Could you travel around with it if that's all you spoke?Malachi Ray Rempenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12827725501736261649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238329353013891803.post-89395140608454903362014-06-29T12:03:53.978+02:002014-06-29T12:03:53.978+02:00Mandarin is spoken in Singapore, at least the Chin...Mandarin is spoken in Singapore, at least the Chinese part of the population has to learn it in school, and Mandarin is what the government encourages everyone to speak, instead of the local dialects, like Hokkien, Cantonese, or Teochew. Local dialects are also losing ground to Mandarin in Malaysia, since it is used in schools.<br /><br />Finally, you may also want to add French to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.teihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04289745868554035019noreply@blogger.com