Mine is German. I think it’s a very beautiful language. To me, it’s not too soft but not too harsh and I love the compound words. I also have a great liking for the history and cultures of the Actual!Germanics. (and the APH!Germanics, but they’re not as important) What are your reasons for learning your language?
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I took German in high school but never became fluent, but through that I learned that I really enjoy the process of learning languages, and I think it will help career-wise.
When I went to college I decided to focus on a non-European language which at my school meant Chinese or Japanese, l chose Japanese and I like it a lot, I love the sound, and how it sort of flows together.
Now I’m getting back into Memrise and really trying to step up my studying because I will be studying abroad in Tokyo in a few months and I want to be able to hold a basic conversation in Japanese when I get there. I’m hoping being immersed in the language for a few months will do a lot for my learning.
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I plan on going to Germany and Austria. Japanese is nice, but sadly memorizing kanji looks way harder than Russian conjugations, so I think I’ll wait a while before starting Japanese.
I like learning languages for many reasons. It’s fun to challenge myself and it opens up possibilities when considering traveling abroad, applying for jobs and so on. I also think it’s good being able to communicate a bit with immigrants and tourists, although I haven’t really picked a language that is well-suited for this purpose. Generally, I have come to realize that learning a different language, no matter how different from the ones you already know, you also gain a deeper understanding of the languages you already master when you get to pick apart the grammar and make connections between different words. Finally, one of the best things about learning a new language is that you automatically learn a bit about the culture surrounding it as well.
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When I was young and first started learning a new language, I remember it totally BLOWING MY MIND that there were other words for things, that people thought in a completely different language, that the entire way the world was structured for them was so different from mine just because of the language difference! I don’t think I really knew what language was before I started learning a second one.
I continue learning partly for the same reason; I think learning new languages exposes us not only to new vocabulary and grammar and culture but just a completely different way of seeing everything. As an adult, I’m also really rewarded by seeing how language learning builds bridges between people, especially with those who don’t yet have the resources to reach out themselves.
Also, I think the jury’s still out on whether it helps you live longer, but I can get on board with that. 
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@Diana.S ~ welcome to the Forum. I hope all is well with you and just wanted to say (once again) that your ASL courses are ABSOLUTELY fabulous, and I HIGHLY recommend them to anyone and everyone ! I have learned so much from them.
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I just have fun learning languages. Currently, I’m focusing on Swedish, but I would like to learn more in the future if I’m able to.
I find learning a language really, REALLY difficult. I don’t know why, it just doesn’t come easily. I’m currently learning Icelandic because I think it’s a beautiful language and I’d like to live/work there one day. But I was never good at French at school and Icelandic is far more difficult. I am envious of everyone who seems to find it so easy, and who speak lots of languages. But if I could be near-fluent in Icelandic one day, I would be SO proud of myself!
@pdao Thanks for the welcome! I’m doing well, and thanks so much for the compliment about my ASL courses! It means a lot. I’m excited to create course forum topics for them once I know my way around here 
@Allexxandra It seems a lot of people feel like learning a new language is just not for them, so I really admire you sticking to it, and that it’s (or will be) rewarding for you, especially with a language as difficult as Icelandic. I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to weird pronunciations or a bazillion conjugations (which is why I went with sign language 
).
I decided I wanted to learn a second language, and I ended up gravitating to the foreign language that shows up most in my life: Japanese.
I play games and watch cartoons from Japan, and am interested in knowing about their native language and possibly getting involved in the fandom on the “other” side.
I’ve learned a bit about Japanese culture since then and I really appreciate how appreciation of nature is a big cultural event, Hanami, Tsukimi, Momijigari.
I’ve also come to appreciate some other Japanese concepts, like mono no aware, and imperfection as beautiful, like kintsugi and wabi-sabi, acceptance of transience and of imperfection are something I struggle with and something I aspire to.
I’d like to learn another language, and about other cultures too, but small steps, baby steps ^-^’
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At present I am learning Italian and Greek. I like languages in general. I wanted to learn Italian for a very long time since my first visit to Italy so I am happy that I am finally doing so. I like the sound of Italian so much. It is very nice to me. As for Greek I started because I wanted to communicate on holidays in Greece two years ago and I started to like this language though it is a bit more difficult for me.
December2017
Upgraded to Pro about 9 months ago.
Spent 170 hours learning Português and enjoyed my 3-week vacation in Portugal.
Now learning a little Euskara for a 2018 trip to España.
Next up is Català. Then Español.
November 2016
Going on vacation to Portugal for 3 weeks in September 2017.
I wish to be polite and try to use Português instead of English or Español.
So far (3 days in with Memrise) I am happy with this site and my Tourist course.
I am learning korean because I love the language.
I hope to learn japanese after korean,
Then arabic, german, french and hebrew.
Ich lerne Italienisch, Indonesisch und Plattdeutsch, der Grund: Spaß!
Cultural interest, nothing else.
The complexity of it.
I have been learning Mandarin almost a year. The beauty of the language keeps bringing me back, and the logic of the language captivates the more mathematical side of me. For those of us who enjoy self-improvement, it offers a way to be able to show measurable progress every day for an incredibly long time.
I find a-ha moments, when you realize how certain grammar patterns work, or how certain words are used to be really gratifying. Being able to see how your brain can passively pick up more and more of the language is truly astounding as well. It helps me appreciate how amazing our brains are that we are able to comprehend human speech in our native language so quickly without thinking about it. To me, it is quite life-affirming.
Even if someday Google Translate could perfectly interpret English <-> Mandarin and so on, I would still find it worth learning. Because I enjoy how it makes me think. It conditions me every day to believe that perseverance in all things is what really makes a difference in success. So, in that sense, it is invaluable to me.
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