Who here studies languages just for the hell of it?

[CajunCoder]

Interesting thread!

I agree with the poster who said "Why else learn a language?"

I didn't have a particular reason for learning Japanese, and perhaps I still don't. My interest simply grew out of curiosity, and the more I learned about Japanese, the more I came to find it fascinating, and the more I began to like it. I've come to like Japanese language and culture, and I have plenty of chances to use it. Other than that, I have no reason to study Japanese in particular.

I like learning in general - learning, exploring, and trying out new things is almost like a hobby to me. Most I just try out of curiosity and move on, but a few, like Japanese, I wind up sticking with, and they prove to be very rewarding and worthwhile.

Ultimately, I'd like to try out Italian, French, German, Korean, Mandarin and/or Cantonese (I'm more interesting in learning to read than speak Chinese, but I suppose to some degree you can't separate those aspects) and bring my Japanese to a truly "fluent" (as in, indistinguishable from a native speaker) level. I'm pretty sure I will reach my goal with Japanese eventually, though I'm also pretty sure that will take quite some time yet. But, I'm in no hurry. As for the other languages, I will try them all out at some point. Some of them, I'll probably pursue as I did/am doing so with Japanese, and others I won't. The important thing is giving them a try, I think.

I've also been taking a Spanish class this semester. I can't imagine an easier language. But honestly, it's not interesting me that much - the language itself doesn't particularly interest me, nor does Latin-American culture in general. If this changes as I learn more, I may continue with it, but I have the feeling it's just not a language for me. Even if I do not continue with it, though, I don't think it will have been a meaningless endeavor. It satisfied my curiosity, gave me some general knowledge, and if nothing else, I learned that it wasn't for me.

[AkiKaza-chan]

However, studying languages does get me confused a LOT of the time. Japanese is my second tongue, with French and Spanish following that. So when I forget a word in the other two, since I'm not speaking English the Japanese word sometimes pops up...

So, I was at home chattering away to myself (really to my mother but she doesn't habla espanol so ) trying to say "I have eaten this before," but I forgot the word for 'to eat' (comer, dumbnuts).

Let's just say that Spanish conjugations of Japanese words are NOT pretty...

And "Yo he tabido" is not proper either. (_ _')

[furrykef]

Let's just say that Spanish conjugations of Japanese words are NOT pretty...

¡Hola, AkiKaza-chan! Boku también creo que muy mal suena-masu. Lo haga-naide kudasai.

[Disco]

Learning other languages is fun. Imagine how boring the world would be if everybody in it spoke just one language (*cough*english...). It's good to be bi (or tri+)lingual. You get to experience more things from different cultures and open new opportunity socially (or career wise).

[Gundaetiapo]

It's good to be bi

Speaking of being bi.

[AkiKaza-chan]

¡Hola, AkiKaza-chan! Boku también creo que muy mal suena-masu. Lo haga-naide kudasai.

Is it weird that I understood that perfectly?

[Roy Candler]

This has been a very interesting thread, which has left me wondering . . . how would you say "just for the hell of it" in Japanese?

A Japanese person has asked me why I am studying the language, . . . and I ask it of myself quite often(!) "Just for the hell of it" sums it up for me - any thoughts?

[Yudan Taiteki]

理由はとくにない I think works.