One language that you love to speak

[TenjikuKensei]

The Languages I speak are (my mother tongue)Tamil(தமிழ&#3021, English and Sinhalese...I also know a smattering of Japanese and Spanish. I can also understand Malayalam. Needless to say, I'm justifiably proud of having a classical language as my mother tongue .


I would like to learn proper Sanskrit and Japanese, if I get the opportunity


and oh btw...the proper pronunciation of Tamil is "Thamizh"...but then again the "zh" is but an English placeholder for "ழ்" which has no corresponding sound in English...or most other non Dravidian-language-family languages. It comes under a special type of sounds known as retroflex consonants; and the only other people who pronounce it as it should be pronounced; apart from Tamils are the Malayalees.But then again it comes as no surprise as we both belong to the same language family.

I'll share a verse from the Purananooru(an anthology of poems from about 2 Millenia ago)..both the Tamil verses and its English translation.

யாதும் ஊரே, யாவரும் கேளிர்,
தீதும் நன்றும் பிறர்தர வாரா,
நோதலும் தணிதலும் அவற்றோ ரன்ன
சாதலும் புதுவது அன்றே, வாழ்தல்
இனிதுஎன மகிழ்ந்தன்றும் இலமே, முனிவின்
இன்னாது என்றலும் இலமே, பின்னொடு
வானம் தண் துளி தலைஇ ஆனாது
கல் பொருது இரங்கும் மல்லல் பேர்யாற்று
நீர்வழிப் படுஉம் புணைபோல் ஆருயிர்
முறைவழிப் படுஉம் என்பது திறவோர்
காட்சியின் தெளிந்தனம் ஆதலின் மாட்சியின்
பெரியோரை வியத்தலும் இலமே,
சிறியோரை இகழ்தல் அதனினும் இலமே.
(கணியன் பூங்குன்றன், புற நானூறு, 192).



The Sages

To us all towns are one, all men our kin,
Life's good comes not from others' gifts, nor ill,
Man's pains and pain's relief are from within,
Death's no new thing, nor do our blossoms thrill
When joyous life seems like a luscious draught.
When grieved, we patient suffer; for, we deem
This much-praised life of ours a fragile raft
Borne down the waters of some mountain stream
That o'er huge boulders roaring seeks the plain
Tho' storms with lightning's flash from darkened skies.
Descend, the raft goes on as fates ordain.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !
We marvel not at the greatness of the great;
Still less despise we men of low estate.

Kaniyan Poongundran, Purananuru - 192
(Translated by G.U.Pope, 1906)

 

[Iqbal_Brar]

Punjabiiii hands downn!!!

 

[BelligerentPacifist]

I think the poll starter meant to say: WHAT'S THE ONE LANGUAGE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, and for that I can answer Arabic. If you allow lengthening the list, I'll add Persian and Sanskrit to it.

If that's not what they meant, then the one language I like speaking is correct, high Urdu.