Learning languages

1) Oh my god. The day was so stressful.

2) Why?

1) My class had an argument about whether it is useful to learn … or not. And everyone was
just screaming, so the others would get their opinion.

2) Oh sounds very … loud …

1) It was!

2) But how did you even come to that matter? I mean it’s not quite usual to just start
discussing whether you should learn a certain language in school or not, is it? At least not in
school I did say.

1) Yeah, well it was the break just before … and everyone was like, oh no, the next class is
… and then the discussion started.

2) And what do you think which language should everyone learn?

1) Of course English, it is the most spoken language and so many people can speak English,
so if you can speak you are able to communicate with people like around the world.

2) I agree, it’s good to learn English in school, but you usually learn two languages in
school, what do you think should be the second language?

1) That’s somehow a very difficult question, I think you should learn a language that a lot of
people speak. For example …

2) Chinese. It’s the second spoken language.

1) But isn’t it very hard to learn Chinese? I mean, would students be able to learn it in
school without getting frustrated?

2) I don’t know, I guess if you want to learn the language you can, but if you don’t really
want to, it might be too difficult.

1) Spanish is also a language a lot of people speak.

2) It would be nice, if everyone could just learn the language they want.

1) But it wouldn’t work. Even if you would learn English and Chinese or Spanish in school,
how many people would even choose Chinese?
2) Not many so I guess, I mean, I would choose Chinese, but I don’t think enough others
would.

1) I don’t know, but I think a language you should maybe learn in school is sign language,
since those people who can only use sign language can’t learn other languages, while we
can learn sign language. And I heard somewhere that if you speak one sign language you
can understand the others too.

2) So if you‘d speak for example English sign language, you would be able to communicate
with people who speak german sign language or french sign language or japanese sign
language or any other sign language?

1) Maybe not and other language, but it makes sense, that you would understand other sign
language too, since you’re using gestures that represent the activity or the object and that
would be similar all around the world, you know.

2) Yeah, so it would actually be a good idea, but I don’t think they would teach sign
language at school so you‘d have to learn it by yourself, have you ever thought about
trying?

1) Yes, I always thought it would be a good idea.

2) Can you speak sign language?

1) A little bit, but I’m not good and I can’t remember much.

2) Can you show me a little bit, I always wanted to see someone use it.

1) I can try, but I’m not good.

2) Okay.

1) So, that means, I am …

2) Can you show me again?

1) Okay, do you practically point at yourself and then you do like this move, so, like that
and then you just use the alphabet to spell your name, in my case it goes like that…

2) Wait, I wanna try too. So, pointing at myself, then I go like that and then I would spell my
name, right?

1) Right.

2) So, how do I do it? Can you show me the letters.

1) Of course, it goes like that.

2) Can you show me the letters again, slowly.

1) …