2) Latin. I had several years of it in elementary school. I certainly don’t have much command of it, but I often surprise myself by remembering vocabulary and conjugations.
3) German. Slightly fewer years in high school and college, plus some stop-and-start private study. But for some reason, I’ve found it harder to retain German than Latin.
4) Sanskrit. I made a few attempts over the years to teach myself out of book and ended up with a passing familiarity with the grammar. Plus, I’ve picked up a lot of Buddhist jargon terms.
5) Lojban. I used to be a Lojbanist, years ago, in my reckless youth.
6) Ojibwe. Pimsleur’s Ojibwe program is surprisingly very solid and the language seemed to fit my vocal chords like a glove.
7) Swedish. I had a semester’s worth in college, but I put in very little effort, flunked the class, and remember only this: “inte så brå.” (the answer to the question, “how’s it going?”)
tie, Tibetan/Japanese/Pali. I’ve picked up an estimable supply of Buddhist jargon terms & other culturally relevant vocabulary. Plus, some of the broad outlines of the grammar just by osmosis from other people’s interest in it.11) Russian. The language that I dreamed of learning when I was but a child. I’ve never made a legit attempt to learn it, but I ask my Russophone coworker how to say things, or say something to her that I learned from Google translate, like every day. Sometimes I retain one of these sayings after saying it, usually not, chto ty mozhesh zdelat’?
Over the last several years, as I’ve become more and more deeply interested in linguistics in general, I feel my motivation to learn a specific language declining. I love ‘em all so much, it’s hard to settle down with just one!
