Questions for Sandro

[Anotherkiwi]

I thought I had better start a separate thread for this, rather than continuing the slight hijacking of Olly's visa thread.
 
Sandro, I'm in absolute awe of your linguistic prowess,     as I imagine are many other members and regular lurkers.
 
We have plenty of members who are bi- or tri-lingual, and others such as BC who have admitted to seven languages, but it really does seem sometimes that you speak every language known to man, with perhaps the exception of Cornish and Solomon Islands Northern Mailata (and believe me, you don't want that last one!).
 
I realise that a lot of your grammatical and derivative work comes from reference books or the internet, but it's also obvious that you do speak several (many?) languages to a level of fluency well above that of most native speakers of those languages.  The RWD e-book (Men of the West - Women From the East) is a prime example - even though a lot of it is editing, rather than active writing, there are very few native English speakers who could have done as good a job in putting the whole work together.
 
So please, do tell - just how many languages do you speak (and what are they)?  At least on here you will be able to blush in private.

[SANDRO43]

So please, do tell - just how many languages do you speak (and what are they)?

Anotherkiwi, in order of decreasing fluency I speak:

1. Italian
2. English
3. French
4. Spanish

My fluency is in direct proportion to the opportunities my life offered of using them, and the lengths of stay in the respective countries.

I can also manage a few sentences in German and Russian. For instance, a couple of years ago I had to resurrect what I could remember of them for a visiting FSUW who had no English .

with perhaps the exception of Cornish

But I sampled a taste of Gaelic . The languages I have studied/perused are listed here: http://www.floriani.it/lingue-eng.htm.

The RWD e-book Men of the West - Women From the East[/url]) is a prime example - even though a lot of it is editing, rather than active writing

Actually, the book did involve a non-negligible amount of original writing as well as editing, most the referred RWD posts were rather fragmentary: I had to add quite a lot to put them into a coherent form and provide a flowing narrative.

[GQBlues]

I also want to pay my compliments to Sandro for his remarkable talent and proficiency in the linguistic field. So with no further adieu. I'll needle him a bit right now...

In this thread: http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=15149.msg311132#msg311132

Daveman noticed a once in a lifetime Sandro mistake...I should let Daveman know that such may not necessarily be an innocent mistake, rather it may actually be a bad habit - at best, or signs of things to come, at worst....

(I must honestly confess that my theory has some difficulty in accomodating languages of the Inuit type, but probably Eskimos talk much less in the open then they do in the warmth of their igloos).

http://www.floriani.it/teoria-eng.htm


...just needling you there, Sandro. I am in awe of your talent... 

[SANDRO43]

So with no further adieu. I'll needle him a bit right now...

Needle for needle...it's  "no further ADO", as in "Much Ado About Nothing" (Shakespearean comedy, circa 1598) .

In this thread: http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=15149.msg311132#msg311132 Daveman noticed a once in a lifetime Sandro mistake...I should let Daveman know that such may not necessarily be an innocent mistake, rather it may actually be a bad habit - at best, or signs of things to come, at worst....

One error in 8,000+ RWD posts - not a bad record, after all .

BTW, thanks for pointing to another THEN/THAN error on my website, it seems I have recurrent problems with that pair .

[Faux Pas]

SANDRO is a cunning Linguist for sure 

[SANDRO43]

SANDRO is a cunning Linguist for sure 

Is that a cleverly camouflaged innuendo about my erotic proclivities (CUNNIng LINGUiSt) ?

[Slumba]

SANDRO is a cunning Linguist for sure 

Better that, than that he be a master debater!

[ghost of moon goddess]

As this is supposed to be a thread where we can post questions for Sandro....

Sandro, what does "THEN"  mean to you? :
1) A cry for help. 2) A dream-come-true.
3) A healing wind you're waiting for.
4) A song you've never heard before.
5) A gentle touch. 6) A crushing blow.
7) Bright sunshine. 8 ) Or a fall of snow.
9) A peaceful dream. 10) Sprays from the fall.
11) A shadow thrown out on the wall.
12) A Fortune’s smile. 13) Or something lost...
           when I turn out to be a Ghost 

p.s.
yes, I know that ghost doesn't rhyme with lost    

[Gator]

I have met Sandro twice, once in Italy and once here.  He is just as literate in person.  A delightful man.

[ML]

Is that a cleverly camouflaged innuendo about my erotic proclivities (CUNNIng LINGUiSt) ?

Isn't this the Irish National Airline?

[SANDRO43]

As this is supposed to be a thread where we can post questions for Sandro.... Sandro, what does "THEN" mean to you?

I am ask'd my perception of THEN,
I shall answer in the spirit of ZEN.
MU! cried the Master,
Foreseeing disaster,
From misuse of the past with a PEN.

BTW, numbers mixed with poetry look terrible . A few humble suggestions, some lines have too uneven a metre or no rhyming 'companion', unless that was your deliberate stylistic choice:

A cry for help, a dream come true.
Recovering from flu.

(A)The healing wind you're waiting for.
A song (you've never) UNheard before.

A gentle touch, a DEEPLY crushing blow.
Bright sunshine, or a fall of snow.

A peaceful dream, spray(s) from a WATERfall.
A HAUNTING shadow (thrown out) on the wall.

(A) Fortune’s smile, a glowing fire untended.  (non-rhyming on purpose, to prepare the end)

Or something lost... when your realise I am only (I turn out to be) a Ghost.

I tried to set your first 4 couplets to an uneven metre (about 8-5) for rhythmical variety .

[SANDRO43]

I have met Sandro twice, once in Italy

Phil, IIRC you were pi$$ed off than then because of her raiding our shoe-shops in Milan. I imagine she now has a sufficiently ample supply of footwear ?

[Faux Pas]

Is that a cleverly camouflaged innuendo about my erotic proclivities (CUNNIng LINGUiSt) ?

Heh heh, you think? Just giving credit where credit is due the SANDRO. An artful tongue is to be admired