What is the most exotic dead/dying language you know?

[greekspeak]

Mine is Syriac. But I am taking Coptic this summer. Very interesting langauge.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I know a bit of Aramaic

also Lakota and Dakota (related tongues but not the same).

[greekspeak]

4. Eloi Eloi Lema Sabachthani

My best attempt at Aramaic proper.

[catbert836]

2. I've tried to learn these few

Tuareg, Imperial Latin, Uighur, and Basque.
So far, none have worked out for me. :mad:

[Book Lover]

3. I'm working on Assyrian/Akkadian

and I have a few Egyptian hieroglyph self-study books I'd love to get to someday as well.

[greekspeak]

5. Ever try Sumerian Cuneiform?

It is a load of fun. I enjoyed every day of it. Iti-Mashdaku...
"month to eat gazelles."

[Book Lover]

10. Not yet :-)

But I'm happy to put it on the ever-growing list. May I ask if you recall the textbook you used?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. Classical Japanese

as spoken around the year 800 AD.

It was required for my Ph.D. research.

[Historic NY]

7. nothing special only the "Kings English", its been hijacked.

[Squeech]

21. I couldn't agree more

Seems like the only person in the world who can speak it properly is George Galloway.

On a more serious note, my uncle was a specialist in Slavic languages, and he claims to be able to speak a couple of languages called Upper and Lower Wendish, one of which is spoken in a tiny community of a couple hundred people, the other completely extinct.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Not dead but I did try to learn a bit of Irish gaelic

[Kerrytravelers]

16. We're Celtic and have been learning Gaelic.

It's pretty close to being dead. But, it will be nice having a language I can speak with our kids that nobody else (read: in-laws) will understand!

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Well, find a good teacher, because even with tapes and books it's hard

to do on your own.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. Latin, which far fewer people study today

than when I studied it, alas.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. I can recite the Prologue to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

in Middle English, but that's it.

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soghte
The droght of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyn in swich liquor
Of which vertue engendred is the flour;
When Zephyrus eke with his sweete brethe
Inspired hath in every holt and heethe
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe course yronne,
And smalle foules maken melodye
That slepeth all the nicht with open eye,
So priketh him nature in hir courages
And longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.

And so on.

I also tried to learn Scottish Gaelic once. Gave up.

[Nailzberg]

17. Dr. Deiter's class.

English III Acclerated, Maine East High School. She made all the students learn the prologue.

Every time I run into an old classmate, we can all still recite it.

[Kurovski]

12. So many beautiful words in this post.

Just had to share my pleasure and admiration for those who pursue this knowledge and keep it alive.

As for myself,I'm an idiot. I'm still learning English.

[Guy Fawkes]

13. Proper English.

Fershizzle.

[Kurovski]

14. Yowsah!

It's the bee's knees.

[ThoughtCriminal]

15. Is Pig Latin dying?

[BrotherBuzz]

18. Does Boontling count? (folk language spoken only in Boonville,)

Hey, I can order a cup of coffee (horn of zeese) in Boontling

Boontling is an folk language spoken only in Boonville, in the Anderson Valley of Northern California. It was invented in the late 1800s and had quite a following at the turn of the century. Now it is only spoken by old-timers and heritage buffs.

In the 1800's, Anderson Valley was an isolated and quite provincial farming and logging community. Life was hard, and entertainment was a luxury. Sometime around 1880, a small group of Anderson Valley residents created a few slang words to use in their private conversations, both for their own amusement, and to confound anyone who might overhear them harpin' (talking). They created new words as they went, trying to shark (stump) their companions. Over time the vocabulary grew, as did the number of people familiar with it. Eventually, every resident of the valley had at least some knowledge of Boontling (Boonville Language), as the lingo came to be called. For many, Boontling actually became their primary language, and they had difficulty reverting to English when circumstances required it.

Aplenty (also plenty) - Very, or Many
Apple-head - Girl friend
Bahl (-er, -est) - Good, or great (better, best; greater, greatest)
Bahl Hornin' - good drinking
Baldies - The primarily grassy hills to the east of Boonville, with few trees.
Barney Flats - Hendy Woods National Forest. A spectacular forest of virgin redwoods, located inAnderson Valley.
Belk Region - Bell Valley. A scenic valley located just beyond the baldies, northeast of Boonville. It was here in the hop fields, during the turn of the century, that the language of Boontling originated.
Bluetail - a Rattlesnake
Boarch - To repeatedly partake of an enjoyable event or activity.
Boont - Boonville. The largest community and focal center of Anderson Valley. The town where the language of boontling originated. Now famous for its local brewery.
Briney - Ocean.
Bucky - A nickel.
Burlap - Sexual intercourse
Can-kicky - Angry
Charlie Ball - To embarass (A local American Indian of this name was easily embarrassed).
Chiggrul - Food
Cock a Fister - To fight.
Deek - To look or see.
Deep Enders - Residents of the town of Navarro, located west of Anderson Valley and bordering the Pacific Coast.
Frattey - Wine.
Gorm - Food, or to eat.
Greymatter - The brain; To think.
Harp - To speak, esp. to speak Boontling.
Heelch - A large quantity, or the whole amount of something. All.
High Rollers - Residents of the town of Yorkville, the smallest town in Anderson Valley. Located 10 miles east of Boonville.
Hoot - Laugh
Horn - A cup, a drink; to drink.
It's not just shy sluggin' gorms neemer - Translates as "It's not just for breakfast anymore."
It's a slow lope'n a beeson tree - Literally a comfortable pace on a horse, while sitting on a verycomfortable saddle. Commonly refers to a relaxed feeling, or "a mellow ride."
Jeffer - A large fire. (A Boonter named Jeff built large fires in his fireplace.)
Kimmie - A Male resident of Boonville. Can be extended to mean any man.
Larrup - To beat up, whip, or kick the tar out of someone or something.
Lews and Larmers - Gossip.
Ling - Language
Moshe - Any machine or devise, especially an Automobile. To use a machine. To drive a car.
Nee- - A negating combining prefix, meaning "not", "no", "don't", etc. Examples: neeble (no bahl ),neef (no finger).
Neemer - No more, not .anymore - On - A combining element in merged verbs denoting "on", "at", "to", "toward", etc. Example: hoot on (laugh at), harp on (discuss), deek on (examine).
Ose - A person's bottom, or rear end.
Ot - To work hard; ottin' - working hard
Pike - To hike, walk, or stroll
Plenty (also aplenty) - Very, or Many
Poleeko - Philo. The second largest town in Anderson Valley, located 6 miles west of Boonville.
Region - Area, place, locale.
Rudy nebs - pristine drinking water, as from a good spring or well water; like that used in the production of the Boonville Beers.
Seep - Wine, or to Sip.
Shoveltooth - A doctor; an M.D. (A local doctor was so nicknamed because he had protruding teeth.)
Shy - to cease, leave, or quit
Slug - to sleep.
Steinber - beer.
Stook On - In love with; infatuated with.
String - To kill, maim, or beat thoroughly.
Teem - Time.
Tidrik - A party; a social gathering.
Zeese - Coffee (A local hunting-camp cook nicknamed Zeese, from his initials Z.C., made bitterly strong coffee.)

http://www.connectedtraveler.com/zeese.html

[GirlinContempt]

19. Gaelic

[barackmyworld]

20. I took Latin at school for 7 years

They were kindergarden to 6th though, so it's not like I remember anything. I think studying it made me much better at learning vocabulary because so much english comes from Latin.

[luvLLB]

22. acadian, but I only know a little.