Bilingualness - decent DHV?

Aklattle

Been learning some Spanish on my commutes, is this a good DHV? Seems like it would very rarely be useful so not much of one?

Pimsleur is a good audio program for the car (don't get too distracted).
Duolingo is a good smart phone app for when standing in line or waiting on someone/thing.

According to Duolingo I'm 40% fluent in Spanish. I don't believe that.

You can get the pimsleur audio programs from many libraries.

frillyfun

My H is bilingual...it's a definite DHV when I need him to speak his native language (maybe once a year or so?), and it was one of the things that drew me to him.

About 98% of the time it doesn't make a difference.

But any sort of proficiency is hot.  Learning something new is hot, and it helps with something called brain plasticity which is also awesome.

Rorschach

If one of her greatest brands of attraction is smart, then yes.

Aklattle

So if you're high on the "smart" scale already, probably not much benefit?

Blackwulf

The issue is though making it a DHV.  To some it maybe a DHV just because you know something, but using it and showing it will mean more.  If you leverage it into a better job/you advance your career by using it for research, etc.  The thing is though human nature is once people become use to your value they take it for granted.

Definitely keep learning it.  

Howard

Apparently speaking several languages is also good for brain health in general , helping prevent Alzheimers/dementia (as well as DHV).

And if you ever go to a country where the language you've learned is spoken it's such a treat, like opening up a treasure chest of new culture and experiences/encounters. Oh....if you take your wife or GF with you, you can bet being able to communicate with the locals will be real DHV!!

I really recommend https://fluent-forever.com/ together with the Anki flashcard system as a thorough, scientific and fun method for language learning.

Aklattle

The brain health information is really interesting. Possibly placebo, but I do feel smarter when learning a language. Brain just feels sharper.

I'll add DHV to the list of benefits. I started just because I like to travel and it's fun to learn another language.

autumn

My greatest brand of attraction is smart - someone picking up a second language as an adult, so not likely to have total fluency, and a common language that many others are more likely to be fluent in as well (unless it's rare in your community) - doesn't do much for me.  The positive would be that he's open to learning new things and willing to put the effort into it - I would appreciate those qualities, but not find them impressive in a mate, more like a personal minimal requirement. 

My H is fluent in 3 languages (can hold down a job in them), and does well in a few others (can read a newspaper in them, could get us around a country if necessary).  He's crazy smart but the languages aren't really part of what impresses me (though I'm grateful he learned mine!) - it's more the problem solving abilities.

I like @MrsSmith 's point about association with willingness to travel and try new things.  Travel isn't important to me (and someone having the need to travel frequently would actually be a turn off).  So it could well be more of a DHV if that's what you're looking for/trying to project.

HildaCorners

My biggest brand is Smart, by an enormous margin. "Speak nerdy to me."

In that learning a new language as an adult shows a strong interest in learning, it's a plus.

However, a man who learns a new language only for its DHV value gets a -1. I need to see you have a need to learn a new language, if only so you can follow sports commentary in a n international sport. [Jai alai, televised biathalon, etc.] Far better: you are learning it for business, or to read classic literature in the original language, or to read scientific journals, or because you'll be traveling there, or ...

If you are only learning the language to impress me, it won't.

frillyfun

To add a little to what Hilda said- my H speaks English, and his native language just fine.  He also took Hindi in high school (a long time ago).  If he reads something to me in Hindi it's a DHV. 

But whenever we go out for Indian he tries to speak Hindi to a waiter, and he ALWAYS looks like a dork. It may be because he's a pretty standard issue white dude, and he takes them by surprise, but I'm guessing it's because his Hindi is rusty.

He's my dork, and I love him, but try to avoid speaking to native speakers just to AMOG in front of her unless you're going for adorably dorky.

 
Otherwise- it's awesome.  Keep learning!

Angeline

"Bilingualness" - next up, English?

Rico

Never hurts to be a cunning linguist.

dalef

The ability to learn another language is really impressive to me (my wife teaches two foreign languages, especially since I know how hard it is. I flunked out of French, struggled to meet my German language requirement, and wound up with the most dangerous German capabilities (can't hold a conversation but have excellent accent, so they think I am fluent when I say "Guten Tag" using half my vocabulary).

I prefer easier subjects like quantum field theory or general relativity.

Zoroaster

I can't claim any level of fluency because I'm decades out of practice, but I learned German and Russian back in my mis-spent youth. I still remember the important bits like "hello", "goodbye", "friend", "please", "thank you", and "where's the bathroom". I have a theory that if you know those six phrases, you can survive long enough to pick up the rest.

Ervin3070

My wife didn't realise I spoke Spanish until I conversed with a taxi driver in Spain, when we'd already been married a couple of years. She still talks about that moment, a decade later. So, yes, bilingualism is a DHV (if I've understood that term correctly: I'm new round these parts!)