[UA] RE: Negative Skills?

[Mario Magallanes]

On 8/31/06, Chris Cooper <insectking at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
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> Another aspect is languages of similar structures. A
> Spanish person need not buy Portuguese to speak it
> since they are very close.

Depends of what you mean by 'speak'. As a Spanish person who has been
in Portugal, I can assure you than I can't write or speak Portuguese,
no matter how much I try.

It is certainly easier to understand than say, French, and I can make
some sense of the meaning of a written text, but grammar, vocabulary
and accent are still different to prevent fluid communication without
some exposition to the language.

(In UA terms, I'd probably ask for significant Mind checks to
communicate beyond standard tourist fare, and major checks for
communication of complex ideas or in a stressful situation. Fluency
would still require to learn the language as a separate skill,
though.)