I have more than a passing interest in foreign languages. But just like I don't have a "green thumb" in gardening, I don't seem to have a good capacity to progress in a foreign language beyond the alphabet and a few words and phrases. When it gets into the grammar and more complicated things, my head spins. But I've always wondered if, instead of text book learning, I could be around someone and speak it and learn it that way, I might get along a lot better. But ... I dabble anyway.
My first exposure to a foreign language was Spanish. This is a photo from the internet, but I had this big coloring book of Spanish words when I was a little kid.
Though I enjoyed the book, Spanish wasn't really a big interest ... until 8th grade, when our whole class took Spanish. That got us started.
Then, in high school as a freshman the next year, I had a choice. In one class slot, I could either take speech or Spanish. Speech terrified me. I nearly passed out at the thought of having to stand up in front of everyone and give a SPEECH. So, Spanish it was. Of course, it continued on from the basics we'd learned the year before.
This was our teacher (whom we also had in 8th grade), and though he was "all business" in one sense with the teaching perspective, he was friendly enough in a sober way. I liked him alright, and the class was interesting. We also had a senior girl in our class, she was in "Spanish 4," and listened to her own lessons through earphones while Mr. L worked with the rest of us.
We each had to pick a "Spanish" name for class. Since my middle name is Marie, I picked Maria, of course. We practiced all sorts of basic phrases and vocabulary. Several teaching techniques helped us along. One was dialogues Mr. L would write on the board, along with stick figures to give an artistic effect.
I still remember one dialogue from the lessons:
"Esta Susanna en la casa?"
"Si, con una amiga."
"Esta en la sala?"
"No, en la cosina."
(Forgive any spelling mistakes, it's been 38 years!)
Translation:
"Is Susanna in the house?"
"Yes, she is with a friend."
"Are they in the living room?"
"No, they are in the kitchen."
Ha ha, the things that stick in your head through the years!
We also had a "bulletin board" between the chalkboard and the window, with picture tools that showed temperature, weather, clock, etc. Mr. L would always ask us about the day, the weather, the time (in Spanish, of course), and we would try to respond (in Spanish, of course). Those things seem simple, but it really takes effort to remember the right words!
I didn't take any more Spanish in high school. I went to a Jr. College for 2 years, then another college for another 3 1/2 years to finish a different degree. It was at that second college that at one point, I took a semester of "Beginning Spanish." I sort of got along OK, but again, I think the "textbook style" of learning was something I still had trouble latching onto.
Since then, I've been interested in some particular languages. I find it odd that some languages, I have ZERO interest in, while a few others, I become obsessed with. I was all about studying Russian for about ten years, then that finally subsided. I had no classes or opportunity to speak with anyone, but just studied around in a bunch of textbooks someone gave me. I learned the alphabet, a few words and phrases (same song, second verse), and also learned to write Russian in cursive. Even though I got out of it for a long time, now when I see something on the internet (usually on YouTube), I can still sound out the words when I see them, though I have NO CLUE (unless it's one of the basic words I learned) what it means!
Then the last few years I've been trying to dabble around in Hebrew. That was a real challenge, since it is totally different characters, reads from right-to-left, and has no vowels. But, I have learned the aleph-bet, and a few words and phrases, and have memorized lots of lyrics to songs (scripture and worship songs, and HaTikva, the Israel national anthem). There we go again with the alphabet-words-phrases bit. I think I see a pattern here. I know just enough to get in trouble!
I generally don't speak any of this foreign language stuff to anyone, it's all studying, and in my head, and listening to videos and stuff.
Now I'm trying to dabble in Arabic, just to learn the alphabet and a few words and phrases, you know. We'll see how that goes. It seems almost impossible, it also has totally different written characters, reads right-to-left, and has no vowels. I think I'm a glutton for punishment. Right now, I barely remember what the "s" character looks like, and the "a," and the "d," and how to say "no." I guess that's a start! There was a point I had NO IDEA of anything of the Hebrew language, and now I can recognize quite a bit of stuff, as a beginner.
Not much else yet, except dabbling in the Greek alphabet (no words or phrases yet, ha ha), and one time a friend taught me how to count to ten in German.
Wow, I just realized I can count to ten in five languages.
My older brother also studied Spanish in school, and knew it little. My dad had a radio-TV shop, and one time, some Spanish-speaking men came in to look around. They were jabbering in Spanish about things. After they left, Dad asked my brother if he knew what they had said. They had been looking at some electronic speakers, and said that they were "a little high" (in price). Another time, a local-born man who was a missionary to Mexico was visiting back at our church, and he had some of the kids from Mexico with him on the visit. We asked my brother if he could understand them, but he said they were conversing in "slang," which was totally different from the textbook version! THAT is why I wish I could learn a language by actually talking with someone who knows it, and pick it up that way. I do well to hear and copy. The written text almost gets in my way.
But regardless, it's a fun challenge, informative, helps you learn about people and cultures, and broadens your horizons a little. I shall push onward!
(Last three photos from my high school yearbook.)
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