This is definitely something to think about for a trip to Europe! It is a summer school class in Art - it lasts 2 1/2 months, perfectly do-able on a tourist visa. "Learn about painting, photography, art history in Florence, Paris and London..."
Institut d'Etudes Supérieures des Arts
21 September 2010
10 September 2010
Language and Culture: Bilingualism
A 75 year old woman is forced by terrible circumstance to leave her home. She is a well-respected elder there, she knows her culture and her language, and is often consulted on what should be done. Now, she is in a foreign land, where revering age is not part of the culture, everyone speaks a language she doesn't know, and she needs help to accomplish the smallest task. Naturally, she will gravitate toward others from her home country. In large part, this is how our country was enriched by Little Italy, Chinatown, Solvang, and a host of other ethnic centers. This new immigrant doesn't need to learn much about the culture or language to survive in her new country. In fact, inhabitants of the new country have an amazing opportunity to experience a small taste of another country - it's culture, cuisine, and language - without ever leaving "home!"
Unfortunately, the enjoyment that so many of us gain from these cultural centers is offset by the many who resent these groups that "refuse" to integrate, assimilate, and blend in.
How do other countries deal with this? France, for example, has an official language (French, in case you wondered). It has created an entity, the so-called body of "immortals," to keep the language from "straying." In addition, it requires prospective new citizens to demonstrate integration into the french culture and working knowledge of french language. This is so important to France that they have classes for these future citizens, paid for by the French government (that is, via taxes).
Why does the United States not do this? One reason could be that in the United States, English is a defacto language. While it is true that most historical, official documents are in English, there is, in fact, *no* "official" language. Granted, if you want to communicate with the majority of the inhabitants, you must be able to speak (read, write, understand) English. But you *can* be truly "American," contribute to the melting pot, and still not know English. Another reason - probably *the* reason - could be that most Americans would balk at taxes paying for the sort of classes that are offered in France.
So what happens? Resentment grows. Every time they hear a voice mail system offering an alternative language, they get angry. "I live in AMERICA, damn it, why should *I* have to press one for *ENGLISH!*" That refrain is so common, it's reduced to a one-line joke, a toss-away line, "What? You don't understand me? Press one!" Every time voting material or a driver's license test is offered in multiple languages, American mono-linguists fume. "Why is my tax money paying for this?!? If you can't vote in English, you don't belong here!" Americans are bombarded with the chant "we speak English in America." The as-yet-un-chanted corollary is "you foreigners have no business being here." That is when the mono-linguist becomes a chauvinist, and the country becomes poorer.
So why should taxes pay for official documents in multiple languages? Consider the woman at the beginning of this post. Suppose she becomes a citizen. She wants to do her duty as a citizen, and so she obeys the traffic laws, she sits on a jury when called, and she votes. How does she do a proper job of it if she can't fully understand the subtleties of the language? I have read my share of propositions, and it certainly takes a fine comb to tease apart what they really mean. And English *is* my native language. Doesn't it make sense to give a voter all the information possible to make a valid, informed decision? Do you really want someone voting for a law they don't understand? That happens often enough when the voter is a 5th generation English-speaker. One way or the other, the citizenry will pay for the learning curve of its newest members.
So many Americans forget the fact that they *are* Americans because their ancestors immigrated. Many come from English-speaking backgrounds, and so don't even have family stories about learning a new language. Because of this, they simply don't realize just how hard it is to become fluent, or even to become independent in a new language. They don't understand the little joys that come with knowing even a little of another language. Without this, how can you enjoy that little moment when you are "sauteing" something, and you realize that yeah, it *is* jumping around in there! (to further your delight, "sauter" = "to jump" in French)
Think for a moment about the foreign-language education where I grew up, in rural California. There was never a possibility of learning another language in elementary school - it simply wasn't even considered, let alone available. By the time I got to high school, "prop 13" had become law, school budgets were cut, and the "choice" of a foreign language class was reduced to one. The only reason the entire "department" wasn't cut was because of the college entrance requirement of 2 years of a high school foreign language. So, for two years, I had a required class that was "the goof-off class." No one learned anything; no one took it seriously; it was a class to skate by on.
Since then, I have had to learn enough of another language to survive in a country where English is popular, but not common. I have the luxury of being able to fall back on English words when I get stuck, and often someone will understand me. I can tell you that using another language is *hard!* It is painful. It is lonely. It is beautiful and enriching. It is occasionally funny. There is no better way to learn about another culture than to understand its language.
Because learning another language has had such a powerful effect on me, I find it especially disappointing that the United States is becoming more and more "anti-bilingual." It is no longer sufficient to disdain those who don't know English. People (occasionally even in news broadcasts) now scorn the very idea of multilingualism, equating it with "not from here," which is also somehow *bad.* It is as though you are not 100% AMERICAN if you can speak another language besides English. Now, pop culture jokes include "bilingual" in the list of unsavory characteristics of a low-life. Somehow, being more ignorant has become better.
They say that travel and language study broaden the mind. Since when does staying home narrow it?
Unfortunately, the enjoyment that so many of us gain from these cultural centers is offset by the many who resent these groups that "refuse" to integrate, assimilate, and blend in.
How do other countries deal with this? France, for example, has an official language (French, in case you wondered). It has created an entity, the so-called body of "immortals," to keep the language from "straying." In addition, it requires prospective new citizens to demonstrate integration into the french culture and working knowledge of french language. This is so important to France that they have classes for these future citizens, paid for by the French government (that is, via taxes).
Why does the United States not do this? One reason could be that in the United States, English is a defacto language. While it is true that most historical, official documents are in English, there is, in fact, *no* "official" language. Granted, if you want to communicate with the majority of the inhabitants, you must be able to speak (read, write, understand) English. But you *can* be truly "American," contribute to the melting pot, and still not know English. Another reason - probably *the* reason - could be that most Americans would balk at taxes paying for the sort of classes that are offered in France.
So what happens? Resentment grows. Every time they hear a voice mail system offering an alternative language, they get angry. "I live in AMERICA, damn it, why should *I* have to press one for *ENGLISH!*" That refrain is so common, it's reduced to a one-line joke, a toss-away line, "What? You don't understand me? Press one!" Every time voting material or a driver's license test is offered in multiple languages, American mono-linguists fume. "Why is my tax money paying for this?!? If you can't vote in English, you don't belong here!" Americans are bombarded with the chant "we speak English in America." The as-yet-un-chanted corollary is "you foreigners have no business being here." That is when the mono-linguist becomes a chauvinist, and the country becomes poorer.
So why should taxes pay for official documents in multiple languages? Consider the woman at the beginning of this post. Suppose she becomes a citizen. She wants to do her duty as a citizen, and so she obeys the traffic laws, she sits on a jury when called, and she votes. How does she do a proper job of it if she can't fully understand the subtleties of the language? I have read my share of propositions, and it certainly takes a fine comb to tease apart what they really mean. And English *is* my native language. Doesn't it make sense to give a voter all the information possible to make a valid, informed decision? Do you really want someone voting for a law they don't understand? That happens often enough when the voter is a 5th generation English-speaker. One way or the other, the citizenry will pay for the learning curve of its newest members.
So many Americans forget the fact that they *are* Americans because their ancestors immigrated. Many come from English-speaking backgrounds, and so don't even have family stories about learning a new language. Because of this, they simply don't realize just how hard it is to become fluent, or even to become independent in a new language. They don't understand the little joys that come with knowing even a little of another language. Without this, how can you enjoy that little moment when you are "sauteing" something, and you realize that yeah, it *is* jumping around in there! (to further your delight, "sauter" = "to jump" in French)
Think for a moment about the foreign-language education where I grew up, in rural California. There was never a possibility of learning another language in elementary school - it simply wasn't even considered, let alone available. By the time I got to high school, "prop 13" had become law, school budgets were cut, and the "choice" of a foreign language class was reduced to one. The only reason the entire "department" wasn't cut was because of the college entrance requirement of 2 years of a high school foreign language. So, for two years, I had a required class that was "the goof-off class." No one learned anything; no one took it seriously; it was a class to skate by on.
Since then, I have had to learn enough of another language to survive in a country where English is popular, but not common. I have the luxury of being able to fall back on English words when I get stuck, and often someone will understand me. I can tell you that using another language is *hard!* It is painful. It is lonely. It is beautiful and enriching. It is occasionally funny. There is no better way to learn about another culture than to understand its language.
Because learning another language has had such a powerful effect on me, I find it especially disappointing that the United States is becoming more and more "anti-bilingual." It is no longer sufficient to disdain those who don't know English. People (occasionally even in news broadcasts) now scorn the very idea of multilingualism, equating it with "not from here," which is also somehow *bad.* It is as though you are not 100% AMERICAN if you can speak another language besides English. Now, pop culture jokes include "bilingual" in the list of unsavory characteristics of a low-life. Somehow, being more ignorant has become better.
They say that travel and language study broaden the mind. Since when does staying home narrow it?
08 June 2010
Language and Culture: Time Estimates
When you order a pizza delivery in the United States, and you ask how long it will take, you get an answer. This answer is almost *always* "30 minutes." Is it really ever 30 minutes? Not in my experience. After a while, you don't believe that answer. So, you either figure it will take what it takes, or you get angry each time the pizza is late (and if it's also cold, well, look out!).
The pizza maker's pat answer is an estimate. You could say it is what it would take if all went well. It reflects a *desire* to provide your pizza in a reasonable amount of time.
We don't really have a way to quickly and easily express that concept in English. You can surround the "it will be ready in 30 minutes" with other phrases, but that would probably frustrate the United States customer even more.
The Spanish language, used where I live in Costa Rica, *does* have a mechanism to express this uncertainty. And, because the pace of life is so uncertain, it is used often. If the pizza is hoped to be there in 30 minutes, the speaker will use the subjunctive. You, the pizza consumer will (basically subconsciously) hear this uncertainty, and will not "count on" seeing that pizza in the near future. You will relax with a glass of Chianti. If, however, you are really hungry, and don't care for wine (whaaa?!?!?), you could then ask the pizza guy, using the indicative, "so, will the pizza be here in 30 minutes?" At this point, the pizza guy will probably answer in the indicative as well - what people from the United States would call "the truth." Pizza guy will think about all the other pizzas in the queue, the traffic situation, the state of the delivery guy's moto, and tell you that ahhh, well, the pizza "will be there in 45 minutes." He might also think about the fact that you seem *really* hungry, and tell you "3o minutes" - but he will also bump your pizza up the queue to make a little more certain you get it then.
If you are fairly new to the language, you aren't as likely to catch that nuance. You will probably be angry a lot.
Interestingly, if you are a native Spanish speaker, you also aren't likely to realize what is happening. You simply absorb what is conveyed via the subjunctive and the indicative. Both answers are "the truth," but mean quite different things - you have different expectations from each answer.
The pizza maker's pat answer is an estimate. You could say it is what it would take if all went well. It reflects a *desire* to provide your pizza in a reasonable amount of time.
We don't really have a way to quickly and easily express that concept in English. You can surround the "it will be ready in 30 minutes" with other phrases, but that would probably frustrate the United States customer even more.
The Spanish language, used where I live in Costa Rica, *does* have a mechanism to express this uncertainty. And, because the pace of life is so uncertain, it is used often. If the pizza is hoped to be there in 30 minutes, the speaker will use the subjunctive. You, the pizza consumer will (basically subconsciously) hear this uncertainty, and will not "count on" seeing that pizza in the near future. You will relax with a glass of Chianti. If, however, you are really hungry, and don't care for wine (whaaa?!?!?), you could then ask the pizza guy, using the indicative, "so, will the pizza be here in 30 minutes?" At this point, the pizza guy will probably answer in the indicative as well - what people from the United States would call "the truth." Pizza guy will think about all the other pizzas in the queue, the traffic situation, the state of the delivery guy's moto, and tell you that ahhh, well, the pizza "will be there in 45 minutes." He might also think about the fact that you seem *really* hungry, and tell you "3o minutes" - but he will also bump your pizza up the queue to make a little more certain you get it then.
If you are fairly new to the language, you aren't as likely to catch that nuance. You will probably be angry a lot.
Interestingly, if you are a native Spanish speaker, you also aren't likely to realize what is happening. You simply absorb what is conveyed via the subjunctive and the indicative. Both answers are "the truth," but mean quite different things - you have different expectations from each answer.
Language and Culture
There is something about travelling and living abroad that opens your eyes. You "see" the world in general in a different way. Certainly, you learn more about the country you are visiting, but an interesting aspect to me is how much you learn about your *own* country.
My home country is the United States. I have been slow travelin' and living in Costa Rica for over 4 years. I am planning a long trip to France. A big part of my journey has been learning Spanish, and now French. The Spanish language has nuances that, when understood, can help you understand the Costa Rican culture better. I expect that as I learn more French, I will understand more about the French culture as well. When you first see the mental flash that a particular nuance provides in another language, you compare that aspect of the culture to your home culture (and to other cultures that you have learned about). You really think about a part of your culture that you never even noticed before.
Some of these discoveries are pleasing, some are disappointing, but all are interesting.
My home country is the United States. I have been slow travelin' and living in Costa Rica for over 4 years. I am planning a long trip to France. A big part of my journey has been learning Spanish, and now French. The Spanish language has nuances that, when understood, can help you understand the Costa Rican culture better. I expect that as I learn more French, I will understand more about the French culture as well. When you first see the mental flash that a particular nuance provides in another language, you compare that aspect of the culture to your home culture (and to other cultures that you have learned about). You really think about a part of your culture that you never even noticed before.
Some of these discoveries are pleasing, some are disappointing, but all are interesting.
14 February 2010
More Than a Toe...
Well, it has been more than a *year* since I dipped my toe in the "French" water (now known by me as "l'eau"). In that time, I've been collecting books and movies set in France - I have even read a few of the books, and have seen some of the movies :-|
The biggest step however, is that I am taking French language classes at the Alliance Francaise! I just finished a Level One intensive class - it was 4 days per week, 4 hrs per day, for 4 weeks. Whew! The great news is that I passed!!!! I was worried about this - the classes are in Costa Rica, where I now live, and so any explanations that couldn't be done in French were done in Spanish. My Spanish is sufficient for living here, but not always up to snuff for understanding "concepts" - especially French concepts. Luckily, the professors also knew English, and when I got into jams, I could clarify (fortunately this only happened a couple of times). Perhaps the funniest situation (but frustrating) was when a fellow classmate noticed my confusion, and explained something in Spanish - I couldn't say "yes, I understand, but how do you say it in French?" (well, I could have, but I only understood what he was doing after the fact).
Learning my second "foreign" language is opening my eyes about how I learn. All my training and schooling up until now has been focused more on knowing how to figure out something, and knowing where to find the information needed to do that. Memorization has been *very* low on the "importance" scale. Well, guess what! Now I need to memorize - a *lot!* I've also come to realize that a lot of my personal enjoyment of books and movies comes from seeing nuances - I like to (almost need to) know every word that was said in a movie, and often re-read passages in books. I like to think about alternate meanings for sentences, and look for subtleties. That can be a *huge* drawback for learning a new language! At least in the beginning stages - it may be that it will help later, but for now, I need to consciously stop that hamster on its wheel in my brain.
One thing I am curious about, and expect to see - how much Spanish will I temporarily lose as I learn French? There were so many funny things that I couldn't remember in English when I was intensively studying Spanish - like my brain couldn't think of "baking something" - it was suddenly "ovening something." Well, I start my level 2 French class this week - but only 2 days per week, for 2 hrs per day. So, vamos a ver...
The biggest step however, is that I am taking French language classes at the Alliance Francaise! I just finished a Level One intensive class - it was 4 days per week, 4 hrs per day, for 4 weeks. Whew! The great news is that I passed!!!! I was worried about this - the classes are in Costa Rica, where I now live, and so any explanations that couldn't be done in French were done in Spanish. My Spanish is sufficient for living here, but not always up to snuff for understanding "concepts" - especially French concepts. Luckily, the professors also knew English, and when I got into jams, I could clarify (fortunately this only happened a couple of times). Perhaps the funniest situation (but frustrating) was when a fellow classmate noticed my confusion, and explained something in Spanish - I couldn't say "yes, I understand, but how do you say it in French?" (well, I could have, but I only understood what he was doing after the fact).
Learning my second "foreign" language is opening my eyes about how I learn. All my training and schooling up until now has been focused more on knowing how to figure out something, and knowing where to find the information needed to do that. Memorization has been *very* low on the "importance" scale. Well, guess what! Now I need to memorize - a *lot!* I've also come to realize that a lot of my personal enjoyment of books and movies comes from seeing nuances - I like to (almost need to) know every word that was said in a movie, and often re-read passages in books. I like to think about alternate meanings for sentences, and look for subtleties. That can be a *huge* drawback for learning a new language! At least in the beginning stages - it may be that it will help later, but for now, I need to consciously stop that hamster on its wheel in my brain.
One thing I am curious about, and expect to see - how much Spanish will I temporarily lose as I learn French? There were so many funny things that I couldn't remember in English when I was intensively studying Spanish - like my brain couldn't think of "baking something" - it was suddenly "ovening something." Well, I start my level 2 French class this week - but only 2 days per week, for 2 hrs per day. So, vamos a ver...
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