Dr. Mike Gilleland puts up a quote about why people balk at learning languages. My reaction was partly "Guilty as charged" (regarding my middling Korean) and "I know assholes like that" (regarding those I know who never get beyond pidgin level).
Partial quote:
Friends sometimes ask me why I like learning new languages. I always feel like asking them why they do not like learning new languages, but I never do. For one thing, it would be too much like asking a tone-deaf man why he does not care for Debussy. For another, I know that many of them are actually afraid, and it would be embarrassing to expose their fear. They are timid about sounding like fools or small children while they are learning, and they are reluctant to remold their thinking and their habits of speech. I sympathize with this. Every human being has some inhibitions about learning certain new activities: skiing or dancing, diving or acting, public speaking or private thinking, all repel some of us. Then again, some people of a conservative bent believe subconsciously that there is only one language, their own; and that all others are silly monkey-talk not worth learning. They will not make the effort, any more than they would learn to bark and mew because they had a dog and a cat.
As I've gotten older, I realize I have less and less time to do what I want to outside of work, familial and friend obligations, and hobbies or what really interests me. Also, I find myself losing more and more of my time to the bain of growing older -- institutionalized medicine and it's bizarre and grueling maze of unending paperwork.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you posted this as last night I dreamt in Spanish which I speak little better than survival level, write fairly well, and read very well. Had I lived in an totally Spanish environment, maybe I would speak it better. But like most poorer people in the states growing up, I rarely left a fifty mile radius of my hometown. If it wasn't for college and my dad's death, I may have never left the family farm for the big cities of Houston, L.A., N.Y.C., and eventually other countries. But to this day, a very high percentage of my hometown has never left South Texas. Hell, the only time 4 of my 6 siblings ever left the state was to visit me in L.A. And one only left the state because he was forced to by his job -- the Army. They still had/have rich and fulfilling lives, but the scope of theirs may have been narrower in some people's estimation.
Agree with what John said above - basically, life gets in the way. It is even tougher to learn another language if you are trying to do it remotely. Definitely living in country is a big help.
ReplyDeleteI picked up a fair amount of Indonesian when I was living there. It is a pretty easy language, and it was my nightly ritual to go the guard house at the entrance to the neighborhood I was living and spend 1/2 - 1 hour trying to talk with him.
Brian
At least you made a disciplined effort. There's no helping the lazy and incurious, though. I guess they're content as they are. I have a friend who's lived in Korea for 30 years, and when he took the official government test to check his language-proficiency level a couple years back, he rated a Level 1. Why? Because he'd reached what he thought was a satisfactory level for his needs, then progressed no further. In a sense, that's what happens to all us regardless of proficiency level, but in my opinion, my friend found satisfaction way too early.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm not fluent in Korean, I never rant that people need to become fluent, but you'd think that getting around by yourself and having basic conversations with locals would be a good goal to have when living abroad. Some people, though, just drift over to where all the expats are, and that becomes their bubble.
That's the thing I find unbelievable—the utter lack of curiosity among some expats. Curiosity is one of the reasons I started distance walking. For me, though, the trap is avoiding the rut of having "favorite routes." I do have favorite routes that I do over and over again, but I occasionally expand my horizons by doing different routes. This can be rewarding (like walking around Jeju) or very disagreeable (like walking along South Korea's east coast). Either way, though, it's an experience, and it keeps me from getting too complacent in my comfort zone.
When you stop asking questions, the mind dies.
As for life getting in the way: yeah, I've heard that before. If something's important, though, you'll make it a priority. I heard that harsh perspective from a friend, years ago, regarding weight loss and exercise. He was right.
Sadly, thanks to smartphones and computers, the world's population may be getting dumber in many aspects. These include learning foreign languages, basic math, and even human to human interaction.
ReplyDeleteThe world is evolving. It just isn't always evolving for the better.
I reckon I'm guilty as charged, but in my defense, I'll say it's an issue of both priorities and ability. I made an effort to learn Korean when I first moved there, including taking classes on base and hiring a tutor at home. But given my lifestyle (working on the Army base and living in Itaewon) I never had cause to use it much and eventually gave up. As readers of my blog are well aware, I've not even managed to master the English language.
ReplyDeleteIn choosing my retirement destination, I picked the Philippines primarily because English is widely spoken here. My Filipina girlfriend pushes me to learn some basic Tagalog, but I have zero desire to even attempt fluency. Some of that is laziness, but my tired old brain is likely incapable of grasping a new language.
I feel no shame in being who and what I am.