Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines

Comment on Richard Payne's article on languages

by      Louise Dubrule

For the record, I am bilingual (French and English), and I have my father to thank for the fact that I kept the French of my childhood after learning English once I started school. Papa was fond of saying that a person who spoke two languages was worth two people. Besides, he maintained that French was the most beautiful language to pray God and make love in. Case in point: the English say "I love you," and that's nice. The Germans say "Ich liebe dich" and manage to spit in your ear. The French, now, say softly "Je t'aime" and who can resist?

Seriously, I agree with Richard that learning another language is a mighty useful thing. When we were stationed in Germany, we were the only American family in the whole village of Balesfeld so it was learn the language or live a life of solitude. Our little girls soaked it up like sponges, and I soon found myself sharing ideas and recipes with our German landlady. Even now, forty years later, I retain a good vocabulary though my syntax leaves much to be desired. Still, as Richard said, I can make myself understood.

Here, in El Paso on the Mexican border, the want-ads ask for bilingual job applicants and the 'bi' part means Spanish. The 'Anglos' learn Spanish so they can get a job and earn a living, but some Hispanics who have been in this country for fifty years have yet to learn any English. I think it should go both ways.

I commend Richard for trying to teach himself Welsh! We spent some time in the British Isles and we came to the conclusion that the written form of any of the variations of the Celtic tongues bear little relation to the pronunciations. To wit: the feminine name Siobhan is Sha-vawn, stress on the second syllable.

The bottom line is that Richard makes sense when he urges us to stretch a bit to pick up a smattering of something new. I can say 'butterfly' in English, French, Spanish, German, and Korean. You never know when I'll get a chance to use that!

 

Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines
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Created 1 Feb 2003