Thoughts on Language Learning

Last night, I had a very interesting encounter with my neighbors. One of them is a very pleasant 17 year old who has taken it upon himself to be a cultural guide for the nassara (foreigners) of the neighborhood this summer while his female family members make rice, take care of the children, etc. F invited me to have tea with him and some friends. It had just rained and thus I couldn’t do my laundry that evening, so I gladly accepted. We sat down outside his courtyard, made pleasant small talk in French, then they started rapidly speaking in local language. They admonished me for not understanding and wanting to join in – they knew that I had been taking classes in local language through Peace Corps. I declined, saying that I would try to understand the conversation and perhaps join in at a later date. F graciously provided some translations, but the others just looked confused. One finally explained that they were trying to help me understand by speaking at me. I knew that they weren’t trying to be frustrating or exclusive, though that’s certainly how it felt. Another asked if we commonly learned languages orally in America. I calmly explained that, no, normally in America we have classes, books, dictionaries, and other learning aids. All of my interlocuteurs had learned local language as children, French when they went to school (age 5-6) and perhaps other local languages for professional/family reasons later on using the “listen attentively and figure it out” method. Another complicating factor is that Americans are used to meeting people who speak English as a second, third, or fourth language. I feel that most generally try to be understanding and encouraging of the other person. Apart from Peace Corps trainees and volunteers, hardly anyone learns local language as a foreign language and thus my discussion partners had never met anyone who spoke “part” of the language. It was always an all-or-nothing proposition to them. I drank my last cup of tea and went back home to prepare my lesson for the next day, glad that I had stayed long enough to explain my frustration rather than retreat.