Blog #229: Languages

Language is truly incredible to me.

The notion that human beings can communicate using a distinct set of sounds, and that there are so many vastly different distinct sets, truly boggles my mind. How did so many different languages develop over time? Was there a "mother tongue" which was the root of all language? How can we so easily recognize sounds in our own language?

I have a million questions in regard to language, but more than anything else, I just want to learn how to speak more of them.

My Spanish is okay. Studying in Guatemala for a month was the best thing I could have done for my Spanish, but I'm still far from fluent. Honestly, by this point in my life, I would have liked to be fluent.

I'm also interested in learning Hindi, Portuguese, German, French, and Arabic, among others. In fact, I've had a goal since I was young that I want to be fluent in five languages before I die. I'm at one and half, but I've still got some time...

Depending on where life takes me after graduation, German or Arabic will hopefully be the next language I become proficient in. I want to perfect my Spanish (at least to a point of decent fluency), then move on to something entirely new. Arabic has been intriguing me for a long time, and I think it's a really beautiful language worth learning.

Sometimes I feel like I won't be able to learn a language unless I move somewhere for a few months and just completely immerse myself in it. That method worked pretty well for me in Guatemala! That said, I don't want to limit my learning to situations like that, because I realistically won't be able to drop everything and move somewhere just to learn a language.

So, with that in mind, I am going to try to be more intentional about my language learning. Even if it's just a few Spanish vocab words or looking over my old Hindi notes for a few minutes a day, keeping those skills fresh is something worth making the time for.

See that sign in Hindi behind Sarah? I can read it! Well... I can sound out the letters. I don't know what the words mean, but I can still understand the Hindi alphabet!