Languages I want to learn



(Skip down a bit if you want to see the language wishlist - a bit more if you want to see the more realistic list)

Sitting here near the end of summer, I feel like I should have been using it to learn some strange new language, or work on one that I have had little experience with, like Arabic or Swahili. But looking back on it, the summer really wasn't a waste language-wise at all. I've been able to write and speak un monton de español(a heap of Spanish) with Loren and with Aeisha for the most part, and it's really been improving my understanding, grammar, and speed of thought in Spanish. Athough.... because I haven't been speaking with native speakers, I hope we haven't been reinforcing some bad habits. Regardless, it's great to have this summer of experience sandwiched between my Hispanic community internship last semester and another Spanish class in the fall. So no, my summer hasn't been wasted linguistically speaking.

But what brought this train of thought was that this morning, after a good run, I cooled down and stretched while watching part of a movie called The Linguists on PBS Knowledge.


 These men go around the world, trying to find rare languages that may go out of existence because of modernization and the economic need to speak the main language of a country(among other factors). It fascinated me how quickly these guys seemed to catch on to the languages they were trying to record for prosperity. And their hunger for knowledge of these languages- and the people behind them, with all their culture - inspired me again to learn something at least of a new language, though I've been thinking about it for a while now and I probably just want any excuse to delve into another one. "Maybe I should learn Russian," after watching Salt. Today it was, "Maybe I should learn get back into French," after watching Timeline. But the linguists are doing exactly that - and they need to have a basic understanding or a translator of the intervening languages like Spanish or Russian to get to the rare languages.

Another interesting documentary followed The Linguists, so I lingered longer in front of the television. It was called Speaking in Tongues.


It highlighted the conflict between those who want America to only teach English in our public education (and really in the public sphere - "We speak English in America") and those who want us to learn other languages like Cantonese and Spanish as a part of a globalized society. It followed a few different stories centered in Los Angeles, where they are working on making bilingual education a possibility. Among others, it was interesting to follow an African American kid who went to a Cantonese-language school, and a Hispanic kid who went to a bilingual school, where the white kids learned to speak Spanish as well as he could English.


While there are many opposed to allowing language to be a priority throughout schooling, it's very easy to know where I stand. I think that Americans need other languages. I think that while English is our major language, we shouldn't feel threatened by allowing others in. Other countries around the world teach at least bilingually, if not more. When I was in an international school in Africa, I was taught both French and Setswana, along with my normal studies in English. While I don't remember much, it did me wonders to learn languages that young, because it made it that much easier for me to learn Spanish and Japanese now.

In any case, here's my language wishlist(you know, the one I'd fulfill if I had a few brains worth of storage):

  • America
    • Spanish
    • American Sign Language 
    • Portuguese
  • Europe
    • French(African emphasis, though - West African trade language)
    • German
    • Greek(both modern and Biblical) - emphasis on Biblical)
    • Gaelic (Irish)
  • Africa
    • Swahili
    • Zulu
    • Setswana
    • Yoruba
  • Middle East
    • Arabic(with Africa as well)
    • Farsi
    • Hebrew(both modern and Biblical- emphasis on Biblical)
  • Asia
    • Japanese
    • Chinese(Cantonese or Mandarin - not sure which)
    • Russian(ok this is culturally European, but quite geographically Asian)
    • Korean
    • Hindi
  • Middle Earth
    • Quenya
Ok, so Spanish and Japanese I'm getting a pretty good base on at the moment. I hope I never lose what I have now in those. Arabic I've had a semester of study, which I know I've lost most of, Swahili some study/family knowledge. French - some retained from elementary school, but not a lot at all.

I'll bet I won't be able to touch some of these at all. I listed out 20 languages, not counting the ancient versions of Greek and Hebrew. (This list keeps on getting longer and longer as I think about it, so maybe I should publish this post before it becomes like 50 languages long haha) But it's fun to dream. And I figure that if I go to a particular part of the world for a long period of time, maybe that will give me a chance to learn the languages from around there. 

If I want to be more realistic, these are the ones I want to really master:
  1. Spanish
    1. Because of its utility here in the states.
  2. Japanese
    1. Because I want to move to Japan and I've put so much effort into it already
  3. Swahili
    1. Because of the family heritage and its utility in Eastern Africa
  4. Arabic
    1. It's the big strategic language right now. As an INTA student, I think it would be wise for me to invest more time in it.
  5. French
    1. Because I've already messed with it, its proximity to Spanish, and its utility in Africa
  6. Chinese
    1. They have 1 billion people. Need I say more?

Prettymuch all of the above languages have many different dialects, but that goes with being a major language. I think that if I could be well-rounded enough to get around in the main cities, I'd say I'd gotten a good knowledge of it.

The problem is how long it takes to master a language. Many people disagree on that. But, God willing I have a long life, I could achieve some of these goals. Who knows what the future holds?

My role model in this (other than my parents) is my grandfather who got out there and learned a few different Ugandan languages enough to preach and joke in them. I want to emulate that. And hey, if I fail, at least I fail trying my best. Which means I need to keep up the work. I think it'll be a lot harder when I get out of school, because then I won't have time and grade constraints to motivate me.

Anyway, I've kept you long enough. ¡Hasta luego! 

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