I would have lobbied that languages be easier to learn; that we can all choose 12 to store in our brains at birth, and we can pull them out whenever in life we find we need them. It can’t be that hard, if neurons are connecting one by one to make our mother tongues, to connect them for a few other languages at the same time, even if our parents only speak English. It could even be a public service: We could all be required to choose at least one of those dying languages we here about occasionally, the ones that are only spoken by old women in super-northern Canada or by a tribe of people dying out in Indonesia or something. I’m fine with equal-opportunity language quotas.
Because Lord knows, the more time I spend with this French workbook, the less I can actually say.
I think this means I am old. Damn it. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen to me.
Ah the repercussions of The Tower of Babel; hmm wonder if that is the root of our English word:
“babble” – nonsensical verbal utterances 😉 but then there are “babbling brooks”. No wonder our language is hard to learn. 🙂 Well, “whatever floats your boat” I guess.
The paradox of French is how native speakers, rather than being disoriented by all the extra phrases attached to every word — the stuff that when trnnslated makes them sound so very polite — instead barrel through and think about ten times faster than the rest of us. (Or maybe just faster than me….)
my youngest daughter, she who is referred to as hrh by the rest of her respectful siblings, started languages by taking french (i, myself, speak perfect southern, some english..as in uk…, a smattering of boston, and quite a bit of scots).
she switched to sign language.
now, i thought, great! she can use this skill anywhere, especially once she qualified, as she has, to translate.
no!
sign language is different all over the world!
you’d think the ONE language that could be universal, isn’t.
leave it to humans to take it, and make different signs for different words, so even there, we can’t communicate.
i hope i made sense.
Ha! Quin, you made total sense, and what an excellent point. Yes, leave it to humans…