| Año 3 • No. 98 • abril 7 de 2003 | Xalapa • Veracruz • México |
Publicación
Semanal |
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Oh how the mighty have fallen: On learning a new language Jay Bildstein |
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I
remember one day in New York City when I had just completed a television
show about current events when the producer asked if I could stay
as a commentator on the next program. The invited guest was
unable to make it to the studio and so the network was between a
rock and a hard place. I instantly agreed to do the segment
and had all of five minutes to prepare being handed a few newspaper
articles about the topic for discussion. I went back on air
without a second thought. I was a professional public speaker
and for me to do a show, even with short preparation time, was like
asking a fish to swim. |
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After
the second show the same producer came back to me and timidly asked
if I could fill in, yet again, for a guest who could not make it;
this time I would have an hour to ready myself before the show.
Although my schedule was tight, I made a few phone calls, rearranged
my plans and agreed to stay for the additional slot. In one
day I had done three shows on live television and it was as natural
for me as breathing. I had come to take my verbal ability for granted. When I was a young child I suffered from a speech impediment which resulted in my taking special classes to correct it. As time wore on, my difficulty in talking was overcome and I never looked back. From fifth grade or so I was all too eager to speak on just about any topic at anytime. The oral medium became a central part of my life. I was not Brad Pitt good looking, I wasn’t going to make the Olympics, but I did have something that garnered me positive attention and praise; my ability to speak. To say that I became a bit arrogant about my ability is probably fair. I took for granted my good fortune in having the opportunity to cultivate a talent. That was when speaking English. Coming to Mexico and working at learning Spanish was just the jolt of humility I needed to put my feet back on the ground. While I may have felt like a master of the universe in my native tongue, in Spanish, I felt and at times continue to feel about 70 IQ points off what I was back home. Once upon a time, I did three television shows in a day and now I was struggling to ask for directions to the bathroom. |
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I
have played “Loteria” and have had folks laugh when
I drew the card with “Corona” and instead I pronounced
the word as if it was “Cabrona.” I once thought
I was asking someone how his dogs were, phrasing the question
“¿Cómo estas perro?” and could not understand
why he got upset until I realized that I had asked him “How
are you dog?” when I meant to say “¿Cómo
estan tus perros?” I have made a few observations about learning a new language. To develop an ability to communicate you have to be willing to make a lot of mistakes. I am still reticent, at times, to speak in Spanish because I feel I will not be looked at in the same light as I was in my homeland speaking English. This false pride has to go. I understand now that for me to grow as a human being and as an “hispanohablante” I have to be willing to make tons of errors and keep coming back again and again until I get it right. I have noticed non-native speakers of English struggle with the same reluctance to speak in their new language. We just have to get over this. I still suffer with the gender of nouns, especially, with words that don’t follow predictable patterns. My use of the subjunctive tense in my spoken Spanish is fleeting, yet I now remember to use “sea” after “Ojala.” At times I am shy to speak, but I force myself to do so even when I feel just plain dumb. All and all, the process of studying Spanish has been positive. I still have much to learn and I look forward to learning it. Many cultural vistas have been opened to me by immersing myself in this language. I not only understand more about a different way of speaking and at times thinking, but I have developed greater self-mastery. I understand that what made me a good speaker in English can do the same for me in Spanish. It is not the ability to wow folks with fancy words or cleverly crafted lines that make someone an effective communicator. In any tongue, sincerity is king, a capacity we can all exercise if we want to. In that sense we can communicate well, if not perfectly, in whatever new language we apply ourselves to. Eloquence may be entertaining but open hearted speech is enlightening. We can all endeavor not simply to improve our linguistic abilities, but to be more soul searching and reflective in our discourse. For that lesson and others I am grateful to be a student of the Spanish language. |
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