I have touched briefly on how difficult the
Czech language is to learn, so you can imagine I know very little of this
lovely Slavic language. It is so different from English because the Czech
language often has three or more consonants in a row -something rare in
English. I never realized how much I appreciate vowels until I came here.
Ordering food in a
restaurant is almost like playing Russian Roulette. I close my eyes, wiggle my
finger, and throw my finger down to see what I will be eating today-at least that
is how it was initially. When we first got to the Czech lands, I had absolutely
no knowledge of food words such as chicken or fish, but luckily I have picked
up that kuře or kuřecí maso means chicken. I can know scan menus
looking for kuřecí and at least know that I am getting something with chicken.
Fortunately, most restaurants either have a "translated" menu or a
waiter who know bits and pieces of English. I say "translated" menu
because often the menus make little sense in English or sometimes the dish
could be described as chicken meat with the [word does not exist in English]
sauce. That is kind of scary right?
Communicating with
locals is a completely different experience. The other day, I walked into a
souvenir shop and was greeted by a friendly Czech woman who knew no English.
The language barrier did not stop her from talking off my ear. I could pick up
on little bits of what she was saying, but most of the conversation was blank.
She understood that we were from Nebraska, but she did not understand me when I
said it was in the middle of the United States. So, we began an impromptu game
of Pictionary. She used the air as her drawing board and put California in the
bottom left and New York in the top right. With her holding her hands to
symbolize the states, I took my hand and placed it directly in the middle to
show her the Cornhusker state. She laughed and began talking again. From
what I gathered from her hand motions, I believe she said she had gone swimming
in California. We semi-successfully had a conversation not knowing much of each
other's languages but by reading body language and hand gestures. It was actually
kind of fun!
I have realized during my
European travels just how fortunate I am to know English. English has replaced
Latin as the common communicating language between different countries. This
means that most people, especially my generation, know basic English. I have been
told that European children begin learning English in grammar school. This
ensures that they will be able to travel around Europe and communicate with
others. While this is great for me, I still feel slightly ashamed that I, as an
American, know little of other languages. Our schools only require two years of
a foreign language, and it is taught after our critical period, a time span in
which the brain is more susceptible to acquiring languages. This means that
outside of the critical period, age 5 through puberty, learning a language is
much more difficult. I am fortunate that English is my native language, but I
need to show my appreciation for other cultures by at least communicating
mannerisms in the native language. Natives, in my experience, appreciate any
attempt you make to speak their language. Just give it a shot!
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