Language, Language, Language...

Well it seems I am making up for lost time here... three posts in one day. But the previous two were writen this weekend and just not posted until today. Now, lets see how far I get on this before the crabby looking janiter comes and kicks me out of the school.

Before I begin the true point of this, it must be said that my feet are freezing. So cold in fact it is hard to consintarte on anything else. It is raining and dreary today in Ffm (as the locals call it - the germans find it necessary to abreviate nearly EVERYTHING). As a consiquence ofthe rain and the cold - I am freezing and wet. I fear I shall be this way for the next at least 6 months.

Anyway, so onto language....

What a facinating thing really. Since I've been here (and everytime I'm here, come to think of it) I can't help but become fixiated on language and the role it plays in our lives - in the human experience. I am facinatied by language anyway, when at home amoung other native speakers of English, but being here multiplies that facination ten fold!

On trains and in the street I find myself staring at small children and their parents as they learn to speak. I think most people in a foreign country and learning a second language have a simillar reaction on first seeing children speaking the language: "Oh my gosh! the kids can speak it too!" I think the difference is, I can't seem to get over that facination. I watcht he children and marvel at how we aquire language. These children are growing up speaking German and pronuncing sounds compelty foreign to their American peers (or frech, or chinease, or what ever) and they never think twice about it. Its facinating how the same child raised in two different countries (assuming that were possible, of course) would grow up with the cpacity to speak two different langauges. I find it uterly miraculious the way in which our brains are wired to be able to aquire what ever language we are exposed to. Its amazing how baby babble, which from what i can tell sounds just about the same in every langauge, can tthen turn into what ever langauge the chld will speak. How maluable the human mind is! Wow!!

Then there is of course the adult asspect of language. When I am here, I can never stop thinking about howlangauge is this universal interface between us and the rest of the world. It connects us and our experiences as individuals with the rest of humanity. I find it hard to believe that we could ever really connect with or understand another person without language. Thus I find comunicating endlessly frustrating because I seldom have the word I need in German to express what I am thinking or feeling. And without the words how can anyone know who I truly am.

>>>>> Ahhh and here came the crabby Janitor - 20 to 6 everything closed ok?!!" Grrrrr<<<<<<<<<<

Without langauge how can you ever connect with another person. I find it frustrating that no one else seems to notice this. They expect me to be friends with the Germans, and close ones at that, but I just don't see how at this point its possible. Aquantances, ok, I can see that, but friends. Who wants to be friends witha babling idiot who can mostly just say "ja" and "ok" and "gut"? They don't know who I am and I can't possibly know who they are. I think this is why I find the idea of dating a german almost inconcievable (past experiences not withstanding). How can I be "partners" with someone when we aren't coming to the table with the same set of rules?

Waht baffles me most is that no one else seems to notice this. Even other foreigners. They just speak and think ok, if its not perfect. But I'm not concerned with grammer and correctness; i'm concerned with ideas and concepts. How can you fully express yourself in a language that is not fully yours?

Just a few thoughts on my linguistic frustrations. Even in the event I became a fluent speaker I don't forsee myself getting over it. Anyway here comes the Huasmeister.....