Picture this: You’re on this massively long car ride to visit some relative you’ve never met before, but Mom and Dad have sworn you have. No matter how much you argue that you’ve never met Auntie Muriel, they’re sure you have. Of course, this fact doesn’t much matter. All that matters is that you have to pee. Really bad. You’ve been holding it for at least an hour and a half and it’s with a voice tinged with pain that you tell your parents that you’ve “got to go”. With grumbles and groans, Dad pulls off the interstate and into a rather dirty gas station. As soon as the car stops, you’re out of the seat and flying into the station, asking for directions to the restroom. Only you’re met with a problem. The man behind the counter only speaks fluent Japanese and it’s then that you realize two things: you’re not going to have a conversation that you’ll understand and you’re most likely going to piddle yourself right in the middle of the dirty gas station. Not exactly the picture of perfection, now is it?
Now, I’m what my mother fondly refers to as a “mutt”. I’ve got a little bit of every ethnicity in me; everything from Italian to a quarter-Cherokee Indian. However, what I don’t have is the gift of being bilingual. So, I write this not exactly knowing firsthand how difficult it is for those whose native language isn’t English, but rather as someone who’s witnessed it happen to her friends and family. We live in a competitive society that is widely dominated by the English language. Of course, this makes it extremely difficult for those nonnative people to try and live in America. I read someone’s blog and they mentioned that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. I don’t know firsthand if it is, but I can confidently say that they’re probably right.
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to experience the world of American Sign Language. The language in itself is constantly battling the English language. Simply because anyone who isn’t familiar with ASL seems to believe that it is connected to English. This, however, could not be further from the truth. One of the first things that you learn when you start American Sign Language is that English and ASL are not the same nor are they connected to one another. Once you understand that you can’t learn ASL through English, it makes a hell of a difference.
If we look at how much the English language is affecting the world; specifically the global economy, it’s easy to see that the language isn’t all good. Now, don’t get this girl wrong. I love me some English. I think it’s imperative for me to survive. But, it saddens me when I hear that everyone should learn the language and disregard all the others. Where would we be? Different cultures are aready responding by sticking close to their native language; they’re making sure that their heritage and culture doesn’t go anywhere. And, I fully support that.
So, if anyone was wondering what happened to that girl in the dirty gas station with the language barrier between her and the Japanese man, here’s the end of the story: she was very close to having an accident right there in the middle of the convenience store, but luckily body language spoke louder than language barriers and the man smiled and pointed to the back room. Clearly bodily functions transcend not understanding one another through speech.
Wow... That little episode unfortunaltely happened to me on the way Vegas... a long time ago in a galaxy far far away... But yeah, body language speaks volumes more than any language conceived by man. Before there were languages it was how we understood one another. And despite the fact that we have come a long way from the gutteral barks, grunts, and gestures we still have a common understanding with our fellow humans. Actions speak louder than words, my God, my parents used to say that everytime I got into trouble or did something that they considered: behavior that was inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading my post and leaving your input. I feel that much would be lost if we try to standardize a language for humanity. If episodes like that one you mentioned didn't happen nobody could laugh it off later and realize, damn I almost pissed on myself... This is what makes life worth living the small things, the details, they make everything that happens a more enjoyable or sometimes a more forgettable moment.
I am curious though, ms. Darnold as to despite having such a colorful background and cultural heritage why do you only speak English? Please bear in mind that this is not an insult but just curiousity getting the better of me. I know you studied ASL but what about other languages?