Languages are a challenge! Yes, they truly are. For me, languages have always been a window to another culture and society. Sometimes they are more than that, like a portal to the past or an opportunity to progress in the future. Every way I viewed it, there was something valuable in learning them, even if only enough of the basics that could help me understand whichever beautiful culture I wanted to investigate. There have been many attempts at various tongues but unfortunately none have ever been progressed to the point of fluency. Except English, of course. What a pity.
The first language I had decided on in high school was German.We had the usual to choose from back in 1981, which were German,Spanish and French. That was it.
None were especially useful for trade and business where I was living then so the choice was made by my love of which culture interested me the most. I chose German, not knowing that it was the language of my ancestors in Switzerland and lower Germany. I would learn that some fifteen years later when tackling the family tree. So I began Deutsch in high school in my sophomore year, studying rather lightly and not really applying myself too well. But...I did learn some things, spending time in the library with books. These were the days before the computers would make an entrance years later. Ah yes, the library. Where I could spend hours if I so desired. And I did.
Again, unfortunately, I didn't spend it learning as much German as I should have. My mind wandered, as it still does. Buddhists call it "monkey mind" as it wanders about all over the place and never really settles down. This has never gone away for me, hanging on till this, my forty seventh year of life. Still, there were glimmers of hope and retention in those sessions in class and at the library. I took German for two years and used it a little in my senior year as I tackled classical music and the scores of Mahler and others who composed in that language.
It faded a little till I tackled it on and off for the next decade, slowly remembering some words, forgetting more than I should have. During those years from 1984 to 2005, in addition to German, other tongues that were studied included French, Hebrew, Japanese, Italian, Czech, Hungarian and Russian, which I was rather successful at for a short time. Yet German still called back to me every few years and I would again get out the books and dictionary, studying where I had left off or starting over again. The last time I went back to it was two years ago, when I was thinking of really hitting the books and computer hard. Now that the computer, Internet, CD's and videos were available, I thought I'd get better at it. Then life caught up with me, "monkey mind" reappeared and everything went to hell. ***********************Ugh.********************Again.******************
So, work, family, running and other activities took over as the languages faded away for the umpteenth time.Then in 2012, I started to research my family tree and learn more of that genealogy. I had known of the Swiss and Germanic branches as well as the English side. But then came the Scottish and Welsh branches, creating an interest in those Celtic ancestors as well as their native languages. I was thrilled to add these cultures and ancestors to my list of interests and started to study them. Scottish Gaelic was the first that I wanted to try. But admittedly that language was not well used by a large number of speakers, even in Scotland. So I decided that my
efforts would be better served with Welsh, as it had large number of speakers and some great sources for learning. Add my attraction to this Celtic language and in making it part of my own heritage, well I was ready to go for it. I started in January of this year , progressing, albeit slowly. After eight months of weak but consistent study, I'm at a point where I had hoped I could really carry on a decent conversation.
No, not like this at right, in order to be able to order a pint of beer. but a real chat with someone else in Cymraeg, or Welsh. No, I'm still not to that point. What is my problem??
Was it that damned "monkey" again?? Could be some of it, sure. One thing was for certain: I was not retaining the words near as well as when I was a younger lad. The ol' grey matter between the ears was simply not as good at learning a new language. Then today I went to a Goodwill store near my place and discovered a book I'd donated last year and completely forgotten about. It was Deutsche Heute, a text book for German students. Not sure why I donated it, but here it was, staring at me. I thumbed through it and was amazed at how much of this book I could read and understand. Dumbfounded was more like it. Why could I read so much of this book yet struggle with Welsh?
Was it due to the years of on and off study in German? Ok, yes, that contributed. That German was MUCH closer to English than Welsh could ever hope to be. Yes, for sure. That many words are shared in both English and German. Absolutely! So, therefore....
What do I do? Seriously, what is my next course of action? Well, one thing is for certain: I will NOT give up my Welsh studies. That is for sure. One thing that keeps me going with them is the delight in learning something new and that is part of ME and my family heritage. One cannot learn a language overnight. Once a student gets over that hurdle, he or she can simply take their time with no pressure.
Now, though, I have re-discovered something that I DO understand and am not too bad at. And that is German. Do I start that up again, continuing my studies in that language? Or concentrate only on Welsh, a tongue that I'm admittedly having a difficult time with? The hardest part is admitting it and accepting something when one does not want to do so. To some of us, it constitutes failure and makes us hardheaded. Yep, that is me. I admit it.
What about both? Can this hard headed and stubborn , middle aged runner really study them both? Or will monkey mind arrive again to distract me, making me feel like I'm a teenager in school, not ready for much of anything. Can I fit them BOTH in to my daily routine???THIS is the dilemma. THIS is what I now face.
Over the next few days I will tackle this question with as much insight as I can. Any help from my German and Welsh speaking pals will prove useful. My Welsh speakers group will most certainly want me to maintain the studies in Cymraeg and my German pals will push for starting up again.
Have any of you reading this blog post ever learned two languages at the same time, and how did you manage? Was it easy for you? How often did you study?
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