Languages are inter-related. Here's some examples:
"Language" - English
Bahasa - Indonesian
ភាសា (pronounced "phear saa) - Khmer (Cambodian)
ถๅษๅ (pronounced "phasa" - Thai
"Husband" - English
swami - Indonesian
ស្វាមី (pronounced "svamey") - Khmer (Cambodian)
สๅมี (pronounced "sami") - Thai
Learning a new language may not be so hard after all!
Friday 29 June 2012
Thursday 28 June 2012
Tonal languages - breeze or bane?
Are you tone deaf, or think you might be? Really, tonal languages are not that hard to master.
I'm no language expert, but I can tell you how many tones these languages have:
Mandarin - 4 tones
Thai - 5 tones
Cantonese - 9 tones
Vietnamese - 8 or 9 tones, depending on whom you ask
I'm not tone deaf, but Vietnamese is a really tough language to learn! I can manage words, order food, count from 1 to 10, bargain a bit when shopping, and overall, get by without being cheated, esp since I look like a Vietnamese.
I may be a Cantonese, but sometimes my tones and inflections still get mixed up. I definitely don't get enough speaking and listening practice. Reading is completely out for me. I read and type in Mandarin, not Cantonese! Cantonese is a strictly oral language for me.
My very strict Thai teacher, Mr Kim Song, taught me how to speak proper Thai clearly. He drilled me over and over again until I got the sounds right. For that, I am eternally grateful. I may speak Thai slowly, but I've got the right accent. It was so hard, though!
I learned Thai as an adult and managed to function quite well in the language, being able to follow meetings, church services, and conversations without problem.
Tones? They're a breeze only after you've put in sweat and effort to get them right. Bane? Only in your mind. Get down and cracking, if you really want to learn a language. Nothing comes easy, but the rewards are immeasurable.
I'm no language expert, but I can tell you how many tones these languages have:
Mandarin - 4 tones
Thai - 5 tones
Cantonese - 9 tones
Vietnamese - 8 or 9 tones, depending on whom you ask
I'm not tone deaf, but Vietnamese is a really tough language to learn! I can manage words, order food, count from 1 to 10, bargain a bit when shopping, and overall, get by without being cheated, esp since I look like a Vietnamese.
I may be a Cantonese, but sometimes my tones and inflections still get mixed up. I definitely don't get enough speaking and listening practice. Reading is completely out for me. I read and type in Mandarin, not Cantonese! Cantonese is a strictly oral language for me.
My very strict Thai teacher, Mr Kim Song, taught me how to speak proper Thai clearly. He drilled me over and over again until I got the sounds right. For that, I am eternally grateful. I may speak Thai slowly, but I've got the right accent. It was so hard, though!
I learned Thai as an adult and managed to function quite well in the language, being able to follow meetings, church services, and conversations without problem.
Tones? They're a breeze only after you've put in sweat and effort to get them right. Bane? Only in your mind. Get down and cracking, if you really want to learn a language. Nothing comes easy, but the rewards are immeasurable.
Tuesday 26 June 2012
How it all began
"Now the whole earth had one language and one speech." (Genesis 11:1)
Wouldn't that be so nice? We would never have a communication problem! But man decided to "make a name" for themselves, which was not what God wanted. "So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there, the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth." (Genesis 11:8-9)
That is how we ended up not being able to communicate across cultures and nations.
The good news is that God understands us, whatever language we speak!
But, I've learned a language or two in the last few years. It's been fun, sometimes embarrassing, but it's opened up windows to the world that I would never have seen if I never embarked on this journey.
Wouldn't that be so nice? We would never have a communication problem! But man decided to "make a name" for themselves, which was not what God wanted. "So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there, the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth." (Genesis 11:8-9)
That is how we ended up not being able to communicate across cultures and nations.
The good news is that God understands us, whatever language we speak!
But, I've learned a language or two in the last few years. It's been fun, sometimes embarrassing, but it's opened up windows to the world that I would never have seen if I never embarked on this journey.
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