Hopeless and Lazy?
I haven't felt this excluded in my life. There's this barrier and it seems I can't cross it. I have all these English speakers around me and at some point I'm lacking the ability to connect with them. That ability is my first language. I don't speak English as my mother tongue. It means it's difficult for me to hear you at the noisy pub or understand all these nuances you have in this art you call English. It means it takes me twice as much time and effort to read the same amount of text and also some expressions might be unknown for me.
Everybody and especially all the English speakers know very well how damn proud French are what it comes to their language. And if you compare it to English you might think that they don't even have reason to feel that way. French is spoken by approximately 150 million people as a mother tongue or at least fluently. English is the most widely taught and understood language in the world with 354 million people as native speakers. Frenchmen are often considered arrogant and pompous but sometimes I've got this feeling that English speakers ain't that different. They might not be as self-important but surely at times they take people's proficiency for granted.
And I know it's not even that hard for me. My level of English is quite good so I can't even imagine how it's with all these people who barely understand the word you say. And they have to manage out there in the real world (I wouldn't call my reality the one the most of the immigrants and refugees have to deal with every day in London). I don't have to work my ass off with two or more jobs, live somewhere outside sixth zone and try to carry on normal life while living in totally different culture, society and weather separated from all the loved ones.
London is a cruel city if you can't carry on certain style of living. You'll have to have certain dialect and profession or work, live in the certain part of the city (most likely inside the first or at least second zone) and most of all you'll have to have enough MONEY to accomplish all that because most of the things in London aren't free. But still somehow London manages to seduce you, and then, when you least expect it, it breaks your heart. And even though in that particular moment you swear you're SO over with it, eventually you will come back for more.
posted by Minkki @ Friday, November 10, 2006
4 Comments:
I can totally feel you, Minna, although my experience came from within the Japanese culture and language. Actually, one of the most interesting lesson I learnt in Japan, was that the most spoken language in the world is not English (nor Chinese, for that matter), but International English, a language which is much easier to understand for a non-native English speaker. Actually, at least according to my experience, the Brits and the Americans have more difficulties understanding, say, an African (let alone a Japanese!) speaking English than we Finnish do. Could it be due to their attitude of thinking their own accent being the "norm"?
I believe that the native English-speakers are much more accustomed to hear their language spoken in most incomprehensible ways than others. And usually they have the patience to wait, unlike an average Finn who ends the sentence for you or switches to English. And Minna, I'm sure it'll get better. Even though you couldn't express yourself as quickly and cleverly as in Finnish, you'll get used to English soon enough. Learning to use the foreign language better is one of the bonuses in student exchange. And besides, the fact that you keep writing in English on this blog shows that you are not a hopeless case.
Oh, believe me, your English was/is much better than my French was when I went there. I'm still struggling with my French though, it's a bit embarrassing :) Although I speak better than most Beninese, there are some very eloquently speaking people here that I just don't understand all the time.
And when it comes to accent, I believe that it is easier for native speakers to get a grip of strange accents. It took me about one month to understand a bit of one impossible accent here (people have different ones, so I have to learn people's accents separately), whereas a French girl chatted with this guy immediately without any problems...
Don't sink into despair, the language comes little by little, before you even notice it!
Thank you all for your supporting comments :) I'm feeling much better now and I think the text was a result of self-pity (which is from time to time hard to shake especially if you're alone abroad). Though I still sometimes have this feeling people bond easier with others their share common language. Anyway, the first real test of my proficiency will be in the end of the month when my first essay is due. Haven't even started writing yet cos now I have to rest a bit (my blood pressure is high again). So, at the moment I spend my time in bed with Sex and the City....
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