Dear languages,
Languages are incredible and sometimes even kind of weird. It’s no secret that I grew up bilingual. Although it has brought me many hard times as well, I’m very grateful for the fact that (at the moment) I’m fluent in three languages. Dutch is my mother tongue, German my second and English I learned in school and through life in general.
I always found it so fascinating how the human brain works, how it is possible to learn new languages throughout life. At the moment I’m learning Swedish and I absolutely love it. Even though it might not look like it, so many languages are connected. I recognize words in Swedish that I know from Dutch and German, I recognize different grammatical structures that are exactly the same in Swedish as they are in Dutch for example.
Everybody knows that learning a new language can be very stressful, hard and sometimes it feels like vocabulary words even haunt you in your sleep. The learning part is not the most fun, but the euphoria you feel the moment you are able to understand the basic sentences and are able to communicate even if it is not much is incredible. In general, I love that I’m able to communicate when I’m in a foreign country (at least in the ones that have decent English-speaking people). When visiting a different country, I feel like it is also just a small act of respect if you know the words for “please” and “thank you” for example in the native language of that country.
For me languages have had a fight in my mind for the longest time. It is very hard to explain the feeling, but growing up it felt as if in didn’t really belong anywhere. Obviously, you have people around you that start to feel like home, but to me that came way later when I was older. I also feel like it has a lot to do with confidence. You don’t have to be perfect at a language to be good at it and most people are grateful just because you are trying.
I love how words (in whatever language) connect people, are a huge part of communication, make music and kindness. Yet, languages don’t make borders, if your willpower is enough and you try your best, languages are able to break borders. Signing is part of a language, laughing is part of a universal language and don’t even get me started on music!
Back in the day I was a very shy kid, I mostly kept my mouth shut when I was in a bigger group because I thought that what I say wouldn’t matter so why even say it. Honestly, as so many other people, I was scared to show who I am or who I really was. Maybe I felt judged as well, growing up can be hard, because you are learning about all the cruel parts of the world. So many parts of our life depend on communication. You can draw, you can talk, you can sign, you can cry and you can laugh, opening up to other people and to the world can look different in every situation. Yes, you are putting yourself out there, you are putting yourself in a vulnerable place, but hurt is part of life and there are so many moments in which you’ll be able to receive so much love and kindness. As much as the cruel parts of the world are a part of life, there might be even more beautiful and fascinating moments that spread so much joy.
Maybe emotions in general could also be seen as a certain type of language. A language that might confuse yourself and others sometimes, but a language that is very strong in communicating your needs and feelings.
All my love,
Anna
Dear Anna,
I love what you have written about languages very much. I also think that you are very brave to tell straight forward how you have experienced how other people reacted on what you had to say.
Using words to communicate, is only one part of how you can come in contact with other people…You wrote that too,
there ar many ways to communicate with other people in the whole world.
When you were still in elementary school you made a poem that expresses all what you have written on this topic.
I will try to translate this poem I still have on my pinboard in my study and a good friend of mine also still has your poem pinned on the wall in his study! Here comes your self written poem:
praten doe je you talk
met gebaren with gestures
praten doe je you talk
met je mond with your mouth
praten doe je you talk
in veel talen in many languages
wat als praten what if talk
niet bestond? didn’t exist?
Best wishes,
Ed.