A Language Note

Ah, the blog, where I can use my native language without reprehension. Although my Spanish has been holding up pretty well, it’s a bit less efficient than I would like. I was explaining to someone that since my arrival I have gathered and acted as a large pot for Spanish words, and that it is filled to the top with vocabulary from newspapers, books, the Guaraní from Julia and Marcela, and all of the words that I've overheard on the street or perhaps in a bar. For several days, this material must be brought to boil and then simmered down, and reduced to a consistency more durable, more accesible to the tongue. There are several words in my head that I cannot define, and they are partly at fault for lacking the correct word when I have known it for years.

The appearance of non-native speakers of a language is easy to notice when one hears them attempt to form sentences in their new language, and all appear similarly when going through the process. The inconsistencies in sound, improper grammar, poor agreement of verbs and nouns, and subjunctive phrasing that now exist in my oral Spanish are the same as those I hear from non-native speakers of English. While it is easy to recognize in others that they are just learning and have to think more through their words and pronounce with effort, I have not until the other day realized that my use of Spanish sounds just the same. And though a pretty experienced speaker, my weaknesses shine clearly. It is impossible to trick those who surround you while you are learning.