Are you bilingual-curious?
Have you always wondered what it would be like to speak another language?
Well, you've come to the right place.
I'll tell you what drives me crazy...
- Every other day you wake up with what you think it's a thick accent that makes you never want to speak again.
- You avoid certain words like the plague because you don't like the way they sound. I hate the word "question." I never say it right - quescheeon, questtttion, queshohn... who knows. I avoid it. I don't like the word "excerpt" either. I get tongue-tied and I never say it well. I'll say "passage" instead. "Chicago" is another one. There's are no "ccchhhh" sounds at the beginning of words in Spanish so it's foreign to me.
- You wonder why everyone else's accent is exotic and want to hit your head against the wall every time you say "race" instead of "raise."
- I count mostly in Spanish and have no reasoning for this.
- People think you're just as fluent in one as you are in the other. My father will still yell at me for not keeping up with Spanish grammar. He sees it as loss of culture... and I agree. I'm working on it.
On the other hand...
- I'm bilingual and bicultural - the best of both worlds.
- Books in Spanish feel and flow completely differently... I love reading them!
- My job prospects are higher because I'm bilingual (although mediocre because I'm an English grad student... ha!)
- I'm only exotic in Springfield, Missouri where they would've held me in a lab for further research if I allowed it.
- I dream in BOTH languages!
The truth is that there are no cons to being bilingual, but there are just a few hurdles here and there mostly having to do with adaptability and confidence. I'm thrilled to be in a position as a teacher to show these kinds that anything is possible!
Language really IS wine upon the lips............
(pics via vi.sualize.us)
I went to take a Spanish course once. Told the teacher I was bi-curious and she just looked at me sideways. Wassup wit dat?
Spanish is the hottest effing language on the planet Cindy, so I wouldn't worry about a few mispronunciations. I can promise you if a statuesque Spanish hottie (not mentioning any names) wanted to ask me a queshohn I'd still melt into a big pathetic puddle of English-speaking-only goo. Fo shizzle.
xo
PS: Bought any choos lately?
LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"if a statuesque Spanish hottie (not mentioning any names) wanted to ask me a queshohn I'd still melt into a big pathetic puddle of English-speaking-only goo"
You have lost it... seriously lost it:)))
Thanks my friend! It seems like the more I get into the profession, the language and the literature, the higher my standards are for EVERYTHING.
Thanks for always making me smile!
Being a bilingual myself, I can completely relate to this most.. just the words I hate/avoid are a little different :)
I know, right? I think we all have those common frustations. I was just in a conference call and had to talk about a "bar back" (you know, the guy that helps the bartender) and kept saying back bar over and over until I realized it sounded funny and someone corrected me. Ha! It is what it is.... It's the price bilinginius-ness! :)))