By Sydney Meyer, KETC staff
Language is interesting. We use it to communicate our needs and wants. We use it to tell people we like them (or not like them!). We use it to discuss our ideas and tell jokes and bond with friends. We use it to disagree with one another. Possibilities are endless with language.
But what if you can’t communicate because there are no common words. How do we feel when we are strangers in a strange country and cannot speak the native language? Should we try to learn the language in the countries we visit or move to or that our neighbor speaks? Talk to an immigrant, talk to a traveler, talk to a neighbor who comes from different parts of the globe and you might get some answers.
PIN source Mark Burgess answered a PIN query on language and his thoughts hit home. “Communications can only be improved, and understanding deepened, when we learn to speak the same language as our neighbors. We can appreciate their culture, and their way of thinking about the world from their language. Being able to speak their language gives you an opportunity to really meet and get to know them, since it is through language that culture is expressed.” I liked that a lot and his thinking led me to really appreciate what the next query responder, Anthony Dolce had to say.
It is best to tell the story as Anthony told it. “Beginning in the late 1980′s, as Yugoslavia fell apart, I began reading a lot about the Balkans. St. Louis became a new home for many Bosnians. Around 2003 I began exploring the various new Bosnian restaurants, bakeries and other places. I was aware of a place, Cafe Palermo but never went there. It is a bar and coffee shop. (Best coffee in the WORLD.)”
“One night in May 2005, two friends and I went to the cafe. As we walked in EVERYONE looked at us. The bartender turned the music down. I went to the bar and said, ‘You don’t need to turn that down on our part’, and ordered. A week later another friend and I went there. Same bartender, I ordered. A week later another friend and I went and this time I ordered in Bosnian. What a surprise look came over the bartender’s face. He corrected my pronunciation and I thanked him.”
“Now, 5 years later, I am a regular there. I’ve become a good friend with the owner and his son. I have been working on Bosnian and know about 700 words and 200 phrases. Many in the bar greet me when I arrive. Again, the fact that I have tried to learn their language has opened up many chances and opportunities that had I not done that; would not be. Now, I go to the bar for coffee and “Slivovica” and the owner always buys me a drink. I have taken probably 50 different people there over time and they are always welcomed warmly. The owner has shared roasted lamb on special occasions. We exchange plants and gardening information.”
For me that said it all – language can lead to understanding and in the end friendship!
