IF you come from the Mediterranean areas, it may just be heartwarming to learn another language this season. Maybe you want to learn one of the dialects of Spain like Catalan or Basque. Or maybe you want to learn Portuguese because it is used in the neighboring country located in the same Iberian Peninsula where Spain is located. Also, it is heartening to note too that the European Union has urged all its inhabitants to learn another language while they are still here in this continent. The rationale behind it is this – Europe is the smallest continent in the world and a contiguous one at that yet each country has a separate language. In other words, it’s a barrier for progress.
Europe is really as special one at that when it comes to that situation. Take note of North America. There are only three languages spoken in three countries (the United States, Canada and Mexico) – English, French and Spanish. The entire Central and South Americas speak only one language – Spanish. The subcontinent of Australasia which includes Australia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji speak Australian English only. Middle East speak Arabic while most of the countries in Africa speak English. Asia is an exception being not contiguous and being the largest continent on Earth. But in Europe, we have lots of languages here.
Actually, the languages of Europe have only one origin – German and Frankish. They were the languages spoken of old by both nomadic and settling tribes. Later when the Romans invaded Europe, they absorbed these two languages in their own historic tongue. Thus, all the languages found in Europe right now including English off the Island of Great Britain as well as Spanish, Portuguese, modern German, modern French and even the Slavic languages to some extent as well as the Scandinavian languages up north emerge from one language – Roman. Thus we can deduce these languages as Romance languages. It’s entirely different from romance which is associated with erotic. Yet when you come to Paris this Christmas to learn French, we can say that it is indeed a romantic language.
Indeed, it is romantic to spend Christmas here in Paris and learn the local language at the same time. It is even nicer if you already have a Parisian date waiting for you in the City of Lights so you can stroll around the city at the same time the woman will teach you a few words in the French vocabulary while dining elegantly with bouillabaisse complete with either white or red wine at a posh Paris restaurant. The City of Lights which is Paris is literally that during Christmas season. The Eiffel Tower is lighted up including other key structures in the city such as Champs Elysees, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and numerous others.
Or if you want to spend Christmas in a warmer land, then go to Australia. It’s the middle of summer there in Australia during Christmas and our traditional noche buena is celebrated there as a Christmas Day luncheon every December 25.
LEARNING another language is essential in this competitive modern world. In the United States alone which is the most powerful country in the planet, there are lots of languages used by various peoples. Spanish is foremost of them since there are many Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. Besides the Latinos, there are also the illegal immigrants who speak Spanish – those coming from Mexico and Cuba. Some of the Cubans who have escaped here in Florida have even become successful here financially. Among these selected few persons are Andy Garcia, Jon Secada and Gloria Estefan.
Some of these people who have never become celebrities have become entrepreneurs. They have established Spanish language schools here in Florida. Their clients are the Caucasians and the African-Americans who want to know how to speak Spanish. But not all Americans learn another language here in the United States. Others go to foreign countries to acquire languages at their hearts and wherever they’re spoken.
A few of these go to Paris and embark on a six-month academic tour to the place. If your study is charged to your company, then you’re all the more lucky. Because in a specific language program, there are lots of excursions attached to it. Language academies all over the world are actually now integrating other studies to them. There is such thing as culture appreciation. These language institutions also act as hospitality schools to some extent. They are largely supported by the French tourism ministry. France may be an industrial hub but tourism is still a byword here. The French people have been known to be the brightest and the most intellectual all over the world.
That characteristic has not evaded the French language instructors. But do not worry; they are not as strict as you think. They will even help you if you cannot cope with the French language. Usually, these schools organize educational trips around Paris. They will disperse you to the most overcrowded places where you are encouraged to eavesdrop on public conversations. Once you have understood these conversations and relayed these back to class the day after, your French language instructors will take note of that and earmark you as a bright learner.
But if you’re not contented with that scheme, try the language exchange program instead. Under this system, you will be introduced to a native Parisian who will help you out in tutoring you about the French language. In return, you will also teach him a few English words and chat about your culture back in Maine or in Georgia.
In the Philippines, there are all crash courses in learning Tagalog, the language here. Students who usually enroll in these schools are Caucasian husbands of Filipinas here. They are not only using English as the first tongue, some of them come from Germany, the Seychelles, France, Spain and Portugal, among others. Whichever country you come from, learning a foreign language is really essential not just for self-satisfaction but also for eventual profitable opportunities in the future.
ARE you a linguist or someone who craves to know other languages? This holiday season, where will you spend two weeks of your time to study a second language. This article attempts to tell you or suggest to you where to go come December. First, let us bear in mind that in the Western world, Christianity dominates and December is the birth month of Christ. They sure celebrate the birthday of their Messiah, don’t they? Thus, it is an opportune time to visit Western countries and mingle with the celebration.
But there are affluent countries which do not celebrate Christmas. Think Japan for example. If you want to study Japanese, then go to Tokyo. Prices for Japanese language studies there are really exorbitant so you may as well go to other equally adorable cities such as Nagano and Kyoto. Next in line on our list of nice countries to study a second language is China. Forget Beijing, it’s reclusive. Forget Hong Kong and Macau, they’re boring. The in thing in China nowadays is Shanghai what with the many Hollywood movies associated with it like Stealth and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. So if you want to study Mandarin or Cantonese, Shanghai has the best of both worlds.
Next stop would be Cambodia. Whether you like it or not, Khmer is a beautiful language. How do you pronounce the name Bebe Pham? That is a Khmer name. And that name belongs to a wonderful lady who’s now the most popular Cambodian model in the world. Right now, she’s in the Philippines shooting a movie in Cebu courtesy of the Philippines’ very own Hollywood company, Bigfoot Entertainment.
Speaking of the Philippines, how about studying some Tagalog or any of its dialects this Christmas season. The Christmas season is one of the most enjoyable times of the year in the Philippines. It is where great parties, great dining and great fireworks take place. In fact, lots of expatriates take time off to study Philippine dialects during their two-week holiday breaks in preparation of wooing Filipino women. After all, lots of interracial marriages are occurring here in an almost daily basis.
Now we go to Spain. The Spanish language is one of the most romantic in Europe. It may not eclipse the beauty of the Italian or the French language but it is simply wonderful in its own right. Spain has its own dialects too like the Basques and the Catalans. To the north of the Iberian Peninsula, Spain shares a land border with the Portuguese. The Portuguese is another Romance language which has its own unique heritage. Try to study this language too. It’s not like studying something which is alien to the ears. All you need to do is grasp the basics and then manipulate your learning from there. Just like Spanish, Portuguese also comes from the Germanic and Frankish languages of old when these two pre-historic languages were later inserted into the Roman language. From South Korea to Tahiti, from Florida to Ontario, studying languages is here to stay.
