I (Jeff) have started taking Morré lessons again. Morré is the language of the Mossi people, the domant ethnic group in Burkina Faso. This was first of all a way to once again awaken the love I have for the Burkinabé people - but after all, I am somewhat of an introvert. I'm fairly sure this word doesn't exist in Morré! Living in a big African city means always being around people, so it's important to show interest in those around you, and what better way than to speak (a bit better) their language. The second reason to improve my Morré-speaking ability (by the way, you can get my quite nicely with French in Ouaga these days) was that the more you learn the local language, the more you understand the people. It's very interesting to know, for instance that, that word for "husband" is similar to the word for "truth". A Mossi person might say these two words have little to do with each other, but linguists say otherwise. Or, to find out that to say you are happy, you say that your heart is smiling.
So, improving these language skills provides a lot of social, intellectual and relational stimulation. But you also learn a lot about yourself. When you speak, are you more interested in what the other person is saying, or are you thinking about what you will say when the person has finished talking? It sounds easy to say that we should listen more to the other person first - that makes you a good listener. But the balance tips very quickly when working in another language. After 4 weeks of lessons, I can already string several sentences together, but I can barely understand anything people say to me. I have been more focussed on looking good through what I can do instead of trying to understand what people are telling me. Of course, understanding a native speaker speaking rapidly takes years. But still, I know I need to really force myself to concentrate and listen to people as they speak, and not let my mind wander. It's a good thing to apply to my native language, English, as well!
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