60 Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp by Bonnie Sparrman

Author:Bonnie Sparrman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736972109
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

33

On Being Bilingual

Mastering new languages isn’t everyone’s strong suit, and yet just giving it a try has tremendous value for our brains. We probably all know some amazing people who pick up new languages like the rest of us learn the lyrics to a new song. My friend Barbara is from the South Side of Chicago, and she and I share a few dialectical quirks. Our husbands tease us about the way we were taught to pronounce “Parmesan cheese.” If you have even a dash of Italian heritage, our pronunciation would hurt your ears.

Today, Barb and I have mended our Chicago-speak, but she has gone way beyond that. She is fluent in six languages.

As a young missionary, Barb learned French, Lingala, and Sango, which she needed to do medical work in Congo and the Central African Republic. When a civil war required her to relocate, the focus of Barb’s efforts changed as she began to interact with Fulani people. So she added Fulfulde to her repertoire.

If you’re beginning to think Barb is an adventuresome, brave soul, you are correct, but her story does not stop here. The next big change happened for Barb when she fell in love with Steve, a German-speaking American who was on his way to serve a church in northern Belgium. Once again Barb was on the move, planning a wedding and enrolling in Dutch language classes. (Ironically, Belgium is where Barb had first studied French on her way to Africa, years ago.)

A few years ago, I had the amazing pleasure of visiting Barb and seeing her work in Belgium. Wow, was I ever grateful for her language skills, which eased us through the market, train stations, and worship at her church. Her ability to speak Dutch opens doors to friendships and ministry. She befriends many refugees in Belgium who are also learning Dutch. And while the ministry is going strong, it seems that God, in His wisdom, has yet another new place for Barb and Steve and another new language for them to learn.

Soon they will begin work in southern Sweden, where the craziest dialect of the Swedish language is spoken. It is Swedish, but sounds more like Danish. Danish, I am sorry to inform you, is a language spoken from deep in the throat. It sounds like a goat choking on mashed potatoes. (I say this with no rancor, because I am a half Swedish, half Danish-American. When my father began kindergarten as a young immigrant in Chicago, he spoke only Danish.)

Once again, language classes are underway for Barb and Steve. Soon they will settle in the lovely land of ABBA and cardamom rolls. Goat dialect aside, I tease them that they will not only learn Swedish easily, but they will always be sound of mind because of the mental gymnastics required every time they delve into a new culture and its language. As they courageously take on new languages, out of love for God and their desire to serve well, they receive the side benefit of excellent cognitive exercise.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.