When I realize I Know more Khmer than I Thought
July 30th, 2005 by Sarin
Cape Verdean Kriolu should be a very easy language to acquire. It’s a language that all the locals speak, instead of the official language of Portuguese. In my situation, I attend language classes at Peace Corps training at around 14 hours a week. You would think that total immersion in the culture would help speed up the process, but for now I think my own mind is conflicting with my language acquisition. What I think is slowing me down, is the constant back and forth of Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Kriolu and Khmer (Cambodian native language) words in my head.
You can read in books how much Portugul is an influence on Cape Verde. Since a lot of Cape Verde is a mixture of African and Portuguese culture, a lot of modern words in Kriolu are shared with Portuguese, or are highly similar. And then, day by day watching TV I realize how much Portuguese I can comprehend because I’ve studied Spanish before. Any of the trainees here can tell you as well, that a little Spanish, really does go a long way as a lot of Portuguese words are shared with, you guessed it, Spanish. So now we have this little triangle of language sorts and it’s hard to tell your brain to block out the other 2 when acquiring the 3rd one.
And then just the other day I realized that, even though I have been here for 3 weeks and can comprehend what my language teacher is saying, I am starting to realize that I still remember a lot of Khmer. Khmer is the language of Cambodia, and the language I grew up speaking before the language of US TV took over. There are many words in Kriolu and Khmer that begin with a “k”, and sometimes the blabbering of “k” words makes my mind switch to Khmer for some odd reason. What I find unique about my knowledge of Khmer, compared to Spanish or Kriolu, is that I don’t translate words back and forth between English. I can talk to my mother in basic Khmer, which I did the other day, in good speed. When she talks back, I don’t translate the words but I can see the image in my head and can shoot right back. I can count in Khmer, without thinking of the numbers. Plus I also think I can still nail a Khmer accent (I know because there are some words I can’t even phonetically spell). Now, the day I can do that in Cape Verdean Kriolu, is when I can realize I have achieved good language acquisition.
Way long ago, I didn’t think I had enough Khmer to sustain myself for a trip back to Cambodia. Even though I’ve been here for 3 weeks, I’m still better off there than any other country at this point. After being in this country with no previous experience, I’m sure I’ll know enough Khmer than I would need. I realize you can always get by in any country by just knowing a few choice words. You will attain basic knowledge really fast. Not many locals speak English here, so you’re pretty much on your own. If you’re a visitor, most likely you can just look at the price without getting someone to translate.
A good example of this is the other day when I was stuck in Senegal, West Africa. They speak French but more commonly another African dialect. I knew just a few choice words in French to be polite and I never felt like I would offend anyone. I even enjoyed speaking with a very fake accent. Bonjour, Merci were probably the only words I used. Hey, maybe my fake accent fooled them.
Some current volunteers in this town came back from a vacation in mainland Africa. Their stories tell me that being a Peace Corps Volunteer, when traveling, will feel like you joined a national fraternity of some sorts. If I go to another country that Peace Corps serves, I can always depend on the local transit house for shelter, and hey new American friends who can act as tour guides or translators. And Africa, is filled with Peace Corps countries. Some trainees right now are trying to plan where they want to travel after their service is over. All of them are planning to go the mainland. I wrote earlier how I would like to go back to Africa. And now this whole “you don’t really need to know the language to get by” is a step down from “hey American PC Volunteers, show me around!”.
Although wiping your ass on a rock doesn’t sound like something another volunteer would be glad to demonstrate for me.
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Nice.