Standard Dutch is my first language. Not the local dialect in the little village I was born in. I comprehend it with ease and sometimes use one of its words (usually the names of plants and fruit) but I don't speak it. Nevertheless, it apparently influences my choice of words and melody. My son T. always says, "You speak differently when you talk to grandpa." His observation must be true but I don't even notice it myself. This happens completely automatically.
Linguists estimate that by the end of this century 3,500 languages - half of the 7,000 languages spoken today - will fall silent. Caused by globalisation and urbanisation people all over planet Earth shift to a more prestigious majority language. Social and economic mobility at the expense of their own language.
Below a bilingual (Kristang-English) poem from Martha Fernandez. 'Kristang' is a Creole language by Eurasians of Portuguese descent that learned their language from Portuguese traders who settled in the ports of Malacca, West Malaysia, Singapore and Macau.
A poem about using a first language that sounds like music, feels safe and was found again. A language that makes feel whole again: tudu bong (literally: all good).
P.S. Source poem: here.
P.P.S. Did you know that Cleopatra VII could speak ten languages? She spoke: Koine Greek, Egyptian, Ethiopian, language of the "Troglodytes", Hebrew (or Aramaic), Arabic, the Syrian language (perhaps Syriac), Median, Parthian, and Latin. Her first language was Koine Greek. Source: Plutarch, 'Life of Anthony', 27.3-4 (here) and wikipedia (here).
No comments:
Post a Comment