Language is confusing, well our own language we´ll manage, but to learn the nuances of a new language is not easy. Children are amazing and we have much to learn from them.
In nine years I have lived with the Turkish language daily as the spouse’s English is not sufficient for the conversation in a marriage and in everyday life. You can imagine what a quiet first year we had, my husband and I, since I did not speak Turkish, to quarrel did not work at all. At the eye clinic, we talk a mix of Turkish / English as Dr. Hatice speaks very good English.
But the road has been long and with many mistakes, Turkish is a difficult language because it lacks those small middle words that are so explanatory. Everything is in the endings like past, present and future and so on.
When I thought understood, I used the rules I had learned. But I apparently created new words and sentences because there are always exceptions to the rules. But there has also been a fun trip. All good laughs and the immense appreciation I have met with the locals for my efforts are worth a lot, and will be treasured memories. It is stimulating to learn the language. You really let your guard down and you´re able to laugh at yourself and not be afraid of mistakes, to use humor lightens up a lot.
I speak several languages, two of which I am fluent in both spoken and written. The interesting thing was that when I started to learn Turkish, I dropped my Hungarian. But only my speech, I could still read and write, but as soon as I opened my mouth the Turkish came instead. A Probable explanation is that you become so concentrated in the new language, especially if you live in the middle of it, that the language you use at least is put in the background. If I was to sit in peace and quiet, I could sort out the whole thing and reading comprehension was never affected, nor if someone spoke to me.
This was most clearly revealed when my father was visiting. He spoke to me in Hungarian as usual and I responded. I thought. He looked very strange to me and pointed out that he did not understand. Then I realized that I had spoken Turkish, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, but with a Hungarian twist at the end of words.
We had a good laughing at that. Over the years, my Turkish has become so good that Hungarian now has come back slowly but surely, it is still difficult to quickly answer, but it’s there.
After my own experience, I understand my parents better. When they came to Sweden, they fled the revolution in Hungary in 1956, so there was no Swedish education so they had to learn the best they could. My mother was young when she came to Sweden so many words for new things she learned only in Swedish. The result was that when she was talking with her sisters in Hungary, it was very funny for in the middle of a sentence she would put in words like spectacle frame, health insurance or any other everyday word but with Hungarian pronunciation. It sounded obviously weird and they did not understand what she meant. She herself was not aware of this until someone pointed out that they didn´t understand. Or she mixed up words that sounded similar. She would come home from work, and exclaim, “I´m so tired I think I callopse” which made me break up with laughter.
I talk daily, Turkish, English, Swedish and Hungarian, or rather swungarian (Swedish and Hungarian mixed pell-mell).
If I‘m tired and have been working a lot it often happens that I’m talking the wrong language, confusing words and endings or say something completely crazy. It has happened both with my husband, with Dr. Hatice at the clinic and some patients have also been exposed. I Understand this on their very puzzled faces when I´ve got it wrong. Guess if we laugh a lot at my gaffes.
But what does it matter? I get along great and like to laugh so it‘s on me.
Do not be afraid to try, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
