Foreign Languages...and Me

I am an enthusiast for the study of foreign languages...although I am in no way an expert on them, either from the standpoint of being a linguist or of being terribly fluent in any.  But it is part of the tapestry of who I have become over the years that I am attracted to different languages and enjoy studying some of them on a regular basis. 

Spanish was "my" foreign language that I took through high school.  It a seemed a logical choice to study because, after all, I was living in close proximity to Miami.  But it wasn't until I left high school and went to college that I actually developed an interest in learning it.  The first foreign language I studied as a personal interest turned out to be German, starting in 1974. At this time I began to watch more Spanish-language television as well.  My German teacher (and one of my all-time favorite educators), Fred Curry, was methodical and clear about presenting the basics...and because of this I realized that I could take upon myself more individualized study of other languages.  He later began teaching Russian in 1976...at this time I learned the Cyrillic script used in that language and can write and read in it as well as in the Roman script.  I also took a class in introductory French in which I learned that, all surface appearances to the contrary, written French is quite easy to pronounce as long as you know the rules.  During the summer of that year, while listening to my shortwave radio one night, the mainland Chinese international  English language service had a program teaching Mandarin (the official national dialect of Chinese).  It was then that I was introduced to the concept of tones, which are important in Chinese (as well as other languages like Vietnamese, Thai, and Burmese).  Later, in 1981, I purchased the entire set of Chinese textbooks by Doug DeFrancis (published by Yale University Press) and went through them all, learning the writing system and amassing about 1,700 characters, which I continue to review on a weekly basis from memory.  In spite of this, I in no way felt competent in the language and have always regarded it as a work in progress...as is the case with the other languages I have been studying.  From 1979 and into the early 1980s I knew a few Vietnamese people who put up with me practicing their language with them when they probably would have just preferred practicing their English with me.  Of all the languages I've studied, it is Vietnamese that I have used the most in direct communication with others. I also briefly studied Polish and Arabic...and took a class in introductory Japanese in 1989 at UF. 

Currently I am engaged in studying seven different languages: Chinese, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Hindi, and Hungarian.  Daily I write out sentences and practice vocabulary in them, using the learning site Quizlet to help with vocabulary.  My progress is painstakingly slow...especially by the standards of the world.  But I enjoy it as much as (or more so than) someone watching their favorite TV shows or going out to play golf.  It is a satisfying, positive, and progressive kind of recreation for me. I have no doubt that living for a time abroad and becoming completely immersed in a particular language would dramatically expedite my learning, but I currently have no such plans.  Still, who knows what the future will bring...