Linguistic Soup

Linguistic soup. That’s how I can describe the current language casserole I am enveloped in whilst living in a hostel with seven international roommates.  Germans speaking to Germans, Brazilians to Americans, Dutch to Japanese and vice versa in every other imaginable combination. Every day, with every conversation comes a foreign language lesson, not the type from high school, but content with real world application, such as being able to tell somebody to “Shut up, I’m trying to sleep!” in six different languages. It’s constant entertainment to go along with a little foreign education in the language arts.

Being around so many different tongues & accents really allows one to make effective notes of how select languages are structured comparably to one another. The French have a incredible ability to transition syllables into words, words into sentences and package it all in a subtle, eloquent oratory tone that gives the impression that they are hardly saying anything at all. The Germans, with pronounced syllables, and sharp, cutting differentiations in tone & volume and between words, have by far the hardest, most audibly imposing language. The South Americans, whether speaking Espanola or Portuguese are vivid in body language and linking their emotion to their phrases and words, and generally deliver the happiest most free spirited speech examples. Lastly the Japanese, with sincere and constant respect and modesty in even the most trivial conversation are brief and to the point and seem almost rushed to deliver their respective say so as to allow them to get back to listening as soon as possible.

The traveling backpacker life is a Petri dish of cultural and vocal collision. It forces each involved to make considerable attempt to learn and adopt ways of others. The ability to communicate effectively between persons in this environment takes on a much more basic and primitive style, as hand gestures, body language and facial expression are thrust back into primary focus in the efforts to convey meaning and intent effectively amongst various backgrounds. The act of conversing itself develops much greater life than we typically experience speaking with others of the same language. When you eliminate the benefit of understanding definitions of words, all involved must use any means and tactic possible to translate and educate those across the table from them and it makes for many interesting, often hilarious and enjoyable interactions.

As an American, I am very fortunate to have English as my primary language. Or It can be said that I have it easy. As every fellow traveler, no matter his or her background or country, has had at least moderately extensive training in English. The downside to this as an American who speaks very basic Spanish and French is that you almost feel guilty to constantly force others of other cultures to wrack their brains and minds to dictate and translate their thoughts and opinions into your spoken word when you can not even say more than “Hi” in their language. I hope to use this humbling experience as motivation to further expand my language learning in the future.

Another angle of this lifestyle is the similarity and commonality you find amongst all your fellow travelers. When we are sequestered in our homelands, surrounded by so many of the same, it is easy to develop opinions and thoughts of how different persons from these far way lands must be. Appearance, culture, strengths and weaknesses all are issues we rule on without every really knowing the truths, apart from previous direct experience, through travel or relations. But as someone who has experienced such things, when you are in a Australian bar, with a German, Brazilian, Englishmen, Frenchmen and Japanese, and you are all looking for women, the simplicity and scary identical tendencies and traits you all share quickly surface and it is comically obvious how we really are so much the same in the grand scheme of things. The same follows in sports, politics, music and hobby, as we all have the same reasoning and inspiration, with only the specific acts and focuses themselves differing due to exposure and culture.

I am very happy to have been able to experience such a cornucopia of linguistic expression throughout my travels. I love the variations in personality that each language exhibits. I love the interactions & communicable creativity that speaking different languages encourage and demand in order to establish understanding across the language barrier. And I love how underneath the frills and façades that language creates the true selves of people are always existent and easily comprehended.