It's been quite a few days since my last post and there has been a few instances which I thought of blogging, but eventually surrendered to my laziness and procrastination. Whenever I think of a new post, the ideas in their rudimentary form appear reluctant to shape up, which can be attributed partially to the fact that I have to write it in a language which is still foreign to me. The vocabulary and the articulation of the sentences still eludes me. Though I have come a long way in adopting a foreign language in which there's a conscious effort on my part to channel the thoughts in those non-native waters; still I grapple with the problem of finding the appropriate synonyms to accurately portray a situation, the right words describing the emotions, the exact adjectives to illustrate something or somebody. I do admit that its still a bit cumbersome for me to introspect and reflect in English which is not the case with Bengali, my vernacular tongue.
As I found out gradually that acquiring a decent vocabulary or learning the grammar never leads you to a state where you can learn the intricacies of carefully expressing the subtleties or enjoy the play of words in a conversation, it only prepares you for that; but the proper usage and picking up a dialect with the right accent can only be learnt through sharing with other people who are fluent in it. The tons of books and newspapers and movies can only make you comfortable with the form of communication but will never embed it in you until and unless you really get to interact with those for whom it comes spontaneously. I have been staying in Chennai for quite some time now and though initially I was quite reluctant to learn the tongue twisting vocabs of Tamil, but through regular interaction with the locals and gradual eagerness to exploit a new culture, I have managed at least to communicate the necessary exchanges of daily life. To be perfectly honest, only the idea of exploring the rich Tamil literature and understanding the interesting Tamil-movies have inspired me to learn it.
Its always an exciting and en lighting journey to learn a new language and the pleasure of interacting with the locals in their native tongue certainly has its dividends.We truly get to know the people of a place through their language.Hope to learn a few more of the south-Indian lingos before I move to a new place.
As I found out gradually that acquiring a decent vocabulary or learning the grammar never leads you to a state where you can learn the intricacies of carefully expressing the subtleties or enjoy the play of words in a conversation, it only prepares you for that; but the proper usage and picking up a dialect with the right accent can only be learnt through sharing with other people who are fluent in it. The tons of books and newspapers and movies can only make you comfortable with the form of communication but will never embed it in you until and unless you really get to interact with those for whom it comes spontaneously. I have been staying in Chennai for quite some time now and though initially I was quite reluctant to learn the tongue twisting vocabs of Tamil, but through regular interaction with the locals and gradual eagerness to exploit a new culture, I have managed at least to communicate the necessary exchanges of daily life. To be perfectly honest, only the idea of exploring the rich Tamil literature and understanding the interesting Tamil-movies have inspired me to learn it.
Its always an exciting and en lighting journey to learn a new language and the pleasure of interacting with the locals in their native tongue certainly has its dividends.We truly get to know the people of a place through their language.Hope to learn a few more of the south-Indian lingos before I move to a new place.
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