Blog 3

I am learning a new (for me) language.

After American English, this is my third.

Oh, I learned a few foreign words as a child.

Mom taught me the meaning of Schweinehund, probably fearing I might repeat it in polite company or drop it on some humorless oaf twice my size. Dad did not teach me Norwegian. I was twelve before an adopted aunt informed me that I was a “svensk pojke,” my first Swedish lesson (and last).

I learned spoken French as a necessity while stationed at an Army base in northern France. Combien, ca-va, Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?, and all that. Later, I learned scientific French in grad school, facilitated by my conversational experience.

I needed a second foreign language to qualify for my PhD and thought Russian would be fun. Not so much. Still, it seemed appropriate, given they had just launched Sputnik and the space race. First came the alphabet with 33 strange-appearing but pronounceable letters. The spoken scientific Russian is sometimes less foreign than the written, and I taught myself just enough to pass the language exam.

After passing both French and Russian exams, I had little occasion to translate into or out of them. But because I had a nodding acquaintance with French, I was assigned to host a visiting French husband/wife scientist team--no not Marie and Pierre. They taught me the meaning of the word “merde,” something my Army experience had somehow missed.

Except for that, English has commanded nearly my total attention to language for the past 60 years. First the specialized syntax of chemistry, physics and mathematics during my educational and professional careers. Then more literary aspects as I found time for writing in various genre during retirement. And for the past few years, my day usually starts with the daily crossword puzzle in our small daily newspaper. I still use pencil.

As to the mystery language with which I started this blog, I have heard it for all my life but never understood it. That is about to change and progress eventually from understanding to enhanced enjoyment of this strange, yet common tongue.

Stay tuned.

Richard