Beyond the Binary: Language Learning Experience

Since the latter half of 2017, I have placed myself in an experiment to learn new languages. Maybe it was out of duty (for reasons I cannot disclose), or out of sheer curiosity. In either case, upfront I must say the challenge was thrilling. Through the immersion, I had to push myself against the limits of my own memory bank. The plethora of information was without a doubt choking, but the letters that mixed in my brain and tongue also landed in my heart.

Bonjour! Hallo!

Comment vous appelez-vous? Wie Haißen Sie?

At first the words refused to form. As the days wore on, however, the friction eased as I resolved

to appreciate them.

Languages essentially point us to our humanity. It can unite in as much as it can divide. Nevertheless, it is a tool we have used to preserve our existence through the basic human need for expression. Indirectly, a language learner will discover the culture, thought patterns and history of the people that speak them. Thus, learning a language cultivates the mind to expand its worldview.

For me, it was a journey of humility and norm deviation. Spellings, pronunciations and grammar shifted my perspective from a binary English-Filipino discourse to a multi-faceted arena. And this became even more pronounced after an hour length of semi-lunch-semi-conversation with a friend from my maths class. She pointed out how her own experience usurped old mindsets, and helped cracked the norm. The very thought is liberating!

Imagine for instance if we had stopped at the discovery of counting. Then there will be no real number line as we know it. Or picture a world in grey scale. How dull it would be to see without colour. None of us want to shy from the full potential of creativity and the beauty it can produce.

What we need are ideas. Different from the ones we are accustomed to swallow. So let's challenge ourselves and step back to familiarize and defamiliarize. This can be done through many channels. In my case, the process of unboxing has come, thanks to language learning.