I love languages. There’s just something about the feeling of turning an idea into a linguistic expression. It’s an intimate way of understanding an entirely different way of thinking.
When I learn a language, I aim for perfection, or as close as I can get, but I hadn’t started learning a new language in ages. I decided to go back to basics and learn about Thai and Tibetan, two languages which have fascinated me for ages, but which didn’t really have a clear economic or career value. To spice everything up (and so I wouldn’t feel like I was neglecting Mandarin), I decided to learn using Mandarin language materials.
I have to spend more time working with both Mandarin and English since I work in tech and not translation anymore. Even my native language gets slowly stamped down by being trapped in the same linguistic scope constantly.
I had forgotten how much I loved learning a language in the beginning. I also wanted to go back to basics and learn some of the languages which got me interested in linguistics and language learning in general. My horizons needed expansion too. Tech was stifling and I wanted some fulfillment of learning and progressing rather than widget making.
The Joy of Language Learning
While I tend to talk about language learning in largely mechanical terms, the process of learning a new language is magical to me. There’s some joy or pride behind unlocking a new way to think and convey myself. Even learning a rare language can provide access to certain cultural elements which you wouldn’t normally have access to (even if it can’t help pay the bills).
The subtlety of language makes each reading of the same idea in another language an experience. There’s a cultural imprint and a linguistic bias. While “rich” (for food) has the same meaning as “腻” in Chinese, one is somewhat neutral, and the other is highly negative. Certain thoughts are easier to express than others to the point it shapes your discourse. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis feels like it proves itself with each novel linguistic thought you’d struggle to express otherwise.
There’s also a joy to experiencing a new culture more intimately they you could otherwise as well. The more of the language you unlock, the more of the culture and humanity behind it you unlock. Learning a language means experiencing a new piece of humanity.
You have to learn to break down your ego and recreate it in a facet which is able to function in a given language if you really want to go all out. This whole recreation of self leads to a deeper understanding of a way of life you normally wouldn’t get to see. I don’t have a different personality when I speak a different language, I have a different facet of the core one which is locked behind language.
Going Back to Basics
I had primarily focused on languages which could prove themselves economically viable rather than languages I necessarily enjoyed. I learned Spanish and German when I was younger, but I can’t speak a word anymore. My family, my school, and my ambitions had pushed me down the path of financial motivation.
I didn’t feel a deeper connection to these languages and neglected them as soon as they weren’t directly profitable to me. Thai was the first language I got interested in, but the irony was I had never bothered to actually learn it. It wouldn’t pay many bills if I did.
I had lost sight of the enjoyment I got from language learning by always thinking about the utilitarian approach to a language. Some languages are worth more for careers. Even though Thai ended up being the catalyst and reaction for me realizing the magic of linguistics, I never committed to it.
I find myself moving so much faster now that I’ve gone back to the basics of why I want to learn a language. It’s about the passion and not the pay now. Learning the alphabet, the grammar, the vocabulary all feels more simple now that there’s not a motive but a passion.
This return to basics meant a return to enjoyment. I had conflated learning a language with learning a trade and let it taint the process many times before. The fact I ended up loving Mandarin wasn’t why my parents let me take it; it was the economic potential. I couldn’t care less about the other languages, but now that I can, it means better learning and more enjoyment.
Expanding Horizons
My job makes me feel trapped. I work in IT which is profitable, but not exactly always the most exciting or fulfilling. There really isn’t a language which can help my career prospects (that’s reliable), so it became a hobby and granted a new clarity.
Learning a new language for the sake of learning a new language meant the ability to look in completely new directions. I wasn’t limited to what I thought I could jump to, but with how much I wanted to commit to learning the language. I didn’t specifically have a purpose when I set out to learn these languages, so I didn’t have expectations of myself either. It let me learn how I wanted to and for what I wanted to.
Each jump in linguistic ability felt like a growth as a person into a realm of new thoughts and feelings. You may not make money off of the main skill, but the expansion of mind can help you get the edge moving forward. The more languages you learn, the easier it gets to learn a new language.
Each language becomes a filter through which you can view the news, the world, and culture in general. You see a different side of humanity that is normally masked by a linguistic barrier. Even just basic travel language can change how you see things. There’s a subtle push into being tangentially connected to a culture.
Fulfillment
If nothing else, it breaks up monotony, but it also serves to help reinforce some coding practices. I use that as my excuse to study more, but it really isn’t much more than a coincidence or stretch. Learning a language is its own reward for me.
I get a sense of fulfillment when working with a new language. Each letter, character, or symbol takes on a meaning which reduces it from a fascinating abstraction to a visceral sound or thought. Ideas become words. Thoughts become sentences. Everything becomes more mundane which makes it that much more exciting. You’re no longer wowed by novelty, but by a deeper understanding.
As counter-intuitive as it is, you are taking an ideal and feeling just how real it is or isn’t. The Thai alphabet is a whole lot more exciting before you decide to learn it, but as it loses novelty, you gain access to a whole new pool of knowledge and a different view of the written word. The difficulty to mastery provides a proportional reward. I find the reveal of the true nature of a language more intimate and exciting than the ideal behind it. Knowing a language has a specific grammar or structure is nothing compared to actually using it. You get the joy of learning a language.
If you really want to learn a language, consider going back to basics and learning for communication and enjoyment first, then focus on profitability. Expand your horizons and enjoy the simple fulfillment of learning a new language to change gears. I’ve enjoyed the process more than the results, which keeps me motivated to get the best results. If nothing else, if you really want to learn a language, look at why and what that means to you, and use that to your advantage; that’s why I decided to learn a new language.
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