roots & fruits

Roots of Communication, Fruits of Language

As a foreigner, learning to speak Mandarin in her very motherland is akin to being born a second time, but this time through the aging eyes of experience. The early stages of learning a second language is more so an exercise in silence; body language takes precedence over the spoken word. It is a powerful experience to transition from having an educated foundation to at once being illiterate and near mute. Listening skills must be honed before the tongue can be tamed. Simple truths in life abound across cultures: A smile is universal. Curiosity is reciprocated. Language is only a framework for communication.

Another language may not translate in full the feeling behind an original thought; each is unique and therein lies the beauty. It is not enough to simply master a language in terms of vocabulary and grammar, for the subtleties of communication lie not only in what is said, but how it is communicated. Learning another language presents an opportunity to graft the wisdom of one onto the voice of the other.

The Chinese language is truly a ripened fruit born from the roots of more than 5,000 years of history. Spoken Mandarin harnesses a thought and tames it for communication. Written Mandarin captures a feeling and liberates it via the joining of ink and paper. The very thought wrapped by humans around an abstract concept was born into a single character. While any language evolves over time, to learn Mandarin is to taste this fruit of bygone days. The wisdom of years past are worn into each character and each formulated thought.

The path to fluency in Mandarin is a journey that reminds one of their own humanity and how their native tongue is but one way to view the world. There is an opportunity to share overseas what is taken for granted at home. There is an opportunity to experience firsthand what many will only read from a book. Each day we live and breathe and learn not only another language, but we have the opportunity to gain this wisdom of the past and apply it to the present day.

While English and Mandarin are natively spoken from two vastly different perspectives, there is a common essence to our humanity that persuades louder than any difference might dissuade. It is a reminder that the real essence of communication is but a common ground upon which both English and Mandarin are deeply rooted.

c.20080621