Even Greener Pastures

Who else has a soft spot for languages that are generally not learned by non-native speakers of that language? I'm talking about languages that have absolutely no utility in one's life. My soft spot is for Georgian, for example. It's no surprise that it's totally and utterly worthless here in the states. There is a contingent of Georgians in NYC, but outside of that, Georgians are rare as hen's teeth. Georgian is interesting in that the alphabet is unique to Georgian. As far as I know, it doesn't borrow letters from any other alphabet.

Jerry = ჯერი

Jerry,

Why the interest in Georgian?

Jerry, do you have Georgian ancestors?

To answer SHL, Chizuko and Sofia: I tutored several Georgians and found something intriguing about the people, country, and language. They seem to get a bad rap  but I met some very interesting people. No one is perfect of course { not even Germans, Steve }.  I've got a few friends there who are Mingrelians. They especially get a bad rap.

I'm Scottish, Irish, English, and German { eat your heart out Steve }, no Georgians that I know of.

Steve, you're so predictable. 

Wouldn’t that be hilarious, Jerry, if one day you got a note in the mail that a long lost uncle of yours died and left you his lemon yellow 1958 Cadillac with the bent tail fin? Of course, it doesn’t run, and has a little rust, but they can tow it over and you can park it in your front yard? Like hitting the lotto. Oh, and they`ll throw in the pro-Trump stickers and American flags for free!

That’s it Jerry. You got it. Good ol middle America.

California`s got that too. Hey, what all-American US town hasn’t got at least a few houses with one 1958 Edsel out front rusting away that doesn’t run? You can have the hound-dog tied to a tree guarding this treasure, or in the backyard with a Beware of Dog sign on the gate.

I love Malti, the language spoken in the Mediterranean archipel of Malta by half a million people. It is considered originally a dialect of Arabic, from the ancient Siculo-arabic. The Semitic vocabulary was enriched by Italian words and English. On italki I had one lesson with a nice teacher. Malti or Maltese is written with a modified Latin alphabet with lots of dots that make it boring to read.

I had a junk car once.  A 1949 Dodge Cornet that I sanded down to bare metal and repainted.  Did the interior, had the motor overhauled, all on the cheap and amateur but it was fun.  Didn't matter too much as the car is not really worth anything.

The problem was when I got in to drive it.  It was fun enough, but it was from 1949!  Compared to a modern car it was uncomfortable and drove like a tractor!  So that pretty much ended my interest in it.

I had a junk car once.  A 1949 Dodge Cornet that I sanded down to bare metal and repainted.  Did the interior, had the motor overhauled, all on the cheap and amateur but it was fun.  Didn't matter too much as the car is not really worth anything.

The problem was when I got in to drive it.  It was fun enough, but it was from 1949!  Compared to a modern car it was uncomfortable and drove like a tractor!  So that pretty much ended my interest in it.

Not only do they drive like a tractor but they're death traps. Old cars are good enough to drive locally but other than that, they're a risk to drive on the interstate or even a busy highway. Contrary to popular belief, the thick, heavy metal these old beasts were made of are actually much less strong than the alloys modern cars use. I know you know this but most people don't.

Right, Steve should learn Spanish if he wants something that's useful. Especially in a law practice. The German language in California is as useless as a screen door in a submarine. Or as Steve would say, an Unterseeboot.

@Sofia

Yes, I learned German 41 years ago (or started then) out of just falling in love with the language and country, like you said. It had nothing to do with utility. It really was a passion and still is. Spanish would have been utilitarian, yes, but it never really appealed to me. Neal said it sounded like mud to him. Well, I won`t say that, but Spanish has about as much attraction for me as mud. I don’t know why. Maybe the way it sounds or something. It`s probably more resentment than anything else. It`s a little annoying living in a place where people sort of want you to learn their language to make their lives easier, even though those same people live here themselves, in a place where Spanish is not the native language.  It sounds a little backward to me.

@Sofia

Yes, I learned German 41 years ago (or started then) out of just falling in love with the language and country, like you said. It had nothing to do with utility. (...)
 It a little annoying living in a place where people sort of want you to learn their language to make their lives easier, even though those same people live here themselves, in a place where Spanish is not the native language.  It sounds a little backward to me.

I can understand your passion and I have trouble understanding migrants who don’t even try a little bit to learn the local language. I am totally puzzled by the Syrians I met here. There is only one young guy who truly is learning French. His wife (27 years old) was offered a six month intensive course with French and she refused. They are both middle class people from Damascus. They never will go back unless the regime changes. The same also for people who came from a rural context and are less educated. I have the impression that they believe in a way that learning the local language would be like betraying their roots.
Maybe it’s the same phenomenon with the immigrants from Latin America in your country.

Steven, maybe Latinos don’t see the need to make the effort because they are so numerous. So they create a new Latino environment in California.
If you would migrate to Peru you would be a lonely Gringo and feel the need to speak the language of the authoctonous population.

.... I just forgot. American and British expat women who accompany their husbands to Europe where they work for big companies like Philip Morris or Procter and Gamble aren’t better than the Latinos migrants. They absolutely don’t learn a word of French and move around in closed social circles. They put their children in expensive private schools and rarely mingle with locals.

Steven, maybe Latinos don’t see the need to make the effort because they are so numerous. So they create a new Latino environment in California.
If you would migrate to Peru you would be a lonely Gringo and feel the need to speak the language of the authoctonous population.

.... I just forgot. American and British expat women who accompany their husbands to Europe where they work for big companies like Philip Morris or Procter and **** aren’t better than the Latinos migrants. They absolutely don’t learn a word of French and move around in closed social circles. They put their children in expensive private schools and rarely mingle with locals.

Yes, the Latino communities are large, especially in California, and in the Los Angeles area in particular, they have formed their own Spanish-speaking communities. Some of the cities are majority Spanish-speaking and Latino and they have created a fairly good-sized community where they can get by speaking only Spanish if they like. The children are all dual Spanish/English native speakers because they get the Spanish at home and English with their friends and at school. I think that it would behoove them to at least learn enough English to get by somewhat, and show an interest in it for the sake of the country they live in, but that seems to be lacking. It`s just showing respect for your host (I agree with you about those American and British expats living in a France and not learning a word of French. They should learn enough French to be mannerly, as Jerry so well put it. It just shows respect for their host country. They don’t have to become experts at it, but just learn enough to get by).

And yeah, if I had to live in Peru for some reason (that would be a bit of a let down, now wouldn’t it?), I would surely learn Spanish. I`d do it out of respect for the country and its people and to help me blend in as must as possible and not stand out like the lonely Gringo. And, speaking their language would make me warmly received. I`m sure of that. Plus, I doubt there are many who speak much English down there anyway.

I got really jumped on once on Italki for bringing this up about the Latino Spanish speakers, and many people used that lame excuse, “Well, these are poor people. Maybe they can`t afford it!” Excuse me, but I`m talking about people who own their own homes, shop in modern and nice Spanish-speaking stores, and spend plenty of money on things. Yes, they can afford a few language lessons. Besides, I think they`re even offered for free in some places. The Latino areas of LA are actually pretty nice for the most part. They are not slums by any measure.´