"Can you speak Japanese?"
This is the first question I'm asked, without fail, every time I inform someone of my ancestry. (My mother is Japanese and my father is German, hence my name: Mia, shortened from Mikayo, Leimkuhler.) Until now, I've always had to shrug and reply that no, sadly, I do not, and neither does my mom. My grandma has forgotten most of her Japanese and my grandpa uses it once a week when he calls his older sister, しげのさん, who lives in Japan and is pushing 100 years old. My family is a prime example of that fundamental truth of learning and retaining a language: use it or lose it.
I'm taking Japanese as a way to reconnect with that side of my ancestry, with my family. I've already started emailing my mother little words and phrases in ひらがな and she's thrilled to be able to wake up that part of her brain that recognizes the characters and remembers what the words mean. My next step will be to send my grandparents a postcard written entirely in ひらがな. It probably won't be too exciting or informative content-wise (I can tell them what my name is and where I'm from, which I'm guessing/hoping they know and remember), but I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see that I'm tackling the language that generations of なかむらs have spoken.
In less sentimental rationale, I'm taking Japanese because I love learning languages. After conquering Spanish in high school and French here at Columbia, I thought I'd take on something very distant, in terms of both geography and grammar, from the romance languages. It's certainly a challenge, but it's very rewarding. It makes me smile to think that I'll graduate this May with fluency in French, working recognition of spoken and written Spanish, and a basic understanding of Japanese.
ありがとうございます！
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ReplyDeleteミアさん、
ReplyDeleteI understand what it's like to be asked if you speak an Asian language. A lot of people don't realize that I'm adopted, so they automatically assume that I know Chinese or Japanese. Many people just assume that all Asian people speak Asian languages, which is frustrating and why I wanted to learn Japanese.
I also studied French when I was younger! My French is really bad though, and I mostly use it to write letters to my pen pal. It's really cool that you're going to graduate with so many languages, and it's been good getting to know you in class!
ケイリー ：）
こんにちは！I definitely agree that it can be very frustrating to have people assume you speak a language because you look the part, but at least in my case I can understand their presumption--half my family is Japanese, and I did grow up in the San Francisco Bay Area (which boasts a very strong Japanese community), so it does stand to argue that I would have had some level of exposure to the language. Do you speak any languages besides English (and Japanese)?
Deleteこんいちは！はい、ラテンごとこだいギリシャごとスペインごとドイツごとルシアンごとフランスごをわかります。でも、ラテンごとこだいギリシャごをはなしません。よみます。：）
Deleteこにちわミアさん！わたしもはんぶんにほんじんです。I enjoyed reading about your aspirations to explore your Japanese ancestry. I admire your quest in learning many languages and your diversity is very interesting. Good luck in all your pursuits.
ReplyDeleteこんにちは！Thank you for your encouragement!
Deleteにほんごのべんきょうするのがすきですね〜でもちょっとむずかしいね。
ReplyDelete頑張ります！
こんにちは！I strongly suspect your Japanese is at a much higher level than mine; I didn't quite catch all of your comment. You'll have to help me catch up! :)
Deleteはじめまして。ハンです。ノートルダムのだいがくのがくせいですどうぞよろしく。
ReplyDeleteWow, you have a lot of experience with languages! I have a similar reason for starting Japanese this year, as I am a quarter Japanese. My mom took Japanese in college, but has forgotten most of it. On the other hand, my grandma grew up in Japan and still has family over there that she visits every few years. She still speaks the language as she has made quite a few Japanese friends here in the U.S. I hope you are enjoying Japanese at Columbia like I am at Notre Dame!
こんにちは、エミリさん！Yes, it's really nice to be able to connect with that part of my heritage, and I imagine you find learning Japanese similarly satisfying. I am enjoying the learning process, but find certain aspects of the grammar to be very tricky compared to the romance languages I'm used to! かんじは とてもむずかしい ですね！
ReplyDelete