What is Literature?
What kind of stupid question is that?
This is why I do not like literature classes. I do like reading, and analyzing, and asking questions about texts. The problem is that sometimes people get a bit carried away with regards to asking questions. You are only supposed to ask them when you actually want an answer - and when you have something to gain from the answer.
Literature is just a word; and like every word, it has several meanings and shades of meaning. For instance, it is often thought of as 1) what pretentious old academics call their favorite books (or the books they want you to think are their favorites), but anyone who works with it in depth usually takes the broader definition of 2) any and all written art. A colloquial meaning, and the technical meaning. No need for a philosopher; this is a job for a linguist.
I do not care if "a book is the ax for the frozen sea inside us" (Kafka). I do not care if the goal of art is "to capture this world in such a way as to show how it is, but as though it had its source in human freedom" (Sartre). All I know is that I need books the way I need food, and that if I don't write, I will die. And that is enough of an answer for me.
Showing posts with label Languages. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Languages. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Scheisse! - Ich bin eine Ausländerin.
It is difficult to be a foreigner. If I have gained one useful thing from this whole experience, I will at least have a better understanding of non-native English speakers in America.
I am one of those people for whom looking stupid is one of the worst fates in the world. I am terribly self-conscious about my speaking when I am around real Germans. I know I screw up just about every ending, and that my vocabulary is not that great, and don't get me started on my accent. However, I take offense when people assume that because I am from America, I am at a certain level of German. That is to say, not able to pass the DSH 2 exam that allows me to study like a regular student at a German university. Which I have. Yes, I'm bragging; I think I deserve it.
I can write very well in German. I also read German books. The problem is, that doesn't show when you talk. People only judge your language proficiency by speech. Worse, mental capacity is often judged based on oratorial proficiency. So for instance, if you attempt to make a joke/pun/play on words/clever converstaion piece that worked last week, you might end up with a German kindly explaining a grammar rule to you.
I do not need the Germans to explain their language to me, considering that I am the one who has made a study of the grammar and rules and probably know the mechanics better than most native speakers. I need experience. I need to decipher the Hessian accent, and function in the back-and-forth of normal conversation. I need to get the courage to make mistakes in front of native speakers, and the reassurance that at least I am understood. If I need something explained, I will ask - and please explain in German. Do not immediately grope after the English translation. I am not some kind of linguistic invalid that needs to be coddled.
The point is: When confronted by a non-native speaker of your native language, handle yourself thus:
1) Ignore mistakes, unless you really cannot understand.
2) If I ask you what you mean, repeat what you said just a little bit slower and clearer. There are some things the classroom does not prepare one for. Like regional accents and normal conversation.
3) If I want a word clarified, look for synonyms or explanations in your language. Don't fall back on translation.
4) Assume that I know all the grammar theory already.
5) Tell me I speak well, or have a good accent, or something. Even if it's a lie. I like the reassurance. And I'm not going to believe you, even if you are telling the truth, so you may as well lie.
6) Do not patronize. I can think, you know. In fact, many people consider me smart. If you get over the fact that I am a non-native speaker and actually got to know me, you would find out that I have a whole lifetime of experiences, some of which might even be interesting. A foreigner is not a tabula rasa.
7) And remember: My English is better than yours.
Because I am handling a language that is not native to me, I lack the shading and inflection that comes naturally to you. That does not mean I lack emotion or opinion. Because I have a hard time expressing myself, that does not mean that there is nothing going on inside me. Seriously people - don't judge. This is a case of putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Personally, I think everyone needs to experience being a stupid foreigner (being a tourist doesn't count; you're already stupid) at least once in their life.
I am one of those people for whom looking stupid is one of the worst fates in the world. I am terribly self-conscious about my speaking when I am around real Germans. I know I screw up just about every ending, and that my vocabulary is not that great, and don't get me started on my accent. However, I take offense when people assume that because I am from America, I am at a certain level of German. That is to say, not able to pass the DSH 2 exam that allows me to study like a regular student at a German university. Which I have. Yes, I'm bragging; I think I deserve it.
I can write very well in German. I also read German books. The problem is, that doesn't show when you talk. People only judge your language proficiency by speech. Worse, mental capacity is often judged based on oratorial proficiency. So for instance, if you attempt to make a joke/pun/play on words/clever converstaion piece that worked last week, you might end up with a German kindly explaining a grammar rule to you.
I do not need the Germans to explain their language to me, considering that I am the one who has made a study of the grammar and rules and probably know the mechanics better than most native speakers. I need experience. I need to decipher the Hessian accent, and function in the back-and-forth of normal conversation. I need to get the courage to make mistakes in front of native speakers, and the reassurance that at least I am understood. If I need something explained, I will ask - and please explain in German. Do not immediately grope after the English translation. I am not some kind of linguistic invalid that needs to be coddled.
The point is: When confronted by a non-native speaker of your native language, handle yourself thus:
1) Ignore mistakes, unless you really cannot understand.
2) If I ask you what you mean, repeat what you said just a little bit slower and clearer. There are some things the classroom does not prepare one for. Like regional accents and normal conversation.
3) If I want a word clarified, look for synonyms or explanations in your language. Don't fall back on translation.
4) Assume that I know all the grammar theory already.
5) Tell me I speak well, or have a good accent, or something. Even if it's a lie. I like the reassurance. And I'm not going to believe you, even if you are telling the truth, so you may as well lie.
6) Do not patronize. I can think, you know. In fact, many people consider me smart. If you get over the fact that I am a non-native speaker and actually got to know me, you would find out that I have a whole lifetime of experiences, some of which might even be interesting. A foreigner is not a tabula rasa.
7) And remember: My English is better than yours.
Because I am handling a language that is not native to me, I lack the shading and inflection that comes naturally to you. That does not mean I lack emotion or opinion. Because I have a hard time expressing myself, that does not mean that there is nothing going on inside me. Seriously people - don't judge. This is a case of putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Personally, I think everyone needs to experience being a stupid foreigner (being a tourist doesn't count; you're already stupid) at least once in their life.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The German Cult
Those who have ever taken a German class will know exactly what I am talking about. For those who haven't, I will do my best to explain.
People who study German are a minority. Therefore, every time you get a large group of them together, there is an instant bond. It doesn't matter if you have anything in common outside of German, or if you have entirely conflicting personalities. There's still a sense of recognition, and a basic respect.
A German class will invariably come up with its own inside jokes. "Gebiesten," happened in my high school (I have the T-shirt to prove it), "Deutsches L" is a big one at my college, and "...oder?" seems to be the Steven's Point catchphrase.
Now here's what sucks about the study abroad program:
The students in my class come from all over the world: Taiwan, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, China, Sri Lanka, just to name a few. They are here in this language course in order to take this monster of a test (The DSH - Imagine the ACT/SAT in German without bubbles. I miss bubbles.) that they need in order to study at a German university - presumably to get a better education than they could in there homeland. The Americans, on the other hand, are in the language course because that is where our program puts us. We are here in Germany for fun, to experience German culture, and because we have sold our souls to ther German language. The other foreigners are merely selling their bodies and minds, and don't understand why we would learn this ridiculous language just for fun. Therefore, we are not meshing into a true German cult, and that saddens me.
It is true that learning German is difficult, but so is learning any other language. In fact, for native English-speakers, German is one of the easier languages to learn, being part of the same family. The myth that Spanish is easy is quickly dispelled by the multitude of irregular verb stems, some of which barely resemble the original verb.
It is also a commonly held opinion that German sounds ugly. Personally, I think it's sexy. No, really. It has a deeper tone and a soothing rhythm, compared to English. Spanish, Italian, French, just sound shrill and agitated. Although in my class, the woman from Hungary would get my vote for the coolest accent. It just sounds so sweet and musical.
For me, German is also a way to get in touch with my roots - I'm half German, as I may have mentioned. Many Midwesterners have German heritage, and it is not uncommon to meet ones who try to show off and say "I took two years of German in high school - but I don't remember any of it except Guten Tag and Scheisse." These are the ones who managed to escape the German cult before they signed their souls away - or rather, the souls who were not strong enough to make it all the way to the end. Or, you know, decided on a more practical path of study.
It is true that German is not a highly marketable skill. Yes, Germany is important in the business world, but most Germans speak English and have been learning it since grade school, which makes an American trying to learn German in college almost redundant. Almost all of the German cultists have a second "career" major, German fulfilling the university's ridiculous requirement of needing more than one field of study, or simply for pure enjoyment. That is another thing that sets us apart from the students of Spanish or Chinese or Computer Programming. We are not suffering through this in order to make a lot of money further down the road. We are here by choice, because to some degree, all of us have fallen in love with the German language.
And that is what sets us apart from the rest of the class.
Please note that I am using the word "cult" in a humorous and/or metaphorical sense. We do not sacrifice kittens at midnight. Though we are secretly plotting world domination.
That was also a joke. It wouldn't be a secret if I told.
People who study German are a minority. Therefore, every time you get a large group of them together, there is an instant bond. It doesn't matter if you have anything in common outside of German, or if you have entirely conflicting personalities. There's still a sense of recognition, and a basic respect.
A German class will invariably come up with its own inside jokes. "Gebiesten," happened in my high school (I have the T-shirt to prove it), "Deutsches L" is a big one at my college, and "...oder?" seems to be the Steven's Point catchphrase.
Now here's what sucks about the study abroad program:
The students in my class come from all over the world: Taiwan, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, China, Sri Lanka, just to name a few. They are here in this language course in order to take this monster of a test (The DSH - Imagine the ACT/SAT in German without bubbles. I miss bubbles.) that they need in order to study at a German university - presumably to get a better education than they could in there homeland. The Americans, on the other hand, are in the language course because that is where our program puts us. We are here in Germany for fun, to experience German culture, and because we have sold our souls to ther German language. The other foreigners are merely selling their bodies and minds, and don't understand why we would learn this ridiculous language just for fun. Therefore, we are not meshing into a true German cult, and that saddens me.
It is true that learning German is difficult, but so is learning any other language. In fact, for native English-speakers, German is one of the easier languages to learn, being part of the same family. The myth that Spanish is easy is quickly dispelled by the multitude of irregular verb stems, some of which barely resemble the original verb.
It is also a commonly held opinion that German sounds ugly. Personally, I think it's sexy. No, really. It has a deeper tone and a soothing rhythm, compared to English. Spanish, Italian, French, just sound shrill and agitated. Although in my class, the woman from Hungary would get my vote for the coolest accent. It just sounds so sweet and musical.
For me, German is also a way to get in touch with my roots - I'm half German, as I may have mentioned. Many Midwesterners have German heritage, and it is not uncommon to meet ones who try to show off and say "I took two years of German in high school - but I don't remember any of it except Guten Tag and Scheisse." These are the ones who managed to escape the German cult before they signed their souls away - or rather, the souls who were not strong enough to make it all the way to the end. Or, you know, decided on a more practical path of study.
It is true that German is not a highly marketable skill. Yes, Germany is important in the business world, but most Germans speak English and have been learning it since grade school, which makes an American trying to learn German in college almost redundant. Almost all of the German cultists have a second "career" major, German fulfilling the university's ridiculous requirement of needing more than one field of study, or simply for pure enjoyment. That is another thing that sets us apart from the students of Spanish or Chinese or Computer Programming. We are not suffering through this in order to make a lot of money further down the road. We are here by choice, because to some degree, all of us have fallen in love with the German language.
And that is what sets us apart from the rest of the class.
Please note that I am using the word "cult" in a humorous and/or metaphorical sense. We do not sacrifice kittens at midnight. Though we are secretly plotting world domination.
That was also a joke. It wouldn't be a secret if I told.
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