As a British person (on paper at least), I am tremendously fascinated by the country’s general inertia towards language learning. The British Isles have long been dominated by linguistic diversity. However, since the international significance of English has been exponentially increasing, many native languages in Britain such as Cornish and Manx gradually die out. Frantic preservation efforts are welcomed, but are nonetheless less effective than predicted. We as native English speakers, in fact, do not have any ‘automatic right’ to wallow in our monolingual willow. Learning a new language makes us more culturally aware. There are also studies suggesting cognitive benefits resultant from second language acquisition.
Things don’t have to be this way. Imagine escaping from all the awkward tourist traps when you’re visiting Portugal. Imagine heading to the mystical Alberobello in Italy without using Google Translate. Imagine being treated like an absolute king, lavished upon you discounts and freebies because you’ve demonstrated your appreciation towards local culture by communicating with artisan souvenir-makers and street artists in their native tongue. The road to multilingualism is very tough, but every step of the way is worth it!
Alright, but where should we start? I often tell my students that reading is the only way to understand a language. Sure, you can learn so much from chit-chatting with your chums (like Miffy, Billy and Bella – a bit of cheeky satire) and watching YouTube videos, but these can only take you so far. Reading enriches the mind. Reading proffers us a fertile field upon which we can perform detailed, multi-aspect analyses, principally with regard to, but not limited to: language, organisation, and tone. Reading allows us to compare and contrast the language features employed in different occasions which are instrumental in fulfilling its pre-conceived aims. For instance, the phrase ‘innit’ is often used in casual conversation for emphasis. However, it is a contraction of ‘isn’t it’, which is in itself a contraction. This further decreases the formality of one’s speech, hence elevating the overall friendliness of one’s tone. Other literary techniques, such as the juxtaposition of normal and shortened sentences, as well as parallel structure, are also fundamental in modifying the tone of one’s speech.
Setting up a multilingual library sounds difficult, but it doesn’t have to be this way. I have been bilingual since birth, yet I’ve wasted the first few years of my life comfortably reading English books only. Then, as other languages zealously join the little language family perched in my stuffy mind, I started looking for ways to organise my physical, personal library. I reread English classics in my target languages, highlighting words I do not recognise instantly. I purchase multiple language versions of the same book, often witnessing the full splendour and glory of its original form – written in the language the author has chosen. Of course, there are issues that sometimes even money cannot resolve. Portuguese books, for example, are a headache for the average London-based reader. For learners of Brazilian Portuguese, it is inevitable that we consume at least some form of Brazilian mass media, e.g. radio songs, and TV series. Books are notoriously expensive, especially when purchased in the UK since you would also need to pay for any associated shipping costs. Generally speaking, European Portuguese books are a tad cheaper (though the situation might have changed owing to Brexit). However, be prepared for a more complicated set of grammar rules. The gap between oral and written Portuguese (regardless of variant) can be likened to a colossal canyon when compared to English.
Reading is a personal experience. Reading the same book in different languages gives you different vibes. I was back in New York when I first feasted on The Godfather in English. It is a phenomenal work of art. Whenever I pick up that book, it is as if I returned to the eerie, quiet streets in the Bronx, with that throbbing premonition rattling sinisterly in your head. Years later, I bought the one and only Italian copy (that I have ever encountered physically) of The Godfather (Il Padrino) in Firenze. It reminds me of the fresh Italian breeze that tenderly caresses my racing heart as I stand tiptoe on the melodic, undulating hills of Tuscany, savouring the fruity odours that emanate from the neat vegetation that sprawls, in a manner intended by nature, messily across the ray-tinted edges of the horizon.
Trust me – your languages are like family to you. Even when you haven’t spoken them for a really long time, (and your fluency naturally deteriorates), your love for them remains. The most effective way of honouring this ever-lasting emotional bond is to construct a multilingual library.
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