One Tone at a Time

Last week I had big, but quiet, event in Vietnam. I had my last Vietnamese language lesson. Em không học tiếng Việt nữa. That's "I don't study Vietnamese anymore" in Vietnamese. When I was asked by a Vietnamese colleague this morning how my Vietnamese lessons are going, in Vietnamese, I knew what he said and how to respond. Success! I did panic a bit at first and fumble for words because one of our consultants was standing there, mouth wide open, waiting for me to say something. I don't think he realized I knew a little Vietnamese, so when I understood what was asked of me, I think he was a little surprised. 


My colleagues know I'm studying and they usually say small things to me in Vietnamese a few times a day to test me. I'm pretty relaxed with them, but when others get in the mix, I get nervous. The tones are so important and I'm afraid of offending someone by calling them a horse instead of a mother, or worse! I have to remind myself that you can't get better without trying, and making a few mistakes along the way. Another Vietnamese colleague who studied in the US told me that he was never afraid of offending people and he loved speaking English with consultants in Vietnam and his friends and fellow students in Alabama. It was the only way he could really get better.


After studying Vietnamese for 1.5 years, I'm even more impressed with people who learn languages that are so different from their own, and especially of people who teach themselves! I've met so many Vietnamese who initially taught themselves how to speak English. I think Vietnamese is hard, but English isn't an easy language either with our many exceptions to hundreds of rules and words that sound the same but have different spellings. I'm sure many Americans who couldn't wrap their heads around grammar would agree! I'm amazed by the dedication, fearlessness, and persistence of these people, and it inspires me to keep using my Vietnamese and to work more on my Spanish skills.