Hallo! Ich lerne Deutsch, aber meine Muttersprache ist Englisch.
Plug it into Google Translate.
Learning a new language is a mind-twisting yet entirely satisfying endeavor. Like the first time you shoot into the wind on a bicycle, successfully play that one song you’ve been practicing forever, or win a match in your favorite game, forming those first few sentences in German fills me with gratifying accomplishment. Yet, the road to German fluency hasn’t been paved without kinks, and this process of developing bilingualism has taught me two things.
Taking research results literally, studying a new language makes your brain bigger. This process stresses those bits of your brain involved in language learning; like ripping up muscles to make them bigger, developing fluency in a new language confounds your brain only to build it up stronger. And just like pushing through the burn of harsh exercise, you have to work up a neural sweat to acquire Spanish, French, German, and so on.
It’s not easy. Sometimes I feel like I will never get that fluent physique I’m looking for. However, some things don’t come naturally. Despite this, it’s instrumental to do them anyways.
Photo by Jonny Caspari
Speaking of things that aren’t natural, I’ve also come across peculiarities in German culture as I study their language. For example, I lived in a relatively large southern city for most of my life. Until I moved to my current residence in a college town, I had to drive to get to most destinations. However, in Germany (and many European countries), there are areas where cars are outright banned. Apparently, the U.S. is far more reliant on cars than Europe; 70 percent of Europeans make their short trips with bicycles, walking, or public transportation.
That aside, can we spare a moment to look at German cuisine? I mean this is astonishing; I almost want to hop on a plane for it right now.
This was my second lesson. The world is big, but my world is small. Like a stash of gold hidden from an oblivious adventurer, I’ve missed out on the wealth available outside of American culture. Learning German and every quirk and bit of culture that comes with it has been lovely.
Today’s recommendation, in line with our theme, is a German cooking show I’ve been watching to sharpen my listening comprehension, pronunciation, and overall fluency. If you’re trying to pick up some Deutsch, I recommend watching along. Guten Appetite!
(And of course, Duolingo is excellent for memorizing vocabulary if you need to build up a repertoire of words before delving into German media.)
QOTD: If you could instantly know any language, what would it be?
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