just a quick note to let you guys in on a very practical prayer request: LANGUAGE LEARNING...NOW!
since i will be working with students whose schooling is in english, i will not be going through any formal language training. i'm disappointed BUT i'm attempting to learn anyway. although the students are taught & tested in english, it's not their first-learned language. they speak the xhosa language. from what i've seen in the classroom, when a student is having a difficult time comprehending a concept, the teacher will explain in xhosa instead of english - it appears to just be what comes most naturally to them.
i've seen first-hand how much it means to them when you put forth the effort to speak in their heart language. even if your pronunciation is terrible, their eyes light up as you attempt to communicate with them in xhosa. i spent 5 years studying french and i cannot imagine someone coming in and trying to communicate the gospel with me in that language!!
all that being said, now that i am finished with grad school i am attempting to spend an hour a day on language. to my knowledge, there are no printed resources for xhosa in the US...and the South African resources cannot be ordered from out of country.
SO...i am referring to a website that posts daily phrases with audio recordings. i've made an excel sheet & notecards on which i break down the phrases and pronunciations as well as the translations. it's proving to be QUITE the challenge...for several reasons!
1. xhosa is both a tonal and a clicking language.
-tonal - the same letters can have different meanings when said with different intonations, not noted in written form. (much like chinese...or so i've heard)
-clicking - there are 3 consonants (c, x, q) that require the speaker to, well...click
2. as if this wasn't difficult enough (get ready to laugh), many of you know i have permanent nerve damage in my mouth from oral surgery in 2005, so the clicking is even more challenging than it would be for the average american dummy.
want to hear a little of the language? here's the site i'm using! you should try it for a good laugh!
i'm getting more & more excited with each passing day! 37 more days until training officially starts!! thanks for all the support & prayer! :)
2 comments:
I just listened to the one from Dec 12! Sounds like fun but can be challenging at the same time!! :) You can do it though Boo!! :) Jo-Ya
ok. tomorrow begins your two years. i hope when you have time you will be able to blog about your time during training and what the Lord is teaching you. HE sure has taken to on a journey to get to this point and can't wait to see what is going to happen as... "the journey continues"!
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