Revisiting The Forgotten
Learning a language comes with occasional bouts of exhaustion and feelings of giving up, something I encountered too
What began as a casual exploration with Irish Gaelic later became a full-fledged journey into the world of languages, eventually converting me into a polyglot. So today, I will talk about my language learning experience, especially regarding the two that changed my life.
My Tryst With Hungarian
The above picture (meme) is a scene from the 2016 sci-fi blockbuster Arrival, which tells the story of a linguist trying to establish communication with aliens and know their purpose on Earth. The words written on the whiteboard aren’t in English. They are in Hungarian, which mean “Then, do you speak Hungarian? (Aztán, beszélsz-e magyarul?)”. So do aliens understand Hungarian? Of course not. The creator of the meme simply replaced the original words in English with Hungarian.
I’ve used the above image because the Hungarian language is (jokingly) associated with aliens. In fact, the famous Hungarian-born physicist Leo Szilard famously claimed (again jokingly) that aliens arrived on Earth aeons ago and disguised themselves as Hungarians.
I was completely unaware of this hilarious trivia when I first decided to learn Hungarian. Many people said (and do so even now) that the language is difficult to learn because of its complex grammatical structure. Some even went on to say that it will take a lifetime to master the language. Upon hearing these, I wanted to challenge myself and test the truth in such claims. So I enrolled myself in a Hungarian language program.
I must admit that the initial lessons were quite interesting and easy. I enjoyed them. But the deeper I went into the grammar, the initial fun used to decline. I gradually began to understand the warnings. Nevertheless, I carried on by embracing the challenge and dismissing all thoughts of giving up.
Beginning Of The Downfall
Having come this far, I continued learning. But then, things took an unexpected turn. In 2019, I landed a job as a writer in a media company. It was a moment of joy. But I had to pay the price of giving up my language studies. And that’s when my enthusiasm for Hungarian started to dip. Due to office work, I couldn’t find the time to study. I didn’t want to give up learning. But I also wanted to focus on my job. The confusion was tremendous.
The Resurgence
Enter 2020. The pandemic-induced new normal forced many people to work from home. I too was one of them. Despite its cons in the form of increased workload, one big advantage was that there was no commute. This meant more time. And with this time, people began to learn new skills. I returned to learning Hungarian on my own. Despite the gap of nearly a year of not revisiting the language, I was surprised that I still retained some of the language rules I had previously learned. Although I had forgotten some words, I got them back soon.
It’s 2021. A year has passed since I began re-learning Hungarian. I can proudly say that I have become more confident and patient with the entire learning process. Language learning is more like a marathon than a sprint. The endurance to hold on matters more instead of running fast to reach the end. I’ll take my time. And when life returns to normal, I hope to gain enough Hungarian to catch the flight to Hungary, visit the place and speak like a native.
EDIT: In 2022, the above dream came true. I got the opportunity to study the Hungarian language in Budapest.
Returning To Roots
Before I begin talking about the other language, I would like to say this:
“Kurukh kattha enghai raji ti hikke. Aen iddin maal modhron.” (“Kurukh language is from my native land. I will never forget it.”)
The sentence is written in the Kurukh language that is largely spoken by the indigenous people belonging to the eastern part of India. As a child, I never bothered to learn it. But now as an adult, I understand its importance. It is a vital part of my heritage and I want to preserve it for as long as I can — before it vanishes from this planet (I hope it doesn’t). Perhaps one day I’ll be confident enough to speak in my native tongue and contribute to its survival amongst my community, especially the younger generation.
Home-coming
With this motivation, I began learning Kurukh a few years ago. The good news was that I understood the language pretty well. The bad news was that I always fumbled when speaking it. I only had to improve my speaking skills. Just like Hungarian, I was deeply motivated to learn it. Thus, I began with the pronunciation of some basic words. The following months saw me learn a lot of words. I was also able to obtain a few online resources to understand the grammar. Things were going great.
Demotivated?
I wouldn’t call it demotivation. It’s just that creating sentences using the acquired words was challenging. What I thought to be logical in my head came out as gibberish from my mouth. No one spoke Kurukh fluently in my friend circle. I could have practised with my parents, who spoke fluent Kurukh. But I had planned of surprising them later with my skills. With no help in sight, I took a break hoping that I’ll get back to it afterwards.
Comeback
Months passed and I never returned to it. Until the 9th of August, 2021, when the spirit of celebrating the indigenous diversity fueled me to stay true to my vow of protecting my roots. Within a few days, I revisited my learning resources to relearn Kurukh. To make the learning more fun, I have now included short Kurukh movies that I can watch and practice. I plan to add few more such fun resources. I hope with this mindset, I will achieve my fluency goals very soon. Remember..if your motivation is strong, nothing can bring you down.
