| I was at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals.The | | | | experience to everyone and much reflection on |
| flight attendant's greeting aboard German | | | | the experience I had, I decided to widen my |
| Airlines felt to me like a have-a-good-day | | | | languages-spoken zone. To my surprise, a |
| message or enjoy-the-flight customary | | | | handful of web sites are apparently offering |
| greeting. Unable to decode the language she | | | | online language courses (for free at that) on |
| was speaking that sounded so cryptic to me, I | | | | almost about every language being spoken by |
| just jumped into an assumption (logical I | | | | at least half of a country's population. I |
| hoped) that what her sounds meant were words | | | | took a German language course (as a natural |
| of goodwill, either have a good day or enjoy | | | | recourse to the trip I just had) through |
| the flight. "You're now just few hours from | | | | About 20 other language courses are also |
| the World Cup. It's our pleasure to bring you | | | | available in learnplus.com, most of which are |
| safely in Germany," she then translated after | | | | even free of charges.Through my online |
| the cryptic words. None of my guesses was | | | | language course, I learned that my most |
| right. I then saw the biggest hurdle right | | | | beloved *lingua franca* apparently had some |
| before my face. I should have really brought | | | | of its origin from the German language that I |
| the dictionary mom bought.I immediately | | | | regard as so cryptic. Moreover, the syntax, |
| spotted the arranged hotel ride as soon as I | | | | grammar of English, and German languages are |
| got out of the airport lobby. Checking out | | | | pretty much hinged on the similar rules and |
| went smooth and easy. I had my luggage at | | | | practices. The phonology is what seems to set |
| hand immediately and some quick passport and | | | | both languages' worlds apart and probably the |
| visa checking were all done in a jiffy. | | | | hardest to learn.I'm now starting to learn |
| Airport personnel made me feel at ease, we | | | | sentence construction and exerting much and |
| spoke a common language, my English. Their | | | | much effort learning the sounds (and pidgins) |
| mumblings still sounded cryptic or | | | | of my target language. offers very |
| "ambigramic" but the puzzling was way easier | | | | student-friendly beginner's modules and |
| than that of the flight attendant's totally | | | | readings. The course starts at the very basic |
| foreign language. Thanks to the holocaust | | | | levels of language learning prior to language |
| movies my dad watches every now and then, I | | | | acquisition. Most practical usages of common |
| was somehow accustomed and prepared for the | | | | phrases, words, and terms are the primary |
| German's morphology of my lingua franca. | | | | things I learned from the first module. The |
| Think and speak nasal to understand them and | | | | second one taught me the German alphabet and |
| for them to get what you're saying.On the way | | | | the basic sounds of the German language. |
| to the hotel, I sensed that the driver or | | | | Helpful exercises are also available for |
| rather the chauffeur ( the closest I can | | | | practical mastering especially of the |
| translate "driver" to a language other than | | | | pronunciation.After learning well enough how |
| mine) was mightily trying to extend warmth | | | | to speak at least conversational German, my |
| and hospitality. Sensitive enough, he | | | | next target language is French. I heard that |
| immediately recognized the | | | | it is harder to learn French than German, so |
| I-can't-quite-understand-you crumpled look on | | | | my plan to enroll in a French online language |
| my face and spoke in a more comprehensible | | | | course probably by next month will be just in |
| sound. In fairness, his English was excellent | | | | time for my Tour de France next summer. I |
| (relative to most natives during the flight | | | | imagine it to be more exciting experiencing |
| and in the airport). Der Chauffeur (my | | | | the beauty (and hopefully romance) of Paris |
| cahuffeur lacked Der, as he told me his | | | | if I can twist my tongue the French way. |
| professional title) gave me a little crash | | | | Traversing the mazes of the Louvre will |
| course on practical German words and lines I | | | | surely be more enriching for the non-art |
| can use to survive until my flight back home. | | | | aficionado in me if I can at least have an |
| Hello is "hallo", good morning is "Guten | | | | easier conversation with the tour guide by |
| Morgen," How much is this is "Wieviel kostet | | | | being able to at least converse decently more |
| das," hotel is (luckily) "hotel," bank is | | | | than a bonjour, si, and non. A friend |
| "das Bankhaus," and airport is "der | | | | recommended for French lessons, saying it's |
| Flughafen." I practiced to get their | | | | more practical than the French in After |
| pronunciations right until we reached das | | | | French, I might also take up Spanish, |
| hotel. Stressed by the language barrier, I | | | | Mandarin, and Nihonggo. And of course, I must |
| ended up succumbing to my das Beet (bed) in | | | | learn at least one of South Africa's 11 |
| my cozy, homey das Hotelzimmer (hotel room) | | | | official languages for the next World Cup. |
| in Ibis Berlin Adlershof.Couple of days | | | | Make it ten rather, English is given. |
| later, after much re-telling of my Berlin | | | | |