I have recently taken on the study of Japanese. From the research I have done apparently I have decided to study one of the most difficult languages currently spoken.

Why am I doing this? Well here is the thing-words have power. More importantly, language is how we shape reality. 

As a father, writer and martial artist I realize the power of the spoken word. Think about this for a moment. Using a prearranged set of sounds and symbols (like I am doing now in this post) we can convey abstract thoughts, images, feelings and ideas. This is powerful, transformational and we take it for granted. Imagine your life without language. Not without the ability to speak, but without language in any of its forms written or spoken. Its almost impossible to think of, but this is how we begin our lives-without a formal language. Then through immersion, usually our parents speaking to us, we begin to acquire language. Things begin having names, classifications and meanings. Once we learn to read it accelerates exponentially.

I have been able to observe this firsthand with my own children. My six year old has begun to devour books. Everywhere we go she reads. Signs, newspapers any and every word she encounters she reads them to me. Words that I usually take for granted hold a mystery to her, its a brand new world she discovers each and every time. When I sit and read a book with her, I can see I am creating the reality of the book we are reading. She looks on beside me and occasionally will read a word before I get to it. I see that she is expanding her reality. Her experience of the world around her through language is changing.

My three year old is acquiring new words every day. She very often uses words that blindside me in a wonderful way. Yesterday she told me  that “Actually she would not like to be carried, but would like to do it herself.”  When I asked her do you prefer to walk she said, “Yes I prefer it , thank you.” I took a moment to shake my head because this is my THREE year old.  Her use of sentence structure completely surprised and surprises me  daily. I asked her if she knew what actually  and prefer meant. She didn’t know how to define actually, even though she used it in the correct context. However she said that prefer is what she wants.  I don’t know where she acquired these words and my only conclusion is that she learned them through immersion and hearing the words used repeatedly. Its one of the best ways to learn a language and if you remember, its how you learned your first language.

I am fluent in English, Italian, very little French and Spanish which is my cultural tongue, something I am thankful to my mother for. It was the language spoken at home and I realized I have been remiss about sharing this language with my children. We speak English at home, because its easier, but if language is the tool to shape reality, speaking more than one allows you to slip into several realities, several worlds. If language shapes your world, learning more than one makes that world immense and diverse. So now I am taking on speaking to the kids in Spanish. This produces many moments of blank stares and confused expressions as I ask them to do mundane things like get your coat or put on your shoes. It also produces many moments of fun as they try to guess what I’m saying and repeat the words, mangling them deliciously in the process. Its only a matter of time before they start asking how to say something in Spanish.

I  get to experience this same confusion in my Japanese classes, and many times I wonder what the hell I’m doing trying to learn a language at this point in my life. Then I remember how good it is for my brain. How it keeps me sharp and challenges my thinking process. How trying to form ideas in a language you are not fluent in forces you to shift perspectives, to slow down-at least at first.

Its challenging and rewarding. Occasionally I view it as code-breaking and that concept seems to work for my method of learning. I want to encourage you to try it . If you don’t know a second language try one. Ideally I would suggest one of the romance languages ( Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian) only because they have Latin as their root and it makes it easier to study and learn them since we are exposed to Latin on a daily basis. If you have children, really consider having them learn a second or third language. Better yet study it with them. If you are second generation from a different culture, like I am, then learn the language of your culture and share it with them. You will be opening up a new world for them and it will only help them as they become adults. Trust me, they will thank you.

I’m doing this with Living Language which is one of the better programs out there, but I have also gone and taken classes with an instructor. I suggest both methods if possible. Also my older sons love watching anime so now I get to watch anime in Japanese with subtitles and use it to get my listening accustomed to the spoken language. Not that I really needed an excuse, but its good to have one now.

I really enjoy hearing from you. What languages do you speak or wish to speak? Lets share some ideas. Leave me a comment and I would really appreciate it if you took a moment and subscribed to the nascent novel newsletter. I look forward to hearing from you.