I am what is common referred to as a "speed reader." I have been known to sit down with a Jane Austen novel and finish it in a day. I always scored in the 99th percentile on my reading tests in school. But I gotta say, reading in a foreign language takes me down a few pegs. It took me about 45 minutes to get through chapter one of Harry Potter 2 in German and I felt pretty darned good about that.
This is an ongoing conversation between myself and my suitemate Megan - why do people learn a foreign language at the graduate level if not to speak it or read it? And if one must only read it, then why come to an intensive speaking-oriented program only to shun the 'Aussprache' - that is, why go to a speaking-based program only to speak correct German with a hideous American accent that makes you almost unintelligible. We're in week five now, and there is a discernable difference between the people who have made an effort to understand the phonetic syntax of German, the sounds of the language, not just how one reads and constructs a sentence. These people, I've noticed, have made considerable progress in sounding more authentic.
Now before my more conservative friends go off about sacrificing your identity and how if you're American you should talk like an American and so on and so forth, I just want to say that I'm not talking about language as an identity here. That's an issue for another time. I'm talking about the ability to communicate effectively and be understood. I'm talking about the ability to ask where the bathroom/kitchen/grocery store is and get a helpful answer. This is what I mean by authenticity.
Here's a fun little example:
Schön Nacht, ja? - one pronounces the 'ch' combination in Nacht with that fun German phlegm sound in the back of the throat.
Schön nackt, ja? - the 'ck' combination is just as it sounds in the American word 'snack'
But the difference here is that one says 'Pretty night, hm?' and the other one says 'Pretty naked, hm?' - I'd be really careful about which one I said to my professor, wouldn't you?
And that's all I have to say about diction for today.
3 comments:
I think there is a middle ground. I have a personal dislike for people who think phonetics are too important and aren't worried about actually using gramatically and stylistically correct phrases.
Also, one thing I have noticed in French is that if I am doing something work-related, my American accent diminishes, but if I am talking about myself or my feelings, it comes back. Either way I have always had a strong American accent, and I do think it is part of my identity; at the same time, I agree that the goal is communicating as effectively as possible.
Plus, you can have an "American" accent and still say things "right". I have more thoughts on this, but hey. My point is I agree with you, sort of.
I agree that there is a middle ground and that the middle ground should be effective communication. I'm not talking about sitting for hours at a time reforming someone's vowel structure. I'm talking about the difference between a noun and a verb and being able to understand someone. I admit, being a singer, I'm a little bit inclined towards the diction police, but I will take comprehension any day.
i think i just got your point. i'm slow like that.
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