Languageisms 1

Learning a foreign language is a great way to learn more about your own language. The grammar of your own language becomes more visible as you compare and contrast it against the grammar of the language that you are learning.

This approach also works well when communicating with people from other cultures. You don't need to learn the other language, but learn an overview of their language. For example, the French place adjectives after the noun they modify, while English does the opposite: they place the adjective before the noun it modifies.

Confusion arises between speakers of different languages when either the grammar is different (previous example) or when a grammatical construct does not exist in one of the languages. For example, when I teach English as a Second Language, the present continuous tense is often and commonly misused.

What is the present continuous tense? The present continuous tense describes action that is happening now, ongoing action. Here are some examples:

• I am eating.
• You are drinking coffee.
• They are studying.

Not all languages have a present continuous tense. They use the simple present tense and the difference in meaning is determined through context.

• I eat.
• You drink coffee.
• They study.

Languages and cultural communication are interesting. At times it can be frustrating. Keep in mind that communication is not always simple. The misunderstandings are not your fault and are not their fault. It is just the differences between the two languages.