I had an ambition to learn the Yapese language. Even though most of the Yapese spoke some English, I felt that to show respect for them and their culture, I should learn their language. So I immediately set out to get a grip on their dialect.
Problem was, the only books available in Yapese were a Catholic Bible and a small children’s reader. I got to it and started practicing. It became an obsession for me and was probably the cause of some angst with the other elders (not everyone was enamored with the idea of learning Yapese). I set up language lessons with Ken, a Church member who was involved in translation projects for the Church. During language lessons, I had some fun experiences and got to meet some great folks.
It is customary for a person approaching a Yapese home to be polite and call out their presence before entering the area around the hut. Most huts were positioned with an outside cook area nearby along with a table and other living accoutrements nestled around. Pita and I would sit at Ken’s table and go through my lessons. I found Yapese to be tough to learn due to having to reorder my grammar and word usage. I did find, however, that one can gain great insight into a culture simply by learning the language.
For one visit, I had been given the assignment by Ken of announcing our presence in Yapese before being invited into the living area. Standing on the trail, I called out in a loud voice just like I was supposed to and introduced our visit. I did just fine except when I said “Ga’maed re u roi,” meaning ‘we are here,’ I said, “u ra” which changed the phrase to a vulgar expletive. I am sure everyone in the village heard my screw-up and probably wondered who was loudly cursing in that weird American accent.
Everyone makes those mistakes learning a new language! Ken’s wife laughed and laughed thinking I was hilarious. I was glad I could brighten her day.
Problem was, the only books available in Yapese were a Catholic Bible and a small children’s reader. I got to it and started practicing. It became an obsession for me and was probably the cause of some angst with the other elders (not everyone was enamored with the idea of learning Yapese). I set up language lessons with Ken, a Church member who was involved in translation projects for the Church. During language lessons, I had some fun experiences and got to meet some great folks.
It is customary for a person approaching a Yapese home to be polite and call out their presence before entering the area around the hut. Most huts were positioned with an outside cook area nearby along with a table and other living accoutrements nestled around. Pita and I would sit at Ken’s table and go through my lessons. I found Yapese to be tough to learn due to having to reorder my grammar and word usage. I did find, however, that one can gain great insight into a culture simply by learning the language.
For one visit, I had been given the assignment by Ken of announcing our presence in Yapese before being invited into the living area. Standing on the trail, I called out in a loud voice just like I was supposed to and introduced our visit. I did just fine except when I said “Ga’maed re u roi,” meaning ‘we are here,’ I said, “u ra” which changed the phrase to a vulgar expletive. I am sure everyone in the village heard my screw-up and probably wondered who was loudly cursing in that weird American accent.
Everyone makes those mistakes learning a new language! Ken’s wife laughed and laughed thinking I was hilarious. I was glad I could brighten her day.
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