Instead, Use Language as a Tasty Meal to Savor
Instead, Use Language as a Tasty Meal to Savor
Understanding verbal communication as a tasty meal might change your perspective about learning a foreign language
What if we viewed language as a meal that we eat over a plate of something delicious? Surrounded around friends and family that take verbal communication into the delicious veggies, carbs, and spices they use to add variety to their life.
As a second-generation Hispanic American, I learned Spanish as my second language at home. I adopted the customs of my parents by learning national dishes native to Puerto Rico and Colombia. A plate of rice, chicken, and beans with a side of warm coffee in the morning or evening is a very friendly incentive motive to start a conversational thread around the table.
Later through mission trips abroad, I assimilated culture through interaction with the locals of Costa Rica who taught me around the tables their national dishes including Gallo Pinto, Casado, and homemade milkshakes that would refresh you in an intimate family-friendly conversational space.
I learned that in much of Latin America, including in Central and South America that Spanish is the predominant language spoken. However, a large land mass is taken up by Beautiful Brazil whose Samba and cuisine bring festive curiosity into the hearts of many Hispanophones who are willing to explore and adopt Portuguese as a second or third language.
I have to admit that the older generations including Baby Boomers aren’t willing to assimilate Portuguese into their language palette but younger generations including millennials, Gen X, Z, and below are thirsty to add this language into their verbal tool kit.
So, I said to myself. Why not? I already taught myself, French. Why not include a fourth language that is loved by the rest of Latin America? I feel it would be useful to take up as I want to travel to Europe one day. Portugal has lots of beautiful beaches, caves, and landmarks that attract lots of U.S. ex-pats, Brazilians, and Francophones alike.
I feel that Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, so I find it easier to pick up than say other non-latin-based languages. I would love to learn through conversational spaces that would allow me to pick up vocabulary naturally and find common ground through topics that I already love to talk about including art, photography, history, and news of the town through family and friends.
Youtube has lots of great resources to help you pick up languages conversationally if you already have a basis of understanding in the same language family group like say a Romantic or Germanic language. Just like Spanish, Portuguese is very family oriented so it is a good idea to consider learning essential vocab that helps create a general inquiry about their loved ones over a warm meal. This is a great time to form relationships, build rapport, and form trust in your native language and it is all a natural way of doing you could form unforgettable memories.
I’m excited for adding this and some other new languages in the future into my language palette for meaningful friendships and conversations.