Functionally Illiterate
March 16, 2005 at 4:04 PM
by Ashleigh
Today I had a conversation with my son's logopedie (speech therapist) from the council. It wasn't too bad as conversations go - she said she thought he was bilingual from birth and was surprised that he had learnt to speak Dutch only two years ago - but it left me feeling uncomfortable at my own inadequacy in the language. I can understand virtually everything as long as the person talks clearly and regularly without bursting into excited outbursts (which not too many Dutch do anyway), but I struggle to express myself in return. I can speak clearly and have my grammar mostly correct, but I feel as though I have volumes to say and I can only manage sentences. I wish I were as fluent in Dutch as I am in English.
Following this conversation I talked to the supermarket teller about my Dutch as she was saying that it had improved and I explained to her the pure isolation that comes with being in a country where your own language, though understood, is not the conversational language.
She looked dumbstruck - like she had never thought of it - and started looking at me in entirely a different way. I think a lot of people just don't realise what its like for us to come here and try to integrate into local society.
I can comment! Maybe it's a consolation to know children have a special language-sensibility till the age of 6. Then it becomes fast more difficult to learn a foreign language.I have a university degree in childrens education, so trust me on this.
March 21, 2005 4:12 PM