In order to prepare to go to India I am learning Tamil. It is the language that is spoken in the region of Tamil Nadu and is of Dravidian origin. I am quickly finding that Tamil is nothing like anything I have ever learned before. I have taken many language classes for romantic languages; however, romantic languages tend to have more similarites to English, which make them easier to learn and understand. I know that I will not be able to become anywhere near fluent before going to India; however, I think that it's important to at least become acquainted with the language before going to live in another country.
Language is a very interesting method of communication. There are 2 basic types of communication: Verbal and Non-Verbal. So when learning with Tamil there is so much more than grammar. Language encompasses humor, slang, culture, social context, etc. etc. Even within the English language, two native speakers can easily misunderstand each other. I just recently had an experience where I was speaking to a friend who was not a member of the LDS church. I was explaining how I love to travel and how I was going to India. She then said, "Yeah, it seems like you are a very worldly person." By that statement she meant to say that I was someone who enjoyed learning about the world and gaining more experience. However, with my LDS heritage I immediately took it as something negative (generally the word "worldly" has a bad connotation in LDS culture) and then I realized that she meant it in a different way. Even though we are both from the same home town and are around the same age, there was still a language difference. If this type of miscommunication can happen so easily in my own culture and language, I can only imagine the experiences I will have in India!
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