Which country am I talking about? Spain, France, Germany, the UK?
Well, all four of them, in fact.
Let's take a look:
[Map courtesy of Wikipedia]
USA v UK
They say that the USA and the UK are two countries divided by the same language. To some extent that’s true, particularly when it comes to vocabulary, eg hood v bonnet; trunk v boot; john v toilet. But we get by.
Americans from different parts of that huge country sometimes also have problems understanding each other.
[Image courtesy of X]
UK
Other countries have accents too.
In the UK, Glaswegians are incomprehensible to all but other Glaswegians!
Southerners have difficulties with Scouse (Liverpool) and Geordie (Newcastle-upon-Tyne).
When we were students back in the 1970s my pal Mel from Belfast spent some time with me and my family in Devon. He didn’t understand a word all week!
On top of that the revival in interest in Celtic languages, like Scots Gaelic, Welsh and Manx (Isle of Man), means that there are areas of Scotland and Wales where the language of instruction in schools is their version of Celtic.
[Map courtesy of SB Language Maps]
Spain
No Spaniard understands an andaluz.
Because there has been a revival of several regional languages, that can also be a problem.
Many catalanes refuse to speak castellano to Spaniards from elsewhere.
The Basque language euskera is incomprehensible to a Spanish-speaker.
Other approved regional languages such as gallego, asturiano, valenciano and balear (both dialects of catalán) are also anathema to Castilian-speakers.
[Linguistic map of Spain courtesy of Maps Spain]
Germany
In the third-largest western European country (after France and Spain) I defy a speaker of Hochdeutsch from Hanover to understand an inhabitant of Baden-Württemberg, where Badisch and Schwäbisch rule the roost.
The accent in Bavaria is also demanding, but if you cross the border into Austria or Switzerland, you will have even bigger problems.
Swiss German is generally not understood by Germans.
Austrian German also presents some challenges.
[Map courtesy of Instagram]
France
The biggest and most populous western European country also has regional accents, as you would expect.
In Brittany the locals speak a form of Gaelic, which has nothing in common with French.
Southern French (spoken in le midi) is markedly different to Parisan French.
In Alsace, German is still spoken by older inhabitants, as this region has switched back and forth between France and Germany throughout history. It switched back to France after the Second World War.
The area known as the Languedoc, has a very strong accent, la langue d’Oc.
[Regional dialects/languages of France: Wikipedia]
A personal view
A language is for communication at a higher level than our nearest animal cousins, gorillas, are able to manage.
If the language/accent varies a bit from region to region, that’s logical, but we should be able to overcome that.
I studied Spanish and German to Honours degree level. I was a languages teacher for 15 years. After that I was a local authority languages adviser and OFSTED inspector.
When I moved to Spain, to Andalucia, I wondered what I’d let myself in for, since andaluz bears little resemblance to the castellano I had learned.
When I visit Germany with my German wife, we invariably go to Baden-Württemberg, where both Badisch and Schwäbisch are totally different to the Hochdeutsch I had learned.
[Photo courtesy of The Guardian]
16 years on and I have gotten used to both andaluz and Schwäbisch, although Swiss German remains a mystery.
Conclusion
I cannot str
ess how important it is make the effort to learn some of the language of the country you emigrate to. The quality of your life will only be enhanced.
And, in terms of travel, because I speak fluently the languages of the two greatest colonial nations, namely England and Spain, that gives me access to most of the world. German helps a lot in Eastern Europe and French is still spoken around the world.
[Image courtesy of News-Medical]
I don’t speak Russian, Korean nor Chinese, but as I don’t plan to go to any of those countries, I should be alright linguistically.
© don Pablo
Images:
Instagram, Maps Spain, News-Medical, SB Language Maps, The Guardian, Wikipedia, X
Acknowledgements:
don Pablo, Instituto Cervantes, Paul Whitelock, "Spanish Matters"
Tags:
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