Indeed, learning a new language is always challenging. Yet it is greatly rewarding. Each time I start understanding bits and pieces of a new language, it is as if a door cracks open, allowing me to access a completely new and fresh world. The harder the language, the greater the reward feeling. So imagine learning Chinese! I remember how ecstatic I was after my first "real conversation" (not in class) in Chinese (about pop-corn!) Or when I deciphered my first line of Chinese ideograms. In Portuguese the language barrier is certainly less arduous to climb, since the challenge remains in the domain of latin-rooted languages. It means that these shared roots enable a lot of guessing and interpretation. Despite this element of , it is as rewarding. this newly acquired skill allowing me to a entire new level of cultural understanding. Indeed, learning a language is not just putting new vocabulary together. It might be learning to communicate with new words combinations, new accents and new tones. But it is furthermore about the way ideas are expressed, how emotions are conveyed, how cultural elements very unique to the context are introduced and embraced by the local speakers.
A language is a direct reflection of a culture. The inuit language has been used as an example of this, as they would have more words or expressions than us to define what we call snow. The total number of these words might be argued by scholars, yet a significant point is made by this reference. As a specific culture uses several words to describe something important to them, a limited vocabulary would reflect a significantly different perception by people of another culture. Here the inuit language indicates the special relationship of these people with their winter environment. Consequently one could argue that a language imposes a particular view of the world, as it limits or expands the speaker understanding of it. It is probably why, as a learner I find it always interesting to find elements that are very different (or very similar) to the other languages I know.
And then I always have pleasure in discovering the colorful expressions of a new language; these expressions that, if taken word for words, might not make any sense. In English, falling in love could be one. French and Chinese are languages constantly using some. In Portuguese I recently learned "é um abacaxi" - literally "it is a pineapple", to describe a situation that is complicated or difficult.
If our common latin roots help, there is room for serious confusion between the languages I know. Take this: in French I drink my tea in a tasse and my coffee also, except that I might prefer using une tasse à café (ou à expresso), which is smaller. I sip my wine in a coupe, and my water in a verre. In English, I drink my tea in a mug, my coffee in a cup, my wine in a (wine) glass and my water also. In Portuguese, I drink my tea in a caneca, my coffee in xicara, my wine in a tassa, my water in a copa. Or more simply: tasse = mug = caneca, but tasse = cup = xicara, or also coupe = glass = tassa or maybe verre = glass = copa. But a copa is not a cup neither a coupe, and a tasse is not a tassa... Are you still following?
Portuguese also holds many "faux amis", these expressions that sounds the same as a French word (or sometimes an English one), yet their meaning being very different (and sometimes just the opposite). For example, I visualize a balcony when I hear "balcão", pronounced exactly like the French balcon (balcony), but instead I am standing in front of a counter - the kitchen one or the customer service one.
And to hinder the learning of Portuguese, like French, verbs are a little tricky. I need to memorize the verbs, the times, the verbs' declensions. Furthermore, there are a few times of verbs that do not exist neither in French nor in English. It would certainly be interesting to understand the reasons behind this, or to analyze a little more its linguistic implications. Yet I ought to make an effort in improving my conjugations if I ever want to master better the language. I still have a lot to do.
