My last trip abroad was to The Gambia, where Wikipedia says the official language is English; the same source says that in 2014, President Yahya Jammeh announced that the Gambia would drop English as the official language because it is a “colonial relic”. There are 6 main languages spoken in Gambia, they are English, Malinke, Fulani, Wolof, Dyola, and Sonike.
The majority of Gambians I met personally (regardless of religion) communicated in fluent Arabic or Fulani. Those who know me know I like to immerse myself in the culture and I try really hard not to be too touristy. Everywhere I visited I took public transportation and pretty soon I was greeting my fellow commuters with the customary “As-salamu alaykum” which means “Peace be upon you”.
In a sharp contrast were all the young men who fish and hangout at the Senegambia Beach in Serekunda rocked dreadlocks and spoke patois like they were born in Kingston, Jamaica. It was hard to resist the urge to speak the faux patois with them. Back home when I come across an Igbo trader I usually start asking for what I want in Ibo; so “Do you have honey?” becomes “Mmanụ aṅụ odiya?”.
Sadly my Yoruba is only passible and my Kalabari is limited to greetings. I‘ve picked up all kinds of greetings over the years- I can say ‘Hello’ in Twi, Swahili, Zulu, Mandarin, French but little else.
It’s not so hard to fake it when everyone kind of looks like you but if I woke up in Russia tomorrow and no one spoke English I would be in serious trouble. Outside of the academic pursuits I think learning other languages is a good thing. “Communication builds bridges” – Travel Man (Just Now) 😉
I love languages and sometimes wish I had been born polyglot, or if the movie ‘Limitless’ was real I’d take the fictitious drug NZT and speak Mandarin, French, Russian etc. like the movie’s protagonist. Unfortunately I am left to struggle with guide books and tapes like “Mandarin made easy” or “French in 2 Weeks”.
I am working on it though; believe me when I go to China someday soon I will ask for the loo all by myself in fluent Mandarin. People tend to appreciate or respect you more if you take time to learn their mother tongue. I know what I would ask the language fairy for if I saw her; mastery of Spanish, Mandarin, Farsi, Hindu, Portuguese, Latin, Dutch and French. There are so many people from really beautiful countries who speak those languages and I would love to interact with them directly.
If you could learn to speak three additional languages today what would they be? And what’s stopping you?
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