How Do You Say?

Often I call one of my children over to me, but I end up going through all their names before I get to the right one. I also say things like, "Put it on the chair," when I mean to say, "Put it on the table." Some folks call this "Mommy brain," but others may say it's indicative of a short-circuit in the brain. Either way, it is what it is.

And why is it that I can remember exactly what my husband said to me years ago in a random conversation, but I cannot remember how to say "How are you?" in Farsi/Persian, the language of Iran. Why is it that I can only utter a few phrases in my parents' language of Urdu? I asked my linguistic teacher in college why it was that I had such a hard time with my "Mother Tongue," after all, isn't my parents' language naturally "in my blood"? He laughed and said, there's no such thing as Mother Tongue! Language is a linguist construct, not a matter of blood flowing through your veins.

I studied Latin in college and passed well enough with a B, but still had a difficult time tutoring others in Latin when they asked me for some 'tips and tricks' to memorize the words. Still, my mastery of the English language is really great. I can write and read and interpret it just fine. So what's the deal? Am I just lazy and stupid and incompetent when it comes to learning other languages? I don't know for sure, but all my life, plenty of people, friends and family included enjoyed joking about how it's not just one, but all, of those reasons. As did those humble braggers whose children are bi-lingual.

I know I can depend on my husband to navigate the perils of a new language when I get to Iran. He's already taking in depth Farsi courses. However, I have no ambition to learn Farsi except for a few helpful phrases.

I'm nervous and mentally preparing myself for those questions that people will ask me: "Did you learn Farsi yet? Why not? You should. You've lived there for that long and still can't speak it? HaHa!"

And since my husband will learn Farsi, do you think he'll be able to teach our children? I would like that. I'd hope so. Is it that easy? Well, ask him instead of me. And ask him in Farsi while you're at it.

Here's your first lesson: