Words
By Margaret Winstead
These past few months I have been taking Amharic lessons. My zeal and eagerness to learn and to be in a classroom again gave a thrill to this new challenge. It also brought back the fun of going to class to learn something that you are excited to learn. It's like in college when you finally get to the class in your major that you love. I have always enjoyed school. Yes, I actually liked it. I liked the definitive expectations and striving to meet those expectations. Well, learning a new language while being over the hill for more than a few years presents a few challenges and hills of its own. I realized my brain does not seem to retain as much information as it once did. Maybe it is already full??? Amharic has a different alphabet, so I cannot read the words yet and try to sound them out like in French or Spanish. The teaching method is one where the teacher will say the words, and I look and point to the picture. I do not repeat or write down the word. The idea is that children learn language from seeing things and hearing it spoken to them. The problem is that I am an adult and apparently like to learn visually and like to make notes. It is so frustrating not seeing the word that I am supposed to remember. I feel like I am trying to learn something with one hand tied behind my back.
On my first day, I entered the building and met my wonderful teacher where she guided me to this tiny room with one desk and one window. The width of the room is a little bigger than the desk and the length about double the desk. She greets me in Amharic. I smile and understand about one-half of what she says. In Ethiopia, greetings are very important. It shows respect but the greetings are quite long and there are many many options. There is a greeting for the morning, afternoon, and evening. There are male and female versions. I am still trying to keep them straight. After 2 months, I can now greet her very slowly and understand what she says to me when she greets me. This has been so hard and after three hours of class twice a week, it really has given me some compassion for my children in school all day. Needless to say, my fervor for learning has waned as I am realizing how much it will actually require for me to learn this language. And when I am out shopping I will use an Amharic greeting and receive this very strange look in return. It seems to say that it does not sound like English or Amharic, and they look confused and will just reply in English. Hence, my discouragement. Those that are closer to me are very patient and kind as I try to say a word with sounds that I cannot make.
The other day during my Amharic lesson I heard one word I understood in my teacher’s question and then proceeded to answer the completely wrong answer. I thought she was asking how many rooms are in my house. She was asking what job my husband had. Oh the importance of knowing the correct words!! I completely misunderstood her and gave her the wrong answer. As I am studying this language and realizing the importance of knowing the correct word, the women's bible study is studying James. And chapter 3 especially convinces us that our tongue has the potential to set a forest fire ablaze and that it can be the source of pure evil.
I have to carefully choose the words I say because they have to be words that I know. My options are very limited for now. My conversations are limited to numbers, verbs in the command form only, and mostly fruits and vegetables and colors. Oh, how different it would be if I took that much time to carefully choose my English words with my children or with my friends. As I stumble and stutter to try to say words that communicate clearly, I am remembering God’s Word that tells me to be slow to speak and quick to listen. I have to do both in my Amharic lessons. God is teaching me so much more than just a new language. God’s spoken word created ALL things. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” John calls Jesus the Word of God. How powerful are his Words!! Words to create, words to heal, words to save, words to give life and hope and peace!! God has given us His Word in the Bible and in His Son. What an amazing gift that we have to steward well. Studying a new language creates humility in me to carefully choose my words...in Amharic and English because of the word.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14