Jonathan Kieran

A crumbling old farmhouse in the deep woods of Basque country. I could swing that, I think. My French is impeccable and the dialect is not outrageous (I’ve been there quite a lot).

Then there is Germany. Lower Saxony is my kind of place, for sure. And I have a bosom friend in that region. A joyful soul and best cook on earth, is she, and I don’t bestow compliments lightly when it comes to cuisine. I considered myself the best cook I ever knew and then tasted her fare and waved a white flag. Happily.

It’s good to be confident, but also handy to know when you are bested. That way you can step aside and be enthralled by someone else’s genius. I will say this: if a talented German woman has not cooked for you, you have not LIVED FULLY. Her potato salad will reveal every secret, though you will never be able to articulate the secret, and therein lies the magic,

In linguistic terms, my German is very good if I’m reading it … but needs serious work if I’m speaking.

The thing I learned is that you can’t “overdo” German the way English speakers often try. We often try to get too guttural or affected and create accents that are simply not part of the language, the words. Don’t adorn things that require no adornment. Speak naturally and add NOTHING extra to the words. German words don’t need extra help or assistance. Speak them as they are. One can even make reference to speaking musically, because—believe it or not—Deutsch is actually a musical tongue. (I know many people won’t believe that.)

Most people also do not believe that German is closer to English than any of the Latin/Romantic languages.

The biggest challenge with speaking German, for me, are the articles. But the thing is—they don’t SEEM to make sense in the same way that English articles do not SEEM to make sense.

But they do make sense.

French, Spanish, and Italian are easy to speak if you have the knack. German, however, is absolutely fascinating to read, when you get the hang of it. The most magnificently expressive language. It’s thrilling to read and understand German.

But I don’t believe there is a greater differential or chasm between being able to read a foreign language comprehensively and being able to speak it fluently than the challenge presented by the German tongue. That’s true at least in my experience of Western European continental languages.

But I am convinced that there is no more rewarding language, if one can master it.

(Plus, all the greatest scholars in scholarly scholarship are German. Oh yeah, they are.)

Pfffft. The United States is a complete shitshow at the moment. It’s genuinely depressing. Those with gifts of discernment can sense the stench of decay in the most refreshing breeze. Decades of build-up. I’ve never seen such apathy and cognitive dissonance and fraying at the edges. A massive nation unmoored and floating, bobbing in the waves, over here. Yes, there exists a “culture war” across the West, as we know it, but I am certain that the answer to this bowl-swirling dilemma is not to be found via extremism of any variety.

How about unity and structure? No?

Too late.

Take up a new language. You might need to use one sooner than you’d ever think.

Mandarin seems a likely choice … or whatever grunts are emitted by dystopian, post-apocalyptic zombie folk.

Thank heaven I live near a volcano.

Happy thoughts! 😄

————————

[ Delightful new work by Jonathan Kieran is slated for major release in the near future so brace yourselves and think of England. This stuff is built for speed. Stay tuned for more. Mr. Kieran is presently working feverishly to complete several works of masterful caliber. Therefore, social media engagement must remain secondary for a time … in favor of actual accomplishment. ] 

#USA #CultureWars #TheWest #Languages #German #RandomThoughts #AuthorJonathanKieran #JonathanKieran #WriterJonathanKieran #CaliforniaLife #OnTheEdge #NewNovel #JonathanKieranTheAuthor #JonathanKieranMusic #JonathanKieranArtist #Jericho #JonathanKieranJericho #JerichoAlbum #WritersOfInstagram #ArtistsOfInstagram #AuthorsOfInstagram #PopCulture #RandomCommentary