Faith is now quite uncertain. I'm no longer acting-as-if.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
"No Comment"
I awoke this morning to a History Channel "retread" documentary on New Guinea informing me that there are or were communities on that island where the men and women speak completely different languages. No comment.
Some years ago when I was teaching in East LA, one of my students told me that her father, who was white, did not speak any Spanish, and her mother, who was Mexican, spoke almost no English. At parent conference time, I discovered that this was in fact a pretty accurate description. And yet, the children (there were several) seemed happy and well-balanced, and the parents seemed to like each other.
It may just be that things work better when men and women speak different languages.
John, my thought is that men and women often speak a different language even if they speak the same language - if that makes any sense at all. I think of Grandpère and me. We often talk past each other, though we speak the same language.
My response to Lapin's email is that perhaps so far as truly communicating, it doesn't make much difference if we don't speak in the same tongue.
Some years ago when I was teaching in East LA, one of my students told me that her father, who was white, did not speak any Spanish, and her mother, who was Mexican, spoke almost no English. At parent conference time, I discovered that this was in fact a pretty accurate description. And yet, the children (there were several) seemed happy and well-balanced, and the parents seemed to like each other.
ReplyDeleteIt may just be that things work better when men and women speak different languages.
John, my thought is that men and women often speak a different language even if they speak the same language - if that makes any sense at all. I think of Grandpère and me. We often talk past each other, though we speak the same language.
ReplyDeleteMy response to Lapin's email is that perhaps so far as truly communicating, it doesn't make much difference if we don't speak in the same tongue.
"men and women often speak a different language even if they speak the same language" was what amused me about this.
ReplyDeleteFrom now on, I shall speak Nipon-go at home, and the Lovely Mona shall speak Pidgen.
ReplyDeletePadre, I expect that you'll both be the better for it.
ReplyDelete