[Sca-cooks] globetrotting

[Elaine Koogler]

All of this reminds me of a gentle who approached me at my second...or was
it my third....event.  He noted my Japanese garb, walked up to me and
greeted me in Japanese.  I thanked him for his courtesy, but indicated that
I do not speak Japanese.  At this point, he proceeded to berate me for
having a Japanese persona and not being able to speak the language.  My
response was to ask him if he spoke Scots Gaelic (he was dressed in that
fashion).  He became rather huffy and stomped away.  I do not speak Japanese
as, when I was working on my M. A., I took Chinese in order to be able to
read period manuscripts from both countries.  Most of the early Japanese
manuscripts are written using Chinese characters!  I should be able to speak
Mandarin, but can only remember a few phrases...the same is true of French,
the other language I studied.  However, when you don't use a language on a
regular basis, I believe you tend to forget it.  And I think that is the
main reason many of us in the U. S. don't speak more than one language.

Kiri
----- Original Message -----

> The most strange is when people ask me in which language I dream I am
always
> surprised, I can't recall my "personages" talk one language or other. They
> speak to me or to each other but its always in a language I know, but I
can't
> recognize if they speak Spanish, Swedish, English or what.
> In my dreams we all know all languages of the earth and beyond...
> Ana
>