Eighth Dimension: #76 Mothertongue

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Languages have always been a distant fascination to me. I have terrible linguistic intelligence outside of english, there are times when my grasp of french or german is acceptable in fleeting processes where more often than not I do not recognise I am using an alternative language yet the mastery of another vocabulary has constantly eluded me!

Kev wants to learn Afrikaans (Because it's awesome) and I have been looking up resources and stuff for him that maybe I'll get for him when we have the cash together (Been looking since earlier this year but have got some decent reccomendations from polyglot enthusiasts and hobbyists recently )

I always looked at foreign languages as interesting, insightful to the evolution of a region and the contributions made to the english tongue yet always so far away. I have never imagined travelling beyond england and am not even sure it would be feasible for me to, and now I find myself looking at a list of languages native to these isles and finding myself interested and curious to a degree I've never imagined.

Welsh amuses me, any language that calls a microwave oven a popty-ping is gold in my book, the accents enrapture me with an unusual innocence to the pattern of the inflections and most of the companies reccomended by the aforementioned polgyglots have a welsh programme on at least a basic level.

Gaelic dialects are another interest, there are parts of scotland that only speak gaelic - especially if a young english girl is made apparent. A language barely disturbed by the years and evolution of neighbouring towns interests me and will also be useful in reading old texts I've managed to get a hold of, while my faith in professional translators is high, I cannot ignore the range of available alterations on a theme.

Cornish, not sure what cornish is in... well, cornish. I know Kernow is cornwall, if I remember rightly kinderin was children. There was massive graffiti I saw on a holiday once in cornish and underneath in brackets was (Teach Our Children Cornish) it was part of a protest to get the language back into the curriculum much like welsh in Wales and Gaelic in Irish and Scots schools. The language is dying, and as a stickler for roots and traditions, I'm finding it such a shame, if I could learn enough even just for basics or documentation puposes I would love to get involved.

Romanes calls to me, I know I'm forever outcast from the romany way of life, I've got no romnipen and have only had brief contact with any local romnichal. While I was welcomed as cousin once, I doubt I will ever get such leniency again. We know we have rom ties in our family, maternal side, but it was one of the family secrets, we can't track who it was, though we also have heavy hints that the uncle that helped raise my grandmother was tied into it. My grandmother is the last Armsdon in england and was separate from her family a long time, it's going to be near impossible to track anything down, especially with such little documentation and evidence remaining. A last living relative confirmed a rom connection, but that's all she could tell us. I want to be able to get involved, learn more, I have no wish to intrude on a way of life other than my own, I can only ever touch the tip of the iceburg.