Retrospective 03: Language

This is a fun (primarily for (R)PCVs) video that encompasses the two extremes of Peace Corps Training and Service. Each Volunteer's experience is different because of many factors; however, the most important of which are the PCV's coping mechanisms and open-mindness as well as the preparation of the community by Peace Corps Staff and Volunteers prior to the new PCV's arrival. The first step into integrating of course is being able to speak (a little bit of) the language.

*Just a warning that this particular blog entry will be boring for most people and is really intended for future PCVs so they know what they are getting themselves into.*

I've already stated in my blog previously that it takes about 18 months to begin to understand in your community. Stage is a 8-12 week experience that only touches upon the surface of life in Burkina Faso. Each community is unique and while Stage tries to cover the basics, it takes a full 18 months to begin to understand your community (hence, my argument that everyone should commit themselves to a minimum of 3 years of service). The core component of Stage is language training. There is no avoiding language training. Upon arrival stagiaires are evaluated for their oral expression (and incidentally, comprehension) in French. Throughout training, they are evaluated several more times until they pass the minimum language level in order to "Swear-In" as a full-fledged Volunteer. Those who have the minimum French level begin local language training earlier. The majority of non-Secondary Education (SE) Volunteers use more local language than French.

The learning process during PST is experiential, including language. This can be frustrating for those who have never experienced full-immersion language learning. Now, PCTs (except for SE where the focus is on French first) begin learning the local language of their community from the start with a smattering of survival Moore (the language of the dominant Mossi ethnicity in the PST area). Since there are over 65 local ethnicities, there are an equal number of local languages. The PCTs who will eventually in serve in the same ethnic regions oftentimes find themselves spending almost all of their time together. Even within local languages, different regions may have different vocabulary (e.g. English in Texas vs. English in England, different pronunciation and expressions/idioms, but overall the same language). Since I was an SE PCV, I primarily learned French, but was also exposed to Moore, Dioula (Bambara), and Southern San (the language of the primary ethnicity in my village) during and after my training.

One of my regrets from service is not learning a local language well. I can fumble my way through greetings, buy things, tell children to go put on their shoes and even understand the gist of most gossip. However, I can't have conversations. The trade off, though, is that my French oral expression improved greatly. Part of the reason it is harder for some Volunteers than others to learn a local language is too many local languages at once. My village bordered villages of different ethnicities. As a result, many people in the village may not be multilingual, but they can understand the basics in another language. A typical conversation in the morning may involve four people speaking entirely different languages (French, San, Moore, Dioula) to each other, but they still understand what is going on. Each group of people I socialized with had their own language and during each day I was exposed to at least four languages: French with my students/teachers, San with my neighbors, Moore with my colleagues/other civil servants after school, Dioula with the wives and children of civil servants. So, at the end of my service, I could follow a conversation and understand the main ideas in a couple of local languages, but I couldn't contribute much to the conversation in local language.

No matter what your local language level, locals are often surprised and delighted that you can speak a little bit of the local language. If you are a replacement PCV, you will often be compared to previous PCVs. In comparison, even native French speakers in West Africa are criticized for their French because their accent is different from the more guttural Burkinabe French. Many rural Burkinabe who are not exposed to a French accent (via radio, or otherwise) have a difficult time understanding a French accent.

What's fun about the video is it presents the two extremes of how some people become practically fluent in their local language, and others never go beyond expressing themselves as young children do. What it doesn't mention is sometimes these young children (2 or 3 year olds) become some of your best friends and can actually teach you the local language. Two of the kids I played with who were born right around when I arrived in Burkina Faso, helped me to learn some fun vocabulary and they understood I was learning their language along with them. Yes, a lot of the small children will stare and/or run away from "white people" (more about being a minority later) in total fear, but if you make the effort, the kids (and adults) become used to you and try to help you out (some for personal gain, others just because you are kind of a celebrity for being different in your village and they want to spend time with you to learn more about you).

Now that I have been back for just over three weeks, I find myself thinking (and accidentally) speaking less in French, but I don't think my Frenchisms will be disappearing completely from my English/Mandarin anytime soon.

Some of the phrases that I have picked up (and you may hear when conversing with me) and still run through my head; local languages are transliterated so an English speaker pronounces it correctly (in theory):

• Ou bien? - French, origin Switzerland (so I've been told), equivalent to N'est-ce pas?
• French conjuctions - mais, et, si, ou, etc.
• Yaa bwen? - Moore, literally - "There is what?"; figuratively - "What is it?/What's going on?"
• Bee bwen? - Moore equivalent to Ou bien?
• Mana wana? - Moore equivalent of "What's up?"
• Yeel ki bay - Moore equivalent of "Nothing much." (literally: there is nothing)
• Kweg ki bay - Moore equivalent of "Not much to say."
• Yaa seed ah - Moore equivalent of "It's true"
• Tah nay - San equivalent of "It's true"
• ... Tah - San equivalent of "There is ..."
• Ko fo Ko fo! - San for "Hey everyone listen up!"
• Bwenay - San for "See you soon"
• Keh/deh/ooo - Syllables added to the end of sentences to emphasize the importance of it to you.

I will try for a more fun post later.