It is the adventure of being far away and still feeling at home....

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viernes, 29 de enero de 2010

Why saying "Che Boludo" with a foreign accent is not too bad - Languages and Expats identity

Heading to Argentina for a season abroad? If you are a Newcomer, someone needs to tell you the truth. Argentina is not only about dancing tango in Caminito and making eternal pilgrimages around Parrillas of Buenos Aires. Actually, one of the biggest challenges of this Latino country is to understand the colorful Spanish language. No big deal right?


The language barrier would be just another element of the expat cultural adventure, if it wasn´t because everything you learnt in your vacations in Madrid becomes useless when you try to speak Castellano, the Argentine version of the Spanish language. And if you thought this would keep you safe in Porteño land, it is because you haven´t even heard about the existence of Lunfardo yet… Lun... what? Oh yes, Buenos Aires citizens, also called Porteños, have their own slang.
No wonder why the tragedy of language immersion can reproduce awkward feelings of our early childhood, when we used to feel small, weak and hopeless in a world of adults. Been there before?

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Did you ever hear the stories of ... let´s say, 30-year old expats full of hair on their chests, confessing they used to feel like a 4-year-old child when living abroad? This is also true for expats relocating to Argentina. Why is that? Language barrier challenges our sense of identity. It is not unusual that expats make visible efforts to integrate to Argentine culture, by forcing themselves to speak Castellano like a native- or at least try hard to make their first “Che boludo” expressions sound as accent free as possible! Even though we may think that in Rome we should behave as Romans do, pushing ourselves to the limits can lead us to wonder: “Am I still the person I used to be?”

  
First things first

Our native language fosters relationships with main significant others in our childhood: our first friends, our first loves, our first jobs.

When we live in our home country and speak our native language every day, we hardly notice its existence. Our language is a suite that everybody is wearing around us –and we give it for granted, as the air we breathe. And every time we speak to our co-nationals, their response reinforces the fact that “we are all in the same boat”.

However, when we relocate to a country where a different language is spoken (or same language, but with different accent or idioms), the environment of the host culture tells us silently “Listen to yourself…You are not one of ours”. Language barrier comes suddenly into play, leading us to review our communication strategies and wonder how to make ourselves understood.

Language, culture and identity: a 3-way road

Since we learn to speak, language shapes the image of ourselves, others and the world we live in. If there isn´t a word to name it, then it is not part of the reality we perceive.

When expats face the challenge of living abroad, the language of reference of their childhood is not there anymore. And with it, it´s lost the early childhood ability of letting themselves impregnate naturally by the music and intonation of a new language. Adult expats learn grammar and vocabulary in a more rational way than children. They need to devote large amount of efforts to learn a foreign language that will help them perceive the new cultural reality and to communicate with individuals who are part of that reality. Who wants to feel “different” anyway?

So it is not illogical to conclude that language immersion is always an opportunity to challenge expats´ sense of identity.

Some expats incorporate the foreign language extremely fast, usually to avoid the discomfort of the new situation. On the other hand, others offer great resistance to learning it, in the belief (not always conscious) that they should maintain fidelity to the language spoken with their parents and loved ones. In these cases, there is often an underlying belief that the native tongue is the only one that can express vital experiences authentically, so the foreign language is rejected for being “poor or insufficient” and for disguising their identity.

In other occasions, resistance to incorporating some expressions of the foreign language is a way of avoiding the shame of being a child again – in need to “create” the words in a universe of adults.


Having said this - There is light at the end of the tunnel.

When you overcome the cross-cultural challenge of the language immersion, you´ll begin to feel that there is enough space in yourself for both your native language – and Castellano. Your identity is no longer threatened. On the other hand, you will perceive that learning foreign languages makes you rich and diverse, and you can offer this diversity to others.
 As an expat in BA, you´ll come across plenty of interesting opportunities to assimilate Lunfardo.
Use them!

- Go beyond your comfort zone.

- Talk to locals.

- Listen to Porteño children – they have tons of things to teach you - you used to be a child too.

- Try using new expressions you learnt from that nice Argentine waiter  or that funny new word you overheard in the supermarket.



The good thing about getting familiar with Lunfardo is that it will take you closer to the real identity of Buenos Aires and its people, giving your cross- cultural experience a whole new dimension.

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Join our Intercultural Coffee Meetings for Expats in BA!

Learn. Share. Live Buenos Aires

Next Meeting: "How Much do you know about Lunfardo: Porteño Slang?"
Friday February 5th  -  6.00pm.
"Tea Connection". O. Cossentini 1545. Puerto Madero
Attendance fee: 40 Ar$/ person.
Coming with a friend? 70Ar$ for both of you!

Limited seats available  Pre-booking required.
To book your seat, please send us an email to nomadasglobales@gmail.com

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