How many different ways can someone pronounce a fucking word?
An infinite amount apparently. Though, OF that seemingly infinite amount, in Vietnam, only one seems to hold the magic key that will bestow meaning upon the listener.
Yeah, "bestowing meaning upon the listener" is kinda what a language is all about, I would say....
'cafe SO-A da?' 'cafe so DA?' 'CAfe so da?' 'caFE so DA?' 'cafe soA da,?'
I mean, even in a Coffee shop that sells almost nothing but "Cafe Sua Da" all day long - knocking 'em out one after the other - one can very easily be (and usually IS) met with a glassy-eyed, blank stare as they attempt to - often times with a recent success under their belt bolstering the confidence in their ability to bleat out that magic combination of tone and syllable - share even the simplest of requests...
"Cafe Sau DA" please -
(cue: crickets)
NOTHING!
Vietnamese is fucking HARD!
Apparently it is all about tone and inflection in Vietnamese. As my friend Serge explained to me early on: Vietnamese people are much more likely to understand what you are attempting to say if you botch the syllables but nail the tones (as opposed to the other way around).
"Really? - No. Come on. No, this can't be....." was my reply at that time.
How does that even make sense?
My more recent reply would be "Umm....yup. Damn straight".
So I signed myself up for a Vietnamese Beginners Language Class. As the class is two hours a day, 5 days a week for 2 months I have rendered my play-it-by-ear/fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants/take-it-as-it-comes/freewheeling/responsibilty "minimal" lifestyle officially on hold for the immediate future. Might do me some good. Maybe.
On a side note: Never trust a guy with a bad haircut to cut your hair (ESPECIALLY one that speaks very little of your language. You even LESS of his) "What you want? You want same? Same as ME" "No, actually, I....WAIT!" BZZZZZZZ!
No comments: