Reflect on how knowing a language's history can help you learn the language. To what family does your language belong? What sounds, words, or structures exemplify periods of contact with other cultures?
Understanding the history of a language means to understand where certain roots and constructions of from. When you’re able to identify a root, it’s easier to recognize it when it appears again and again. Language is essentially repetition, so once you’re able to hone down on the pattern you’ve learned the language.
My target language, Wolof, belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. Certain sounds in Wolof illustrate the Arabic and French influences on the culture. Many French words are used or manipulated in Wolof. French is so heavily a part of Wolof that some conversations seem to switch between the languages, weaving them together.
Comments