The Androgynous Mind
Girl Talk
Do you think in ‘Girl’? Or maybe you think in ‘Guy’? Perhaps it’s even ‘Girly Girl’ or ‘Guys’ Guy’ that is your language of choice? Well, this napkin is promoting the idea that to be truly great you must combine those two into one. Now, I am not just talking about the generic type of great as in ‘He does great work with wounded vets’ or ‘She is a great violinist’. I am also talking about the type of great that can also mean successful, as in ‘They have a great marriage’ or ‘They make a great song writing team’.
Second Language
When we talk about that type of great we mean that they understand each other and work well together. And that is possible because no matter if ‘Girl’ or ‘Guy’ is their first language, they make an effort to learn the other language as well. They study it, they practice it, they seek to understand the subtle meanings within it. They don’t resent it and make fun of it and complain to their friends about how stupid people are who speak that other language. They realize they love and respect that other person and believe learning their language is worth it. They also know that learning their own language isn’t all that easy either and they give the non-native speaker a break when they get something wrong or don’t understand.
Fluency
What about you? Are you actively trying to understand and care for those who don’t speak your language? Are you helping them to learn it or are you just complaining when they aren’t fluent? And on the other side, are you sincerely trying to learn that other language with which you are unfamiliar? If you do, then you are you will reach your goal.
_______________
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who speaks 2 languages.
Quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772-1834, English poet
_______________
Trivia questions of the day:
Which language has the least amount of words? Which language has the fewest letters in it’s alphabet?
Come back tomorrow to find out the answer
_______________