“A foreign language is a weapon in the struggle for life”

Reads the quote in my colleague’s English classroom. Only too true…

I have been noticing, and am very grateful, that in general Kyrgyz people are exceedingly patient with foreigners attempting to speak their language. My Kyrgyz is still embarrassingly bad, but people are usually willing to speak slowly, repeat themselves and use simplistic vocabulary with me. Occasionally, children will find my attempts laughable, but for the most part I feel well received when using the little Kyrgyz I can manage.

I mentioned this to my host mother (who speaks English and is one of the reasons I don’t need to rely on my Kyrgyz language). She said it is not this way in some other Central Asian countries, such as Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan, where people expect you to know the local language. But in a country of only 5 million, where a lot of ethnic Kyrgyz don’t really speak Kyrgyz, people are much more forgiving. If I do encounter problems using Kyrgyz, it’s usually because the person I’m speaking with is confused as to why I’m addressing them in Kyrgyz at all. Often Volunteers have to insist multiple times that they do not know Russian in order to get a response in Kyrgyz. I think about how different this situation is in the States. Foreigners are often rebuked for not speaking English fluently, a language most of us take knowing for granted.

I was talking with a fellow teacher in the village and told him that I was teaching English. He asked if I knew English well then. I like to think so! It’s my first language and the only language I can actually express myself in! But this is not always the case here. People might speak 3 or 4 languages, but one can’t assume that they are “experts” in any of those languages. Kyrgyz is used for everyday communication while Russian is used for more official business, and people can get by without knowing all the ins and outs of either language. The distinct spheres of usage sometimes prevent a thorough acquisition of the language. I think it is endlessly helpful to have the ability to speak in more than one language, but it is also empowering to have a firm grasp on one language and feel confident using it in any situation. If the average American can boast linguistically about anything, I suppose it’s that. We don’t often look at it this way, but for native English speakers in the US, it’s really such a luxury to be able to use your mother-tongue for any kind of interaction with almost anyone.