LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

 I am trying to put together a chapter on Doris Lessing (1919-2013) for my Literatura en lengua inglesa III (Editatum, 2023, 2025, and 2026). What first surprises me is the linguistic side to her biography. Born in Persia (now Iran), where she lived till age 6, she then moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she lived till age 30, when she settled in London in 1949. J. M. Coetzee reviews her autobiography in his book Stranger Shores , but does not dwell on linguistic questions. What I find surprising is that she spoke only English. There is little evidence that she ever acquired either Farsi or Shona beyond a few words and expressions. True that the British recreated abroad, in the colonies, their home way of life and shunned local languages and ways of life, but the fact that Lessing, as a child and adolescent, did not even try to learn the local languages shocks me. After all, her English was acquired outside the United Kingdom, in exotic countries. What intrigues me is no...

Why are so many educators today averse to memorization? When did committing facts, lines of poetry, or elegant ideas to memory become unfashionable? I come from a generation that learned verses, literary passages, equations, historical dates, and geography by heart —and here I stand, none the worse for wear. In fact, I maintain that we are our memory; we are what we carry in the mind. It is no accident that Mnemosyne, goddess of memory, was mother to the nine Muses. I still honor her by memorizing as much as I can, even at my age. I explore these thoughts further in my article for VivaFifty :   https://www.vivafifty.com/aprende-memoria-mente-7450/  

  Do we think with language—or with concepts? When I was a teenager in the States, people often asked me what language I used when thinking alone. At the time, I took it for granted that thinking meant an inner verbal dialogue—English or Spanish, depending on the day. Only later did I realize the question itself was flawed. Curious, I recently looked online and found the usual well-meaning but muddled explanations—proof of how easily people confuse thinking with the words we use to describe it. In Spain, interestingly, no one has ever asked me this. Instead, I have asked others: “When you think, Mr. García López, do you use words or concepts?” Most cannot answer. And that is revealing. Consider two simple examples. Driving down the road: A ball rolls out. Linguistic thinking: “A ball. A child must be nearby… I should brake carefully because of the tailgater behind me.” Half a minute. Conceptual thinking: you see the ball, picture the child, sense the tailgater, and brak...

  Never assume that you truly command both English and Spanish.      A sure sign of ignorance is the belief that one can know a language perfectly . The moment you accept that idea, you become lazy and careless, and your communication, spoken or written, ceases to improve. You will get nowhere fast.      Not a day goes by that I do not learn a new word or uncover a grammatical flaw in my English or Spanish. Often, I find fresh meanings in old words, or idiomatic turns that enrich my expression. I have come to see that to “possess” a language fully is a chimera - a delusion, an impossibility - for language is a slippery, living, chameleonic, fickle creature that never stands still.       Language is a tool that must constantly be kept in good repair. The words language and perfection do not mix - and should never be spoken together.

  To the elderly, seniors, golden agers -and to all readers who wish to keep their minds sharp- I’ve often suggested studying a language. The brain’s plasticity, if we put it to work, expands with the acquisition of a new means of communication. This is a proven fact: use it or lose it. It occurs to me that if we take up Latin, we avoid the toughest side of language learning: sounds, pronunciation, and oral communication. We’ll never watch a film in Latin, ask for directions, or give a speech. We’ll mostly read, perhaps write... but rarely speak it. In trying to master it, we’ll absorb vocabulary, grammar rules, declensions, and engage memory and inventiveness. I studied first-year Latin a very long time ago, but I’m ready to tackle again the first conjugation: rosa, rosae . But, why study Latin? It strengthens memory and logic. It builds vocabulary in English, Spanish, French. There's no need to speak it. So, will you join me in my journey?         ...

  I do not remember where I learnt this expression, but I often say it to my students. They are impressed and think I know Latin well. I say, in a deep voice, trying to look serious:  repetitio est magister studiorum. There is a variation: repetitio est mater studiorum . I do believe that repetition with concentration is the core of learning. Repetition and concentration will always aid in memorizing anything. Give it a try! 

 Ahora en el estío, unas veces me quedo sentado en el sofá del  salón-trastero-chamarilería, entorno los ojos y dejo volar la mente, como mariposa que revolotea de pensamiento en pensamiento. Hoy se ha posado en la idea de por qué a algunos no les entran los sonidos de una segunda lengua por mucho que vivan en el país. Ayn Rand, Nabokov, Conrad, mi tía Regina, la vecina francesa del tercero, y otros muchos, no lograron dominar los sonidos del inglés o del castellano. Y medio adormilado se me ha ocurrido pensar que, por aquello de que una cosa es querer y otra poder, quizá su mente lingüística no daba para más. Después de muchos años en Pittsburgh, la Dr. Reinkraut, mi profesora de alemán, se expresaba bien en la lengua de Milton pero muy teutónicamente. Sin embargo, muchos son capaces de asimilar cualquier sonido foráneo bien y con rapidez. Hoy por hoy, esto tiene mal arreglo y ninguna respuesta científica. Entorno los ojos, y trato de pronunciar, en mi mente, palabras frances...

    I have become aware that nearly every language-teaching application on the market promises that, by becoming a member and paying dues, you will enjoy “real conversations.” It's a lovely phrase—marketable, confident—but it leaves me wondering: what exactly is a real conversation?      Every Tuesday morning, I meet three men at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, at the coffee shop. We sit, drink our coffee, and converse. Real conversations?      Two of them mostly read the newspapers. They have no hobbies, speak no foreign languages, and contribute little beyond a few grunted remarks. The third, a retired maths teacher and college graduate, adds some spark, bringing an anecdote, a curious fact, or a bit of perspective. Is this what the app developers mean by “real conversation”?      I doubt it.      The truth is, real conversations—those in which ideas are exchanged, facts are examined, opinions shared, even d...

  Porky Pig asks Daffy Duck, “Are you ready?” and Daffy retorts, “I was born ready.” If Daffy Duck had been born Hispanic, he would have answered: “Almost. But wait, I have to get my hat, or make a call, or get some papers, or grab a bite to eat…” to delay going, working, finishing something off, or whatever. Spaniards were not born ready; they are never prepared, especially in language learning, their "asignatura pendiente." Spanish indeed has a proverb, a  refrán , that says, “No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy”—do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Alas, this proverb is a carryover from the Romans, who had it in Latin as  ne in cranium, quod possis hodie , long before the Spanish language came into being. It did not affect the minds of the inhabitants of the Peninsula, who developed contrary attitudes. “Ya lo sé” is a ready-made expression or phrase that you will hear from the mouths of Spaniards constantly. Their self-confidence knows no limit...

  Gracias a Laura Carbonell, estoy leyendo "Letters", de Oliver Sacks (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024), editadas por su secretaria de toda la vida Kate Edgard. Sigo a este neurólogo desde que leí "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", en 1985, y leo y releo con mucha frecuencia los libros que poseo de él, particularmente "On the Move" (2015) y "Gratitud" (2015). Leo esta correspondencia a trompicones, sin orden ni concierto, según me da. Hoy he abierto la página 479 con la carta a una madre oyente de un hijo sordo. El niño tiene que aprender el lenguaje de signos, que es otro idioma (recordemos que hay lengua de signos inglesa, estadounidense, española, mexicana...) y entresaco: "... there should be really good first language - given this, everything else can follow. Bilingualism, trilingualism, good intellectual development. The overwhelming danger is NOT achieving a good first language..." Of course, Sacks is referring to sign language but ...

Today I was chagrined to learn that the Oficina del Español , Comunidad de Madrid, has disappeared for good. After a few years of erratic direction by unqualified and wayward directors, the office's instigator and designer, Isabel Díaz Ayuso , President of the Community, has done away with it. Why? The original idea was, and is, very commendable and makes sense in a Community that leads Spain in many facets: employment, foreign investment, tourism—both foreign and domestic—health services, law and order, liberty, and more. It would have been the leading champion of the Spanish Language if the original idea had been helmed by a qualified person. Isabel Díaz Ayuso failed to appoint the right person for the right job. The Oficina del Español , as originally framed, would have attracted scholarship, students, events, and, yes, money. The UK knows how to monetize the English Language, while Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries do not seem to be able to equal or emulate its efforts...

I was thinking today that readers from Muslim countries do not approach my Blog. I am not complaining, just curious.  Then I read a note from the Biblioteca Nacional explaining  that writers who died in 1944 are now in the public domain, and Miguel Asín Palacios (1871-1944) was mentioned. My father had his Crestomatía del árabe literal in his library, and as a boy,  I tried to study the language from that book. The farfetched connection is that Muslim countries are not interested in my Blog. Yet, Spain has produced many arabistas , like Asín Palacios , Francisco Codera , Pascual de Gayangos , and even Juan Valera . Fancy that! Gayangos, while at Oxford, introduced Arabic to Captain Sir Richard Burton , who went on to translate the Arabian Nights into English. I suggest you check the names I mention above; they are fascinating Arabists, writers, professors, and travelers. 

Today, I reflected on the intriguing disparity among my students when it comes to mastering languages. Some seem naturally gifted, while others struggle despite their best efforts. This phenomenon extends beyond language learning, resonating across many aspects of life. Matthew 22:14, "For many are called, but few are chosen,"  ( muchos son los llamados y pocos los elegidos ) offers a poignant lens through which to view this reality. This truth can serve as both a challenge and a comfort for those who pursue the path of language mastery, sometimes finding meager results despite their dedication. Why do some excel while others falter under seemingly similar conditions? This remains a mystery to me.  Life, as we know, is not always fair. I have devoted my life to mastering two languages, Spanish and English, while others, often younger, boast fluency in seven or more. Yet, I harbor no regrets. The journey has been deeply enriching, and I remain committed to achieving fluency, t...

Believe it, I am still teaching and think I am a better instructor than I was five years ago. My main purpose in class, aside from grammar, phonetics, and practice, is to keep my students motivated. Motivation and enthusiasm are the bedrock of language learning, which tend to whither with time, especially as students reach what they think is a plateau when they erroneously perceive no advance and feel stagnation in their studies. My method for motivating students is:  to congratulate them boisterously when they remember vocabulary or finally master or overcome a grammatical hurdle, or the enunciation of a difficult sound. I cheer loudly, clap my hands, congratulate them effusively, and make a big deal of their accomplishments. I also tell them that if others can be bilingual, and many people are, so can they. Why not?  Tips I pass on: 1. Daily study, even 15 or 20 minutes. 2. Approach vocabulary in context, in a sentence. 3. Repeat words and sentences out loud. 4. Memoriz...

  Some anonymous wit said (not H.L. Mencken) that "nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." I would delete the word American to make the old saw extensive to all and sundry. The Internet is flooded with decoys that promise to teach languages quickly and easily. There are no magic tricks to language learning except the old and time-tested method of daily study and hard work. Please, do not be deceived, do not take any wooden nickles, or be led up the garden path because there is no magic to it. Daily study, and a teacher to correct and direct you, are the only true and proven methods. Do not be misled by false promises.       

The hiccup in language in general and language learning, in particular, is that the whole world and his mother feel free to pontificate about it. I say this apropos of an article in El País I chanced upon a few days ago by Dr. Mauro Guillén , professor and Dean at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania . He has written several books on economics and is perfectly bilingual in English and Spanish. He says: "... las carencias de la educación primaria y secundaria se han traducido (en España) en un aumento inusitado de las familias en profesores particulares o academias - por término medio de 700 euros al mes..." (His syntax leaves a bit to be desired.) An average of €700 per month per family seems a bit exaggerated. Being an economist Dr. Guillén should be more accurate. But he has more to say about language learning: "Aprender un idioma y hablarlo con un buen acento require entrenar el oído y desarrollar una buena dicción." Bravo! He has just discovered...

I know that perfection in language is an idle fancy, but I also have my foibles and quirks, and since early childhood, I have been collecting words and phrases and different pronunciations. I am still at it 24/7, as they say now. As far as language is concerned (or otherwise) I am no minimalist! I never have enough and I always want more. Aside from reading aloud, and moving my lips and tongue, I also close the day listening to English or Spanish in bed until grogginess overcomes me. And I have paper and pen in hand to write down whatever expression tickles me, lest I cannot recall it in the morning. Language learning is no walk in the park, at least for me, and we must toil at it constantly.   

  In the Preface to his The Defence , Vladimir Nabokov , lashes out against book reviewers and others, saying: "... I would like to spare the time and effort of hack reviewers - and, generally persons who move their lips when reading...". As I understand it, those who read moving their lips are equated in intellectual stature to hack reviewers. I promote reading a foreign language with the lips and in a whisper. Reading in the brain does not exercise the mechanical part of the language: throat, lips, teeth, alveolar ridges, nose, air, vocal cords, and even the saliva that make language what it is. We may scoff at those who read with their lips as ignorant intellectual dwarfs but in language learning it is essential to drill out loud moving the lips, the tongue, and everything else. Perhaps Nabokov, a polyglot himself, was blinded in this instance by his dislike of book reviewers, probably rightly so. So, you should practice the language you are studying by reading aloud, in a...

I have found the secret to language learning. Self-appointed language experts, eager to cater to humanity´s leanings toward sloth, holler from rooftops (Facebook, Instagram, Tic-Toc) that the best method is to speak and scoff at grammar and memory. Heed them not. Language-acquisition methodologies come and go but the rock-bottom foundation stays which is memory. Memorize, memorize, and memorize vocabulary, patterns, and phraseology. The human brain's memory capacity is still unknown and probably the same in everyone. Fear it not, and I urge you to join me in this crusade to bring memorization back and restore its importance, especially in language learning. It is also a keen way to keep the brain active and alive till old age.       

Elena Lappin´s memoir What Language Do I Dream In , and John Gallagher´s review of it in The Guardian , are both disappointing. I have read the book because of my interest in languages and bilingualism only to find an autobiography of a person and her family who have had a thirst for travel. From Russia to Czechoslovakia, then to Germany and Israel, to continue to Canada, the US, and finally, to the UK. We are told about grandparents, parents, and relatives, with side escapades to odd people of many nationalities. In passing, Ms Lappin mentions the languages she has been exposed to in her wondering, in her world-trotting. All of us can write an autobiography. Lappin´s experiences might be of interest to her family and offspring but to nobody else. Her insights into languages show that although she speaks several languages, she´s no linguist. She says:  " To this day, my brother owes his perfect Russian accent to his extended stay in Moscow at the age of almost two." Really? A...