Happy Humpday Haiku #21

Language

My mother-tongue has

Failed me. Speech has become as

Foreign as I have.

            There's something to be said about social interactions and the sense of community that develops as a result. There's also something to be said about the way language plays a role in the formation of that community. When we meet people, we tend to adjust our way of speaking to match the other person's speech. This (often) unconscious behavior builds trust between two individuals. 

            What happens when you take someone who has twenty some odd years of practice in a given language and immerse them in an environment where the same patterns don't necessarily apply? I've found the task to be a laborious one. Because I'm exposed to my students 6-7 hours on any given day, my speaking has suffered significantly. Whereas I used to be deliberate and contemplative when speaking, I've now become borderline nonsensical. 

            Syntax is the first to go. Having to rearrange my speech for my students to understand my directions has assured this outcome. Complexity goes next. Granted, depending on how much I'm reading at any point in time this varies, but my vocabulary is limited inasmuch as the children can understand me. In the resulting deterioration, my thoughts become murky and incomplete, warping themselves into something unrecognizable.