She’s there! My favorite vendor was standing at her roadside-stand, a bicycle ride away from my apartment in Antsirabe. I recognize her as a sister. She always greets me with a smile just I used to do when I was a retailer welcoming customers into my store. She wears sturdy shoes, to support her through the day with a knitted wool stocking hat pulled firmly down. The type of hat with little crocheted flowers attached on the crown, the hat style that young American women gave to each other 10 Christmases ago. This well-worn hat is Camille’s defense against the damp cold breeze of the Central Highlands. 

There, in front of her stand, we eagerly bantered back and forth, she always gave me the best price on freshly harvested watercress and ginger root. My sister encouraged me to continue with my Malagasy* lessons.

My Malagasy Kitchen

 Language acquisition is a fickle thing. 17 out of 20 of my American cohorts seemed to learn Malagasy quickly, conversing in relative ease within two months. My style of learning involves introspection, observation, and motivation. Motivation seemed to be my last barrier.

It is common for language teachers to emphasize the importance of learning technical linguistic rules in conjunction with learning associated societal customs. But customs are not stagnate. They vary according to region, generation, social-economic status; the variations are infinite. It was the culture of local food that was my inspiration to learn. I needed to actively barter for my daily sustenance. And as an avid home cook I wanted to ask about cooking techniques, the growing conditions of the local produce, and I was curious about the business experiences roadside vendors have in Madagascar. I needed to acquire language tools to hold these conversations.

 Author Deoksoon Kim (2020) wrote an insightful paper about the importance of intercultural learning to new language acquisition, stating that “Educating the ‘whole person,’ when teaching language, requires engaging with the cultural ways of life within which that language lives.” Every student has a different motivator to learn. The trick to my language learning was to find aspects of Malagasy culture that resonated with me.

Activity Points for Language Learning

As a retailer in Colorado I enjoyed engaging with my customers,, I saw that my Malagasy sister has this trait too. My interactions with Camille along the R34 roadway were more than trying to find the right Malagasy words. I approached her with an open heart and a warm demeanor. My attempts to speak in her language delighted Camille, but our mutual trust and respect for one another were paramount in our intercultural relationship. I just needed to take the first step by pausing to listen to her story.

*Malagasy is the language spoken throughout Madagascar.

Reference

Kim, Deoksoon (2020). Learning language, learning culture: Teaching language to the whole student. ECNU Review of Education. Vol 3(3) 519-541. DOI: 10.1177/2096531120936693