I love Spanish

When I listen to Spanish I hear beauty. The rhythmic cadence produces a masterpiece of sound, a richly colored palette forming an auditory dance. The very syntax seems to signal that words extend beyond the functional to embrace the emotional and capture the essence of unspeakable meaning. A language like none other. A language where meaning is first expressed but lingers for richer understanding.

I am familiar with two classic commentaries about Spanish. One explains that German is the language for communicating with pets and animals. English is the language of business. French is the language of love. Spanish is the language of God. The other claims that Spanish is the only language where you conjugate verbs the same way whether you are praying to God, adoring your lover, or commanding your dog. This language clearly possesses a tremendous versatility.

Spanish has become a preferred language for my mediation and contemplation. More often than not, if I am without words to express what I want to say it is because I am thinking in English rather than Spanish. It is also true that I interact in English on a broader scope of issues than when I speak Spanish. Yet my favorite Spanish text continues to be a book on synonyms and antonyms. I love to find the nuances that exist between ever so similar words and employ with precision the very word to capture the essence of what was or might be.

I regularly encounter those who express their desire to speak Spanish. I enthusiastically support anyone who aspires to such lofty and rewarding goals. My advice remains simple. Anyone who wants to learn the language can, and the best way to do it is to mimic the very learning of children. I highly recommend going to your local library and checking out the very books that Spanish speaking parents might use to read to their children. Initially, these books may just be pictures with a single word per page to identify a fork, or a ball, or a car.

Once you have a sufficient vocabulary from these basic texts you should increase a level. Start reading simple sentence books until you can comfortably read them based on direct sentence structure and a functional vocabulary. Finally, when you are prepared to move onto chapter books, you should supplement your reading with a textbook to study grammar, syntax, orthography and more. This study will form the very key to mastery of the foreign tongue. When you choose a textbook, start simple, like second grade. The assignments will be manageable and you will be able to self correct.

But choose a textbook that is written in Spanish, by Spanish speakers and for Spanish speakers. They will expose you to Spanish literature rather than Twain or Shakespeare translations. You will come to know and love Cervantes, Machado, Melchor and more. You will move beyond learning Spanish to feeling, knowing and loving it. It's lure will ever sparkle, even after you bite and swallow.