The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2001, Page 30

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 56 #2
Canadians who speak Icelandic have that atti-
tude? Would I be too embarrassed to reveal
my ungrammatical limited language base?
I do know that it's been, besides hard
work, a real privilege to get some sense of the
embodied-ness of language, the way in which
my mother tongue felt right, even though it
was frustratingly elusive. It was also a hum-
bling experience to essentially be in the posi-
tion of a very small child, hearing conversa-
tion and not knowing its meaning. Trying to
communicate, searching for words, searching
for form, doing the best I could do. Letting go
of my pride. It was also a frustrating experi-
ence, because even though I longed to con-
verse with my friends and relatives, I was
determined not to switch to English, which
most of them spoke fluently.
It meant my conversations were very lim-
ited in scope. I gained a new admiration for
my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles,
and friends who spoke Icelandic flawlessly
and at the same time spoke English better than
most who speak only English.
This mother tongue that I have attempted
to re-cover is a gift we should not have let go,
and sadly one we will never re-gain. This is a
loss to our memory, our understanding of and
relationship to the land and to people.
AlkinsSPearce
Canada
Hugh Holm
PLANT MANAGER
P.O. Box 101 Bldg. 66, Portage Road
Southport, Manitoba Canada ROH 1 NO
(204) 428-5452 FAX: (204) 428-5451