How Does The African Community Learn The Language So Quickly?

Here in Nuoro there is something of a small thriving African community, most of whom come from Senegal. One day I was asking Maria Rita about how quickly the Africans here managed to learn the language because they all seem to be able to communicate very easily in Italian. She told me that they learned the language very quickly indeed, that they had to, in order to survive. This is undoubtedly true but I think that there may be another reason which happens to be cultural. They do not suffer from the same sort of inhibitions that many Europeans do, especially the British, when it comes to learning languages. They do not have the same fear of making mistakes and their approach to learning the language is as much instinctive, possibly more so, as it is intellectual. Surely the main purpose of learning a language is for communication, is it not? In this the Africans succeed admirably and I suspect that they think that there's something absurd about a European education system, like the one in the United Kingdom, in which you can study a language like French for five or more years and end up being able to read the language but not speak, or understand it when spoken, well enough in order to be able to communicate effectively. And that is pretty much my own experience of the French language.

I've fared rather better with Italian and I know that I am merely stating fact when I say that I was one of the more able students at the Italian nightclass I attended in Bristol for two years before coming to live in Nuoro. However, I was unprepared for how subtle the process of improving my understanding of spoken Italian actually is and how the fear factor, which is a hangover from my schooldays when I would panic if a teacher suddenly put me on the spot, continues to interfere. I have little problem understanding those people with whom I communicate regularly, who speak clearly and not too quickly and whose voices have a tonality my ear has become accustomed to. I can converse in Italian reasonably well and only find myself struggling when I think first in English, especially when it's something a little complex which doesn't translate easily. Neverthless, there are times when I go into a shop on my own and think "oh my God, am I going to understand what they say in reply to whatever I ask?" This I put down to my Anglo-Saxon education and the rather peculiar British psyche. British people often feel so uncomfortable about saying "I don't understand" or having incompetence outside their usual sphere of knowledge exposed. Why? It closes so many doors.

In some ways learning a language is like learning to drive a car. There comes a point when it has to become automatic, instinctive and the intellectual part of the brain has to let go and just watch rather than guide. So, in many ways I envy the fact that the Africans come from from a culture in which, in certain spheres, their approach to education is not an obstruction to learning.




Qui a Nuoro c’è una piccola comunità africana, la maggior parte sono del Senegal. Un giorno parlavo con Maria Rita di quanto velocemente gli Africani imparano la lingua perché mi sembra che possono comunicare molto bene in Italiano. Mi ha detto che imparano la lingua velocemente perché è necessario per la loro sopravvivenza. Non soffrono le inibizioni come molte persone europee, soprattutto i Britannici, quando imparano una lingua. Non hanno la stessa paura di fare gli errori e imparano più istintivamente che intellettualmente. Certamente lo scopo principale per imparare una lingua è comunicare, non è vero? Gli Africani riescono a comunicare bene e forse pensano che ci sia qualcosa di assurdo nel sistema di istruzione europeo, come nel Regno Unito, in cui si può studiare una lingua come il Francese per cinque anni o più e poi si può leggere abbastanza bene la lingua senza parlarla bene e senza capire la lingua parlata. Quella è la mia esperienza sulla lingua francese.

Ho fatto meglio in Italiano ed ero uno degli studenti più capaci quando ho studiato Italiano alle serali a Bristol per due anni prima di arrivare a Nuoro. Però, non ero preparato per quanto è sottile il processo di migliorare la mia comprensione della lingua parlata e come un senso di paura continua a interferire. Mi ricordo bene come ho sofferto di un senso di panico a scuola quando un insegnante mi ha messo alle strette. Non ho molti problemi per capire le persone con cui comunico regolarmente, che parlano chiaramente e non troppo velocemente. Il mio orecchio è abituato alla tonalità delle loro voci. Posso conversare abbastanza bene in Italiano ma mi metto in difficoltà quando penso in inglese e voglio dire qualcosa un po’ più complesso che non si traduce facilmente. Nonostante, quando entro un negozio a volte comincio a pensare cosi: "Oddio. Capirò quello che dicono quando rispondono?" E' probabilmente a causa della mia istruzione anglo-sassone e la psiche strana dei Britannici. Le persone Britanniche spesso si sentono a disagio a dire "non capisco" e hanno paura di esporre la loro incapacità fuori dalla loro sfera di conoscenza. Perché? Chiude tante porte.

Si può dire che imparare una lingua è come imparare a guidare una macchina. C'è un certo punto quando dev'essere automatico e istintivo e la parte intellettuale del cervello deve lasciarsi andare e pensare solo a guidare. E quindi sono un pò invidioso degli Africani che sono di una cultura in cui, in un certo modo, il loro tipo di istruzione non è un ostacolo per imparare.

English T-Shirts in Nuoro

As I've written before in this blog, there aren't that many fluent English speakers in Nuoro. However, one thing that has surprised me here, especially now in the summer when it's more visible, is how ninety percent of the T-shirts worn by the locals here have something in English emblazoned upon them. When I asked Maria Rita why this was so she simply replied that English T-shirts are fashionable. To be honest, most of them say something rather innocent or uncontroversial like American Girl or It's Only Rock 'N Roll But I Like It. Nevetheless, there have been times when I've found it hard to restrain myself from laughing. We have been asked by some people what the writing on their T-shirts actually means and this has me a bit worried for some of the others who are walking around declaring I'm A Flasher or Chase Me Big Boy or I Love Hip Hop Like Madonna Loves Dick. Do they know that flasher is a synonym for someone who indecently exposes himself? Or that chase me was a catch phrase created by a camp English comic and that big boy is a synonym for well-endowed. As for I Love Hip Hop Like Madonna Loves Dick, that's obvious. Isn't it?

Come ho scritto prima su questo blog non ci sono molti nuoresi che parlano inglese correttamente. Però, sono sorpreso che novanta percento delle persone locali indossano le T-shirt con qualcosa scritta in inglese, sopratutto l'estate quando è più visibile. Quando ho chiesto a Maria Rita perchè questa situazione è cosi lei mi ha risposto che le T-shirt in inglese sono alla moda. Per la maggior parte le T-shirt dicono qualcosa di innocente come American Girl (ragazza americana) o It's Only Rock 'N Roll But I Like It (è solo rock 'n roll ma mi piace). Però, qualche volta è difficile per me smettere di ridere. Qualche persona ci ha chiesto i significati delle parole in inglese sulle loro T-shirt e quindi sono un pò preoccupato per gli altri che indossano le T-shirt che dicono I'm A Flasher (sono un esibizionista sessuale) or Chase Me Big Boy! (inseguimi ragazzo ben dotato!). Però, I Love Hip Hop Like Madonna Loves Dick (amo l'hip hop come Madonna ama l'uccello) è ovvio. Non è vero?

Day out to the Valley of Lanaittu

It's been quite a while since my last post in this blog. Since then I have let my house in Bristol and have decided to continue to live in Sardinia indefinitely. There are quite a few wonderful things I could have written about but haven't, so perhaps I'll save some of that information for another day.

Valley of Lanaittu

On Sunday we had a wonderful day out to the Valley of Lanaittu. It isn't far from Nuoro so it didn't take too long to get there. We went with a group of twenty or so, mostly from Nuoro but some from Oliena, the town right next to the valley. Flanked either side by mountains with stunning views as far as one could see it was a pure joy to trek along the track through the valley until we arrived at 'il rifugio' and then have a guided tour of the ancient nuragic village of Carros which dates back to 1700 B.C. It was fascinating to see the well in the village and learn how the ancient culture of these people venerated water, a resource that couldn't be taken for granted so easily then as it is today. It was also interesting to learn how it was known, as a result of the archaeological digs there finding vases with similar designs, how these people must have had contact with the ancient Greeks.

Well at Carros

View from the nuragic village of Carros

After the village we visited two caves, 'Sa Oche' and 'Grotta Corbeddu'. To reach the latter involved quite a climb and inside we could see that there were archaeological excavatuons still in progress with an exhibit of animal bones carefully cordoned off from the rest of the cave interior.

Sa Oche

Animal bones in Grotta Corbeddu

Then we returned to our original meeting point in the valley, 'il rifugio Gruppo Grotte Nuorese', where we enjoyed a very substantial 'pranzo' which was followed by some musical entertainment from a local jazz combo. They played a lively mixture of Latin tunes with one or two American standards thrown in for good measure. They had quite a few of us up and dancing before the day was over!



Una giornata fuori alla valle di Lainattu
 
Non ho fatto un post in questo blog da un bel po' di tempo. Da quando ho affitato la mia casa a Bristol ho deciso di continuare a vivere in Sardegna in tempo indeterminato. Ci sono cose meravigliose che potevo scrivere ma non l'ho fatto. Forse ne scriverò in futuro.

La domenica scorsa abbiamo passato una giornata meravigliosa nelle valle di Lanaittu. Non è molto lontana da Nuoro e quindi non ci voleva molto tempo ad arrivare. Eravamo un gruppo di circa venti persone, per la maggior parte da Nuoro ma anche da Oliena, il paese vicino alle valle. La valle è in mezzo a due montagne e il paesaggio era magnifico. Era molto divertente camminare lungo la strada che attraversa la valle finchè siamo arrivati ad un rifugio dove una guida ci ha accompagnato al sito archeologico di Carros, un villaggio nuragico di circa 1700 A.C. Era affascinante vedere la fonte nel villaggio e impare come la cultura di questi antichi popoli veneravano l'acqua, una risorsa molto preziosa in quei tempi. Era anche interessante sapere che la civiltà nuragica aveva avuto contatti con la civiltà micenea, infatti sono stati trovati dei vasi con gli stessi disegni.

Poi abbiamo visitato due grotte, Sa Oche e Grotta Corbeddu, quest'ultima era difficile da raggiungere a causa di una salita tra le roccie. Dentro la grotta abbiamo visto dei lavori archeologici in corso perchè c'erano le ossa di animali preistorici.

Finalmente siamo tornati al rifugio del Gruppo Grotte Nuorese dove abbiamo mangiato un pranzo sostanzioso. Dopo pranzo c'era un gruppo musicale che ci ha divertito. Hanno suonato un misto di canzoni latine e americane. Molti di noi ballavano finchè siamo tornati a casa.

The Murals In Orgosolo

Yesterday we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours in Orgosolo, a small town which is about twenty minutes drive from Nuoro. Orgosolo is famous for its wall murals, which are in every corner of the town, and I was very taken by their quality and diversity. Many are accompanied by script in Italian or Sardo, often political in nature and illustrating issues which affect the entire world, not just Sardinia.

 

 

Ieri abbiamo passato due ore molto divertenti a Orgosolo, una cittadina che si trova a circa venti minuti in macchina da Nuoro. Orgosolo è famosa per i murales che sono dappertutto in paese e mi piacevano la loro qualità e diversità. Su molti murales è possibile leggere la scrittura in Italiano e in Sardo. Molti sono politici e illustrano i problemi di tutto il mondo, non soltanto della Sardegna.

Parades and Jazz come to Nuoro

The last fortnight or so has been quite lively in Nuoro. Firstly, the weekend before last, Nuoro was invaded by a large number of people from the small towns and villages from other parts of Sardinia for the two parades which took place through the centre of the town. On the evening of Saturday August 21st there was la sfilata delle maschere (the parade of the masks), a very lively and entertaining affair in which the representatives of various towns and villages dress up in costume and sometimes wear very sinister looking masks (which actually scared some of the small children present) while taking part in the parade. However, the masks are supposed to be symbols of good fortune which drive out evil spirits.

However, the most fun was saved until near the end when the best known of the groups parading, the issocadores from Mamoiada, experts with a lasso, showed how adept they were by lassoing some of the young ladies watching from the side of the street (they came to no harm and were freed straightaway).
On the afternoon of Sunday August 22nd la sfilata dei costumi (the parade of the costumes) took place where representatives of what seemed like every small town in every part of Sardinia paraded through the centre of Nuoro wearing their own particular traditional costume. The costumes were incredibly beautiful but the parade went on for so long that after being rooted to the same spot for two hours I was longing to sit down and drink a coffee well before the parade finished!

Then, from August 25th until it finishes on September 4th an International Jazz Festival has come to town. We were fortunate in being able to go to two excellent concerts. We saw the Filomena Campus Quartet on Friday 27th August in the garden of the house of Grazia Deledda and were treated to some excellent music and Filomena's well known use of theatrics as she sang songs in Italian, Sardo, English and Portuguese. Then, on the evening of August 30th, at the Teatro Eliseo we saw world renowned Sardinian jazz musician Paolo Fresu with members of his quintet and special guests, well known jazz musicians Dave Douglas and Enrico Rava. The musicianship was breathtakingly brilliant and the audience was hugely appreciative of a great concert which was some distance from the mainstream of music.

(Italian text to follow at later date)

  














 

BBC Radio3 Programme on the Music of Sardinia and Corsica

Yesterday evening, quite by chance, I came across this radio programme Andy Kershaw explores the music of Sardinia and Corsica from 2005, still available to listen to online and divided into chapters to make it easier for the online listener.

Ieri sera, per caso, ho trovato questo programma alla radio Andy Kershaw esplora la musica della Sardegna e Corsica del 2005, disponibile ancora da ascoltare online. Il programma è diviso in capitoli per facilitare l'ascoltatore.

Nuoro - poem about the City of Nuoro (in English)

Over the last 10 days or so I have been trying to write a poem about Nuoro and how my eight months here have informed my impressions of the city (I think an Italian translation is beyond me at the moment!). Here it is:-

Nuoro

So here I am in Nuoro,
this untidy mess of a town
which is nonetheless endearing.
"Il comune non fa niente!"*
is what I keep on hearing.
Sun scorched scruffy weeds
and dirt and litter adorn
the uneven pavement
while some have sought
to see to feline needs
with a plate or two of fish-heads
left out for the strays;
the buildings blighted by graffiti,
beautiful and ugly in equal measure
and cars parked curiously
at strange angles from the kerb.
And then the gems, the treasure:
the stunning vista of the mountains
from Via Aspromonte
and the valley between Mt Ortobene
and the edge of town;
how Via Corso Garibaldi
comes to life on summer evenings,
the bars packed and thriving,
the Nuorese of every generation
walking up and down
with youth, beautiful and tanned,
showing its propensity
for elegance and style;
the museums displaying
the cultural heritage of a town
that gave us Nobel Prize winning writer
Grazia Deledda and poet Sebastiano Satta
and artists and sculptors
whose charming works beguile.
Nuoro is like a woman
whose potential beauty sometimes delights,
occasionally astounds and also frustrates
wrapped up in the frumpy clothing
of habit and convenience
that draw attention to
the lines upon her face
but seldom have I known
people of such warmth and generosity
inhabit any other place.

Geoff Davis © 2010

* The council do nothing!

View from Via Aspromonte

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