Multi-Lingual Europe

I eavesdropped with great interest on the conversation between 2 Indian-looking college students and an Italian-speaking Arab boy on the train to Agrigento. I could follow most of their conversation as the students had only learned 2 years of Italian so far. They were keeping the boy entertained and I listened to them seamlessly switch and forth between their native language which I knew was Indian (but couldn’t place exactly) and their acquired Italian. I got really excited when I learned they were also fluent in German, English and Tamil (their native tongue and also my Dad’s). 

When I told one that I was impressed by how many languages he spoke, we struck up a brief conversation. He said Americans are always impressed when hearing  how many languages Europeans speak and said simply “We’re Swiss, so we learn a lot of languages growing up.” He asked if I speak Tamil and I had to admit sheepishly that I can only understand a little. 

And then the familiar sadness washed over me that my parents chose not to teach us Tamil or my mom’s language, Telegu, growing up in the US partly because they couldn’t agree on which Indian language to teach us, but mostly because they wanted their kids to acclimate and not experience the same discrimination they did in the 60’s in upstate NY. This is an immigrant story (particularly from my generation) that I have heard over and over in the US. While many immigrant families are able to retain their native languages, so many face the pressure to assimilate and this translates to a loss of language, ethnic dress, customs, etc. 

Of course, there is pressure to assimilate and learn language in European countries, too. For example, Germany requires foreigners to acquire intermediate German language skills (B1/B2) before granting long term residency. But the proximity to other countries and languages in Europe mean that most people speak at least 2-3 languages fluently. What an incredible skill this is that far too Americans lack.