I've been thinking about this lately, and the connection just seems to get stronger the more I think about it. First, there are so many languages out there, ones you haven't heard about, ones you may never know. Just like the number of people in this world, there are always an increasing number of dialects, of how people speak to one another. You're never going to know every one of them perfectly, but some may try, and some don't care to try.
But the connection for me really was ... the fact that languages, like people, fade in and out of your life. At one point of your time, you get really interested in this person, you want to learn all about him/her, you spend a lot of your time hanging out with them, and then there's the fall out. Something happens, or time passes, and you fade out of each others' lives. Or, you become best friends forever and remain close. Learning languages also has that new appeal when you first start, but then you hit that bump, that plateau, and all of a sudden, it seems too hard, it can't be done. Again, some people stick through it, some give up. Once you've achieved a certain language proficiency though, if you want, you could always come back and pick it up. For me, friendships are like that. I've moved a lot in the last few years, didn't stay in one place for more than a year. While I was naive enough to believe I could keep in contact with everyone, it hasn't happened. I know our friendships are still there though. Regardless of what happens, it's always nice to send or receive a "hi" from a friend you haven't heard from in a while.
Happy Saturday!
P.S. This is what my desk has been looking like for the past few weeks, thanks to the upcoming deadline of one very important literature review.
