PoIyglottism: In The Jungle of Attributes
The experience brought by being "forced" to communicate in foreign languages, even if one has a poor command of them, is what I like most about traveling! The key is to keep the conversation going. Each scrap of information received becomes a reward, and although one's awkwardness fuels the other person's helplessness, conversations on the verge of misunderstanding are always honest and straightforward. They mock the façade of forms and norms. They are light. They strip away the ballast of associations, because these few verbs are all there is at hand, along with listening to what's being said. It makes us listen again. And talking about numbers is how you get by. Yes, you must specify the time and the amounts! People like to know how long and, most of all, how much. Nouns are gesticulated, and the infinite selection of adjectives is of no importance anymore. The palette of subtleties that belongs in the jungle of attributes suddenly shrinks to basic colors. There...