I Want to be a Polyglot

I feel like I’m already a polymath

I want to speak to everyone! (Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash)

I’ve only known how to speak English my entire life. As a writer, my life revolves around the English language. Even in the seven years that I’ve lived in the Philippines, I haven’t learned the language of the area where I live.

But that has to change.

I mentioned in my last post that in 2019, I am going to be Santa Claus. This year, I want to focus in the area around Iloilo City where I live, but eventually, I want to travel all over the Philippines.

In this area, Hiligaynon is the spoken dialect. I am going to learn as much as I can this year, and then move on to Tagalog, which is the most widely used language in the Philippines.

Having never tried to learn another language, I know this will be difficult, but I am motivated.

The Illongo people speak Hiligaynon. (Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash)

Last week my wife started sharing Hiligaynon phrases with me. I must say that I am having a terrible time trying to remember them. I am stretching parts of my brain that I haven’t used before, and exercising others, like memory, that aren’t used as much.