Rugadh mé le linn na Cinedheighilte san Afraic Theas, mo thír dhúchais. Is í an Afracáinis mo mháthairtheanga agus tá isiXhosa, teanga Nelson Mandela, agam chomh maith. Meascadh focail an dá theanga sin i rith mo shaoil ar nós nótaí ceoil i siansa, agus bíonn sé go hálainn uaireanta. Ach b’iad sin focail na ndaoine eile. Ansin d’aimsigh mé mo chuid focal féin. Bhí focail m’óige beagáinín míleatach toisc go raibh an domhan mórthimpeall orm ag troid. Bhí póstaeir ag éileamh: “Saortar Mandela” ar fud na háite. Ach idir an “Red ons Vaderland!” (mana Afracáinise leis an mbrí Sábháil ár nAthartha) agus “Amandla!” (mana isiXhosa leis an mbrí Cumhacht!), líon an litríocht leathanaigh neamhscríofa mo shaoil le focail lán dóchais, síochána agus grá. Thuig mé don dá theanga, ar chomharthaí sóirt iad den dá thaobh - agus sheas mé sa lár im dhroichead eatarthu. Ar ndóigh, bhí an chinedheighilt leatromach, faoi mar a bhí na teangacha féin. Ba don fhear geal (an Cugasach) an Afracáinis agus ba don fhear gorm (an tAfracach) an isiXhosa. Agus ba mise, im chraiceann donn, an droichead. Is mar an gcéanna iad ár ngáire, ár bhfuil agus ár ndóchas, bíodh is go bhfuil focail éagsúla againn orthu. An lá a baineadh na póstaeir, rugadh náisiún an bhogha báistí agus d’athraigh ár bhfocail. Sníomhadh na teangacha le chéile tharam agus ionam agus d’aimsigh muid a chéile; thuig muid dá chéile. Bhíomar in ann amhrán a chumadh as an iliomad teangacha do náisiún amháin. Anois clúdaíonn ár n-amhrán náisiúnta gach saoránach: Nkosi Sikelel’ ¡Africa! (go sábhála Dia an Afraic!) Bíonn dlúthbhaint ag scileanna teanga leis an bpáirt a ghlacann duine sa saol. Mar shampla, muna dtuigeann tú fógra ón rialtas, nó díreach fógra i bhfuinneog siopa, cuirtear as an áireamh ar fad tú. Dá thairbhe seo bainim an-sult as nathanna a fhoghlaim i dteangacha eile. Tugaim faoi deara go mbíonn daoine i bhfad níos cairdiúla leat má bheannaíonn tú dóibh ina máthairtheanga. Cuirim fáilte rompu sa dóigh sin, agus músclaítear a bhféile agus a bhfáilte féin. D’fhoghlaim mé conas “Goeie dag”, “Good morning”, “Molo”, “Bon jour”, “Bună ziua”, “Annyeonghaseyo”, “Lá maithen” agus “Buongiorno” a rá. Leis na nathanna beaga seo, glactar isteach mé i ndomhain úra. Nochtar romham saol níos leithne, lán blasanna agus fuaimeanna. Agus tuilleadh eile le fáil fós, thar chuid mo mháthairthíre féin. I bhfad i gcéin ó mo bhaile agus mo theanga, cloisim siansa nua á fhí le teangacha allúracha ar champas na hollscoile seo – nótaí bhogha báistí – iad chomh binn, chomh séimh, chomh suaimhneach sin. Sníomhtar teangacha na Tríonóide. I was born during the Apartheid years in South Africa, my motherland. Afrikaans is my mother tongue and I can speak isiXhosa, Nelson Mandela’s language. Words from the two languages have played around my life like music notes in a symphony – beautifully, at times. Those were the words of other people. And then I found my own. The words of my childhood were slightly militant because the world around me was one of fighting. Placards were screaming “Free Mandela” left, right and forward. Just in-between the “Red ons Vaderland!” (Afrikaans slogan meaning Save our Fatherland!) and “Amandla!” (isiXhosa slogan meaning Power!), literature still filled the unwritten pages of my life with words of hope, peace and love. I could understand two languages which represented two poles – and in the middle I stood like a bridge. Apartheid was oppressive, yes, and polarising, just like the languages. Afrikaans was for the white man (Caucasian person) and isiXhosa for the black man (African person) and I – the brown one (Coloured person) – the bridge. We laugh the same, bleed the same, and hope the same even though we call these by different names. The day when the placards were put down, a rainbow nation was born, and then our words changed. Languages were woven together around me and within me and we found one another; we understood one another. We could now build one song out of many languages for one nation. Our national anthem now includes every citizen: Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika! (meaning God bless Africa!) Language skills determine to a great extent how one participates in life, for example, an announcement by government or simply an advertisement in a shop window excludes you if you don’t understand its meaning. For this reason I enjoy learning expressions in other languages. I have discovered that greeting people in their mother tongue has a fantastic effect in that it evokes friendliness. While it welcomes someone to my presence it simultaneously opens up their hospitality. I have learned to say “Goeie dag”, “Good morning”, “Molo”, “Bon jour”, “Bună ziua”, “Annyeonghaseyo”, “Lá maithen”, and “Buongiorno”. With these few expressions I become part of other worlds. I am taken in and I am exposed to a wider experience of life with many flavours, sounds, and more – beyond that which my motherland can give. Far away from my land and my language I hear a new symphony woven from exotic tongues on this university campus – rainbow notes – so sweet, so soothing, so gentle. Trinity’s tongues weave. 21
TCD Multilingual 2015
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