I can talk in two different languages at the same time. Some people think that is cool. I guess it is...but not so much.
I can speak perfect English. Okay, who am I kidding? You have all read my blog. So, it's not perfect, but you understand what I am saying. I am fluent...in my native language. AND I can sign pretty good. It is the mode of communication that happens in our house, at least half of the time. Plus it is what I do for work. So, I think it is safe to say that I am fluent in ASL as well.
Separately, I do great.
It's when I try and do them simultaneously that things get a little hairy. Because ASL has it's own structure, speaking and signing at the same time will either mess me up on the hands or in my speech.
It is ugly. Undesirable. Unintelligible. Don't try it....it's dangerous. I avoid it when I can.
Only, there are times when I just can't help it.
You see, I only talk to my husband when I am emotional. And when I say talk, I mean sign and speak at the same time.
When I get worked up or upset, speaking English is what my body naturally wants to do. It is how I express myself best...in my native language. This makes sense, right? Except that the person I need to talk to about the issue can't hear. So I am forced to blubber incoherently in both languages.
Hubs can tell when I start talking while signing. It's the visual and verbal vomiting that gives it away; the spewing of nouns, verbs, adjectives all in inappropriate places and in impossible to understand order. It's no wonder he doesn't understand what I am trying to tell him.
I can just imagine him shaking in his britches after one of my emotional dumps, just praying that I don't ask him to restate what I just said to him.
He has learned to just nod and say, "Sorry, honey." Yeah, right. Don't I wish. No, usually he smiles, then laughs and asks, "Are you talking?"
And that usually goes over real well, as you can imagine. I become more upset, less coherent, and the spinning begins.
Nice how when I need him to hear me the most is when I make it impossible for him to understand me.
Good thing I only talk when I'm angry.
2 comments:
Considering what comes out of my mouth sometimes when I'm angry, maybe this is not such a bad thing!
;)
PS. If the hubby can't hear you losing your grip, did you still lose it? Or does it not count?
I understand the frustration. But only because when I get really angry at Jason, I start yelling at him in Chinese which he is not fluent in. Even though he can understand it when it is spoken to him, he can't understand it if it is spoken quickly and angrily and if I use big words. Which then makes him angry that I'm yelling at him in Chinese and that just makes me more angry that he's angry and well, the cycle just continues until one of us storms off in anger.
Yea, being bilingual has it's cons sometimes....especially if the person you are angry at can only speak in one of the languages you know.
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