Searching for your roots – how learning a language can help
Friday, 24th April 2009
Researching family trees and searching for the roots of your family are increasingly popular pastimes. It your ancestors came from foreign countries, knowing the languages spoken in those places will help you to trace them and to find out about their lives.
There may be documents about your ancestors in foreign languages. If you can’t read them you would miss out on the information and may not even be aware that the information exists. If you manage to find the documents even without a knowledge of the language(s), you could pay someone to translate them for you, though that could prove a very expensive exercise.
There may be relatives in the old country who could help you with your searches, and/or tell you about your ancestors. If they don’t speak your language and you don’t speak their language, you could come up against a bit of a communication barrier.
If your ancestors came from a country or society with an oral culture where few or no written records are kept, knowing the local language and being able to talk to the local people could certainly help you in your research.
Learning an ancestoral language is also a way to get in touch with your ancestoral culture, as language and culture are closely linked. There may be sayings and traditions in your family that date back to the old country and that have always puzzled you. By learning about your ancestoral language and culture, you could uncover the roots of these traditions. You could also read the books, poems, and newspapers your ancestors might have enjoyed, and learn songs that were around when they were. This could give an idea of what life was like for them.
Speaking your ancestors’ language also gives you access to the current culture of their country. While tracing your roots you may also discover relatives you weren’t aware of - if you speak their language you’ll be able to get to know them.
If you’re really serious about getting in touch with your roots, you might go there on holidays, and maybe even consider moving there. If so, knowing the local language will certainly come in very handy.
Tags: heritage, language, tailor-made, italian, culture, german, french, spanish
Posted by Simon Ager 2009-04 under Experience Cultures,
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