language(s)

I've mentioned my struggles and frustrations with language learning (or lack thereof) in several posts, so I'll confine this to a comment and a story.  I've found interesting the words that do not exist in Tamil, the primary language I'm learning common phrases in.  For instance, according to my resident expert (Thenu), there is no word for "please," "excuse me," "good morning," or our commonly used "thank you."  There is a word that means the latter but it is formal (nandri) and only used in more formal situations; I used it for a week as an effort at using something Tamil in everyday interactions and then gave up.  Tamilians have picked up somewhat the English "thank you"/"thanks" and "good morning", so I use those instead now, as well as "excuse me"/"I'm sorry" when interrupting or bypassing people closely in the street/bus.  I also do a lot of nodding and smiling to the mothers sitting with their babies in the wards at the hospital.  I almost feel a bit East Asian like the Japanese tradition of bowing to each other.  :)

I mentioned before that Thenu taught me the numbers in Tamil.  One day last week, I walked onto a mostly full elevator and asked the person nearer the number button board to push "unjeh," or five, for my destination.  They looked at me in confusion until someone else in the elevator said, "Fifth floor," and then they pushed the appropriate button.  So much for trying to use the little Tamil I know!

People mostly laugh at me when I use my "how are you?" (epidy irkungeh) or "what's your name?" (ongeh pereh eneh).  I haven't decided if this is because they're so surprised to see a white person trying to speak Tamil or if I pronounce things so badly.  Or maybe it's some combination of the two.  I press on anyway.  :)