The Language

First, let me say that I take great pride in the fact that I come from a people whose language is like music. Now, I've heard the expression 'His/Her voice was like music to my ears'. But, personally speaking, the Chamorro language takes this expression to new heights. In the language of the people from Guam, we change things, we alter words, so that they are easy on the ears. Unless we are angry, our language is very sing song. Heck! Even when we're angry, there's a certain harmony to our words.

When I was in college, I studied the Chamorro language and the culture of our people. The greatest emphasis was put on how we alter words to make a phrase harmonious. If you put the word 'i' (pronounced 'ē') in front of a word, you would usually have to chance one of the vowels in said word so that it is phonetically appealing. I will use a part of my blog from yesterday as an example. 'I kettura' (the culture). Kettura, in it's original form is 'kutura'. Since we put the 'I' in front of it, we have to change the 'u' to an 'e' so that the word flows. There's so much more that I learned in the classes that I took and it all helped me to understand my language a bit more.

When I was growing up, I always enjoyed sitting with my elders and listening to them speak our language. I was one of the few that took advantage of this time and used it to actually learn how to speak. To socialize with our elders was something that was frowned upon, in most cases. You were not to listen in on any conversation that had nothing to do with you and you definitely did not have the right to speak up about whatever was being discussed. But, I was always one who went against the flow of things. This is one time that I can say that I am thankful for my rebellious nature!

Unfortunately, I am guilty of not putting the knowledge which I possess to good use. I knew how to speak my language. When I was living in the states, I would speak it in order to have private conversations. When I came back home, I realized that I have very limited knowledge of the language. What knowledge I had had dwindled to almost nonexistence. I could still sit and listen and understand what's being said. But, when participating in the conversation, I would stumble and sometimes would have to ask other for assistance in finding the words. Living back on the island is allowing me to be exposed to the language more often. I am slowly starting to pick it back up and put it to use.

In a recent conversation, I asked a friend if there was an English word to describe the feeling that you get when you see someone who is so cute or adorable that you would just like to squeeze them and (for lack of a better word) eat them up! We weren't able to come up with a word that even closely resembles the feeling. In Chamorro, this feeling is described as 'maggodai'. To say the phrase 'Gof na' maggodai' would be appropriate when someone is in the act of making you want to just squeeze the heck out of them.

Another word that we use is 'mahalang'. It is a word that is used to describe a feeling similar to that over 'homesickness' or 'lovesick'... A yearning... But, it goes so much deeper that just those words. It is a deep feeling of emptiness or loss that you can not describe in English.

Yet another is 'mungge' (I'm sure I'm spelling this totally wrong. But, hey... one step at a time!). Mungge' can be used simply to describe something that is appealing to the taste buds, this definition is simple. But, when you use it to describe a person, it is a lot deeper than 'yummy' or 'good'. As my friend Andrew put it, munnge' is 'a devouring likeness to fuse with that which is great (and then "gof" added in front...hell that's a need for confession)'. When you say 'I na minannge'!', it's almost like saying... excuse the expression... I'd really like to get her in the sack!

There are so many words like this scattered throughout the Chamorro language. I'm sure that other languages are similar. To me, English lacks in the ability to describe feelings or things beyond the physical realm. These words and phrases, to me, are little gems that you stumble upon when learning or using a language other than English.

In my opinion, language is an important part of cultural identity. It establishes a deeper connection between a person and the place and people that they come from. If your native tongue is a language other than English, I highly recommend that you learn enough of it to understand a conversation of not to speak. It's a beautiful skill to possess and it will give you a sense of accomplishment. It will help you to understand your background a little more than you would by just knowing the history. If anything, it will give you a way of talking about people without them knowing *wink*.