Global Window

Totally by chance (and by Craigslist) I’m staying in a house in Brooklyn at the moment that’s populated by three Congolese, one French native and a Puerto Rican. The prevailing language then, is French, which I speak at a basic to intermediate level. I speak English with the Puerto Rican and it feels strange to me now, its easiness, as I’ve been hanging out in Moscow for the past eighteen months.

When I return there, I’ll be speaking French with my Georgian wife (who speaks Russian, French and English) and sometimes English at a ratio of about 70:30—the 30% lapse is on my side, as her French is near perfect and we feel it’s better to improve my French than her English. With her daughter I will speak English, but sometimes Russian, at a ratio of 80:20—English for the most part for training purposes, and because of my poor Russian.

Alone on the streets of Moscow I’ll speak 100% Russian (albeit those few sentences you'll find at the top of the list of 'Essential Phrases' in any guide book). It’ll be mixed with a heavy dose of global sign language, punctuated with Jim Carrey-esque facial expressions when necessary.

So when one of my French or English-speaking Brooklyn housemates calls me, the first word that reaches, and sometimes escapes my lips, is Da? When someone tells a story that draws me in, thereby leaving my subconscious wide open, and they end it with an unbelievable twist, pravda? often slips out instead of really? or vraiment?

At this point I usually squeeze my eyes shut, grimace and shake my head as if what I said was actually written on a sheet of paper in pencil, and my head is the eraser rubbing it out. It might seem strange, but I’m in my element in these minor linguistic tempests.

But the language I miss the most isn’t mentioned above. It’s the most popular language there is, but the dialect I'm referring to is only used by two people on this planet. It has nothing to do with words or sounds and when understood it relays more information than any other method ever could. It’s the dialect that I share with my wife at those moments when we’re just sitting silently looking at each other. Smiling.

I’ll be bringing forward the date of my return flight to Moscow next week.