Language Learning at the MTC: A Few Thoughts on Reflecting Back

When I was a missionary many years ago I was sent to Italy Rome Mission.  My grandparents spoke Italian and my family descended from Italy.  I was never required to speak to them in anything but English as a child and I was as baffled when they spoke not really comprehending it.  My father rejected the concept his children would be bilingual like he had been at home saying it didn't do him a bit of good.  I studied Spanish for three years in high school but I could hardly speak the language.  They didn't teach Italian only Spanish, German and French. The only Italian I knew was a bunch of cuss words that my grandmother's second husband would laughingly call me when I would visit him while he worked in his garden.  After high school the best I could speak was a few basic Spanish phrases like "Que Pasa amigo" or "que tal."  I never understood how I got As in high school but I knew I spoke as good as the next American which was limited at best. When I went on a mission the bishop could suggest where you went.  Mine decided that I should go to Italy Rome Mission because I was Italian and he put that down on my form. The missionary committee agreed as I was called there.  All nine young men that he suggested from our ward went to a particular mission where he suggested.  I told him I preferred to go to South America but he didn't listen.

Unusual MTC Practice: Ingles Funeral

Sister Meagan Jackson reported a very unusual practice that I haven't heard about despite having three daughters serve foreign language missions in the last three years. In a post entitled Ingles Died and Life is Good she shared this rather interesting language learning process:

This week has been great. Full of spiritual experiences and fun times as well. Probably the most exciting thing from this last week was our "Ingles funeral". Yes, we can no longer speak English in the classroom...ever...so we held a funeral to pay our final respects. My comp gave the eulogy, the elders gave talks, we sang "each life that touches ours for good" and "God be with you till we meet again" as the hymns, and I did the special musical number...an English tribute I wrote on the piano in about 5 minutes containing all of our favorite spanglish phrases. Then we took a walk out to the edge of the mtc campus where we buried English (a piece of paper with our favorite phrases on it :) It was pretty dang awesome, and I will record the song and send it home...though you have to understand spanglish so maybe Jessica can translate it for you :)

I guess they are working on realizing a symbolic rite of passage that will psychologically cause missionaries to shift from English to a new language immediately. It is quite a fascinating practice.