It is a helpless feeling to look into an indigenous person’s face and realize you have no way of communicating. The team enters as learners in the community because of their inability to communicate. Culture and Language Acquisition (CLA) is their first task.
Learning the Language
Usually the team has already learned a national language to navigate the country, but learning an indigenous language is very different. Gone are the translation apps, dictionaries, and textbooks. The process is slower now as the team listens to the language and tries to decipher what sounds are being used behind the wall of noise. Soon key phrases are learned, such as, “What is this?” and “What are you doing?”
The team’s language ability builds until they can analyze stories and discourses to discover nuances of the language. Through hours of hard work, the team emerges from silence to “baby babble” and still later to competent speech.
An indigenous helper, often bilingual, is essential in the process of Culture and Language Acquisition. This person explains what was happening and what was being said in situations the team faced. He provides a safe outlet for the team to try out their speaking abilities. But he does not necessarily function as a teacher. Depending on his education, he may not be able to explain the grammatical features of the language.
Learning the Culture
Learning the indigenous culture is linked with language learning. As team members interact in the community, they will observe many strange sights that they do not understand.
The team will document their observations and then ask questions about them. For example, our team has wondered, “Do snakes have spiritual significance in the minds of the people?” The only way to answer a question like this is to listen to their stories, watch their actions, and ask creative questions. Slowly the confusing parts of the culture become more plain.
Building Relationships
Culture and language acquisition takes a significant amount of time during the first two to four years a team is with the people group. During this time, valuable relationships are built that can often bear fruit in God’s kingdom. The team’s language helper today could be a future Bible translator or church leader.
Every relationship cultivated in these years will provide opportunity to share the gospel. Every nuance of culture and language that is learned will allow the team to share the gospel effectively.
— DS writes from northern Mexico