Beautiful Life on the streets of Mexico. Pt 2 Hacking Mexican

Hacking the lingo or cuss like a pinche local.

Language instruction is the most incompetent form of learning I have ever encountered. The possible exception is music but that is for a small percentage of the people. Language learning especially English might be the major world curriculum and that’s not counting school kids.

Simply, orthodox method uses the left rational side of the brain to teach a non rational right brain skill. This the equivalent of teaching music by visually memorizing notation. Real musicians learn by ear and then, maybe, if forced to, try notation. As BB King used to say, sure I read music but it don’t hurt my playing none. Kids learn languages, multiple languages in many cases by listening and mimicking only. Both music and language are most efficiently learned by ear.

Hacking Mexican by ear.

After hacking the lingo for almost two years now with no textbook learning and only ubiquitous good natured helpful correction I am at the stage of easily and comfortably managing daily street life; able to understand and make funny ( and its always funny in Mexico ) colloquialisms and slang; savvy a majority of conversation enough to get the gist of practical street level stuff. I say “ Mas lento por favor y basico ” much slower and basic, a lot. Of course I butcher the conjugation and tense but Mexicans are used to that from gringo turistas and try to interpret intelligently the intent of the communication like one would for a child which is what I amount to linguistically. This may not sound like much but I lived five years in the Philippines where this never happens whether due to lack of motivation or capability likely both. I am diligently paying attention to conjugation now and its falling into place faster and faster. My goal of street competence is almost within reach and my loftiest goal is being able to read Gabriel Garcia Marques, one of my favorite authors in the original Spanish and get it, all of it. Then I would consider myself a competent philosophical level user of Spanish. I figure maybe 5 more years. Less if I hook up with a Mexican lover hahaha.

The first step to learning by ear in music as in language is listening and mimicking sounds. Pronunciation is first and foremost. Without it one cannot read and one cannot recognize words that would otherwise be obvious if one were to see it on paper. A huge amount of Spanish is borrowed from and/or share a common origin with English. If you did not see the word on paper you would have no clue that Esmit is Smith; or ospitaheh is hospital. No getting around having to memorize Spanish pronunciation with tongue and ear both. Its unusual and strange for English speakers and hearers but reliable and more importantly, not tricky. One must conscientiously and carefully, slowly use the proper sounds at first and before you know it you’d be firing bursts of cuss words like any Mexican. I treat these colorful phrases like lyrics of familiarly songs…a string of sounds entire.

So forget those pinche language courses - DL a pronunciation guide onto your phone, get comfortable with it and you will hear how quickly you progress in sublimating Mexican…orale cabrone!