Learning, friendship abound at language tables

Nouns and verbs take on flesh and bone at UW–Madison language tables. At least 15 conversation groups meet regularly this semester, giving students a chance to apply words and grammar learned in class. Tables are especially valuable to help students taking less-commonly-taught languages.

“I kept encouraging my students to speak the language at every opportunity, but about half of my students did not belong to a Filipino community where they could “immerse’ themselves in the language. So I thought, why not have a regular conversation table? Before long, students were bringing in friends, kin and anyone interested in visiting,” says Monita Manalo, who teaches Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, at UW–Madison. A native speaker of the language formerly known as Tagalog, Manalo began her “Tagalog sa Terasa” with her first class 12 years ago.

Manalo says the table gives students practice in vocabulary, as well as cultural nuances, which are more difficult to grasp and rehearse with languages not often taught or spoken in this country. Since all levels of fluency are welcome at the terasa, more advanced students or native speakers frequently are able to help beginners negotiate these points. In turn, novices may be more willing to ask questions in the laid-back setting rather than in the more formal classroom, she says.

This semester the Filipino table meets Wednesdays at noon. Since it is such a perfect fall day, a dozen or so students, alumni and native speakers have migrated to the Terrace at the Memorial Union. Manalo has brought edible contributions. There is a saying among event planners, “If you feed them, they will come.” That doesn’t seem to be the primary motivation for attendance at terasa, however. Table regular Dory Blobner’s interest in Filipino dates back 30 years.

“I learned the language as a Peace Corps volunteer between 1968 and 1971,” she says. “When I found Tagalog was being taught at UW–Madison, I enrolled in a class. I studied it for three years, and then continued on for a master’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies. I use the language on phone calls with my Filipino friends, and on trips back to the Philippines. It makes travel so much more rewarding when you know the language.”

Today, Blobner is a diabetes nurse at Dean Medical Center in Madison. Last July she and fellow Tagalog sa Terasa participant Leon Bernido, a nursing student, went to Manila to help in the medical mission there. Bernido had left the Philippines at a young age, and met some of his relatives for the first time during the trip.

Sophomore Angela Nyberg, who has just started taking Filipino, also is using it to help her get in touch with her heritage.

“My mother is a Filipina and I thought learning Filipino would make us closer,” she says. “I’d like to be able to communicate better with her and her family, and teach the language to my children as well.”

Travel is a common reason people attend language tables. Nathan Hanson plans to put his language to practical use when he travels to Kenya. “I expect to speak Swahili on a day-to-day basis there,” he says. Hanson is studying with teaching assistant Karin Beata Gleisner. He reports that he rigorously attends the Swahili language meza. A senior majoring in economics with a certificate in African studies, Hanson predicts that his knowledge of Swahili will give him a decided edge once he hits the job market.”I think prospective employers will be impressed to see that I did not follow the norm and take the expected language,” he says.

“The practice speaking Swahili that students get at meza makes them more confident,” says Beata Gleisner. “This confidence, I’ve found, makes them more eager to learn.”

Filipino instructor Manalo also notes measurable professional growth of her own through her presence at the table.

“Terasa can be a haven,” she says, for both teacher and student. “It’s definitely the atmosphere, the informality, sharing stories and a meal, laughter and friendship. Perhaps bringing people with diverse backgrounds and language levels makes learning a new language seem attainable rather than impossible, fun rather than a task.”

Quite possibly, however, the biggest payoff of studying another language may be in the greater understanding of one’s self and of others.

“When I learn more about the lives of others,” says Margaret Miller, a freshman studying African languages and literature, “I find I’m learning more about myself.”