Language and it's Sex Appeal

You wouldn't know it just by looking at him, but former Gov. Jon Huntsman, is dead sexy.

This silver foxed Mormon with the grin of gold is pushing his way into my heart with only one charming attribute. It's not his conservative financial reform plan, no, it's something that makes him hated by the other 2012 GOP Presidential Candidates.

He can speak Mandarin.

I watched him weasel his way out of telling us what he really thinks about GOP pick Mitt Romney, on the Colbert Report yesterday. . . in Mandarin! Of course, the man was an ambassador in China from '09 to '11, so he must of picked something up!

But like I said, this is something that makes him reviled within his own party. This "living abroad with Mao" among other things is despicable to the "new" American Conservative. Nevermind, a certain soulless Henry Kissinger was in China so much, he probably had a second family over there.

This resentment towards other languages is boiling over into our political sphere and it's threatening our global relationships. You can see how our relationship with Mexico has colored our perception of language dramatically. "Why the fuck do I need to know Mexican?!" You can picture anyman Redneck spitting this question on to the pavement.

One of the many things that attracted me to my husband, Noah, was his grasp of language. If I asked: "Hey babe, what language family does Bantu come from?" And without skipping a beat or looking away from the television, he'd give me an intelligible answer and that's hot. But maybe I'm just a word nerd.

To me, a man that can speak another language outside of English, is a game changer. Would I pursue married, Mormon Jon Huntsman? No, not at all, but this makes his political message slightly more palatable. He's not a total dick.

I'm currently in Noah's grammar class learning about the history of English. Listening to him challenge his students on what they think they know about English is fasinating. He's showing that there is still a need to know something outside of our borders. At it's most basic, learning another language gives us a better appreciation and understanding of English. Do you know how many different people battled and married so we could get our beloved English? Quite a few! The Normans, Anglo-Saxons, the Norse, the Romans! JEEZ!

So yes, there is a need for learning other languages. Don't be arrogant enough to believe that English is the lingua franca and that the rest of the world will come to you. Don't think that the invention of cool new translating software will make learning unnecessary.

Well think about it like this, if I were still single and a guy approached me trying to "spit game" with this: "Hey girl, you are lookin' fine, head to toe. You need some of this." I would promptly laugh in his face. (Of course, there's a good chance that men don't even speak like this anymore, not since 1987.)

But maybe things would be different if same guy "spit game" in this manner: "Hey girl, tu es si jolie, la tête aux pieds. Vous avez besoin de cela." (I hope that this means the same thing I typed into Google Translate. THIS IS WHY I SHOULD LEARN FRENCH!!)