Week Eight: Let's Talk about Kinyarwanda as a Reward

            In anticipation of midterm assignments, I think I shifted my attention away from Kinyarwanda a degree. I am not particularly proud of this, but I think my classmates and I have all agreed that, sometimes, it’s more prudent to concentrate on the assignment with the due date (in my case, a rough draft of a final project and a critical reflection) than it is language-study whose mission it is to be a life-long venture. Nonetheless, I have enrolled in a directed study now, and I have provided myself the time to study Kinyarwanda now, so I should probably take advantage of that, excuses be damned.

            Previously, I have talked about scheduling my language study into my weekly calendar of events, but when I have two extensive projects to focus on, it can be difficult to determine when exactly my time will be occupied and/or when I will be inspired to complete a certain task. For weeks like this or other weeks which I have difficulty maintaining language study, I will incorporate it into my break time. Indeed, when I am sit down and focus on a large project, I have a tendency to concentrate on that alone for an extended period, but I allow myself, as a “reward,” breaks. For example, if I write five pages for the seminar paper I am crafting, I allow myself to go to the bathroom (PSA: Your doctor would probably say this is ill-advised. Go to the bathroom when you need to go to the bathroom, lest you develop a urinary tract infection. Listen to your doctor). Or, furthermore, if I finish the seventeenth chapter in the book I am reading for class, I allow myself to write a blog post (True story! Please excuse me The Joys of Motherhood while I perform a metacognitive task). Accordingly, I see no reason why I shouldn’t include Kinyarwanda study into my break periods, especially as it will allow me to focus on multiple tasks in tandem, without really sacrificing one for the other.

            This week, I was also able to discuss Kinyarwanda with a variety of people, which was helpful and reassuring. First, I visited Dr. T in her office to discuss noun classes. Although she doesn’t speak Kinyarwanda, she is well-versed in other Bantu languages, particularly Swahili and Shona. During my visit, she helped me to identify patterns in the language, which not only helped me to understand why a certain connector was what it was, but it will also help me better present the language on my website, that is- in a way that will have my “students” anticipate and construct the patterns themselves.

Second, I had a number of colleagues over my apartment from the Department of African Languages and Literature for the first time, and while we were waiting for the rest to arrive, we were comparing languages and noting similarities and differences between numbers one through ten (rimwe, kabiri, gatatu, kane, gatanu, gatandatu, karindwi, umunani, icyenda, n’icumi), as well as a few other words and phrases. My guests were primarily Swahili speakers, but there was also a Zulu speaker present, and as these are all Bantu languages, there were a number of neat similarities to reflect on. However, one Swahili speaker, who also speaks Luo, noted that there were a number of similarities between Kinyarwanda and Luo, and as this is a Nilo-Saharan language, I found that to be intriguing. Regardless, N said she would enroll in a Kinyarwanda course if I were to ever teach one, though I indicated that I certainly wasn’t ready for that sort of challenge. And S and David said I could enroll in a Swahili course with them, which seems more my pace.

Finally, I also emailed a former student of Dr. T’s, L, who agreed to direct me to a few sources in Kinyarwanda. Presumably, we share another instructor in common as well, that is- Bayingana, who teaches Kinyarwanda at L’s current institution. Of course, I am excited for any resources L can provide me, but what I am most delighted about, though I wasn’t necessarily cognizant of it at the time, is that I spoke to an L2 speaker of Kinyarawnda. Sure, there are plenty of L2 speakers of African languages in my department, as well as in African Studies more broadly, and it stands to reason if they can do it, I can do it too; however, L is a more specific case. If he can study Kinyarwanda at the university and can now teach it at the same university, well, perhaps I can too. Perhaps. Or I can just learn to use it very well. I would be more-than-happy with that turn of events also.

Anyway, murakoze kandi ngaho.