It takes a long, long time.

I’d like to learn Italian. But maybe it’s too late. Takes a long, long time to learn a language. Probably more time than I have left. Another reason why I’d like to live forever. So I’d have time to converse fluently in Italian. I sense it’s a beautiful language. Maybe even more beautiful than English. Which is extraordinarily beautiful. And bountiful, too. But fact of the matter is that I’m still learning English. And I’m in my 75th year. So many expressive words in English. And I don’t know nearly all of ‘em. Actually, we English-speaking people are still inventing words. The thing is, I’m learning new words daily. In all sorts of languages. Not merely English. But I need to know more English. Because it’s my primary language. In a sense, my only language. Because I feel grossly inadequate in other languages. And only adequate in English. Maybe that’s the way I would feel even if I had forever. Like I say, it takes a long, long time to learn a language. –Jim Broede