Beyond the pale of understanding.

Learning a language. How does one go about it? Really, isn’t it by listening? My cats, for instance, have a distinct language. That I pick up. By listening. And observing. I’ll be living in Italy. Most of the winter. Though I’ll never be fluent in Italian. I often understand the gist of the conversation. By listening to the tone. And watching very animated gestures. And by picking up familiar and meaningful words. Doesn’t matter. Whether the language is French or German or Czech. Listening is the key.  One learns baby talk that way. Political speak, too. Which is harder to understand than dementia speak.  Political speak often makes absolutely no sense. Whether one listens, or not. Yes, beyond the pale of human understanding. –Jim Broede