Saturday, February 5, 2022

The languages of love

 In the kitchen researching for the doctorate
Black marker on bond paper
12 x 14 inches
Barbara Muir © 

One of the great pleasures in my life has been travel.  I love going somewhere new, and 
finding out about how little I know.  I was lucky to grow up in Ottawa, and to start learning
French at a young age. So I can stumble a bit in that language. I took German in grade 10, and 
somehow those lessons stuck, so I can understand some of what my fellow artists post on 
Instagram, Facebook and their blogs. I am part Italian, and can understand a little Italian.  
I'm married to a Dutch Canadian, and have a wonderful Dutch friend in the Netherlands, 
so a few Dutch words have come to me that way. A smattering of Latin helps me decipher 
some English words.

But I just read that there are 6500 spoken languages in the world.  I feel lucky that
my curiosity about languages continues.  I also feel lucky to teach a one night a week
writing course to people from all over the world, which has made me aware of how little
I know about the world and its many rich languages.

To be fair English tops the list of the 12 most popular languages in the world. But how
wonderful it is to be able to say thank you to someone in their own language.  And how
lonely it must feel to walk through the streets of Toronto and not hear your own language.
So on this day in the Month of Love, I'd like to add language as one of the things I love.  

Have a loving learning new things day.

2 comments:

Evelyn Oldroyd - painter said...

How wonderful to have a bit of so many languages! I love them too and find English words so interesting with roots in many languages. Beautiful happy drawing❣️❣️❣️❣️

Barbara Muir said...

Thank you Evelyn. I wish I had more. I can say thank you in several more. But wouldn’t it be amazing to be able
to say thank you in 6500 languages?

Thank you for your kind comments. I love your work.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara


Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!