Good Morning. That’s what it is here, anyways. I write these updates on Saturday mornings, usually after I finish my homework for the weekend. There have been more tornadoes in Missouri this week and in states around us, but none close enough for us to worry yet. Apart from the weather, this week has been rather routine. I think that’s good…
In class, we’ve begun working with what is called the ‘grammatical hierarchy’. We started dealing with the smallest units of meaning, called ‘morphemes’. Soon we’ll move on to words, then phrases, sentences and discourse. Studying grammar as a linguist is different than studying English grammar. A linguist thinks of grammar in terms of how it can describe forms in any language, whereas English grammar is, of course, tailored for the English language. Terms are different, forms are different… and we are dealing with 3-5 languages per day. We try to identify what principles are at work and how in each language. So I look forward to dealing exclusively with one language.
When we get to a tribe, we will have a number of goals with one main theme- bringing glory to God. We hope to see this realized through planting a tribal church, dependent on God. In order to do this, we will need to clearly communicate the truth of God’s Word to them. Oftentimes, we have trouble communicating things in our own language. So imagine trying to teach complex concepts in another language and culture. It will be vital for us to understand their language and culture very well. Here is a literal translation of a sentence from a tribal language in the Philippines, which we worked with this week:
“Due for we decided we they able to harvest they, they ascend they they went to saw, mercy of God.”
Did that make any sense? Here is a loose translation which communicates the meaning, but not the exact form:
“For we had decided together that they would finish harvesting, then they would come up and start sawing, by the mercy of God.”
This just shows that tribal languages can form thoughts very differently than the way we do. Since it is so important that we understand how to communicate to the tribal people, we are working hard in class now on understanding how to analyze a language and learn their ways of communicating.
So there’s my linguistic thought for the week. I hope it made some sense. We just want you to have a better idea of what I (Lincoln) am learning in my class, and how that will help us down the road. Apart from school, Alisha has been helping make signs for the disc golf course here. Each sign will have a map of the hole and how far it is. She is using a wood burning torch to draw on blocks of cedar. She has also been asked to help decorate for a shower.
One other thing that Alisha has been doing is ‘school’ with Elroy. She’s been teaching him letters and numbers and how to write them. He is slowly catching on. As spring comes on, I’m reminded that we will only be here for a semester and a bit in the fall. Hopefully, we will soon pick a field to serve in, and when we get home, we can start our support raising. I often feel anxious about just getting to a field and to a tribe, but I know God has a purpose for every day, whether here or there.
Praise:
-The ongoing Bible teaching at the Lighthouse, and guys there who are eager to learn
-God’s purpose and plan in each day
Prayer:
-A good understanding of the ideas I’m learning in class now, so that I can apply them well in a tribe.
-I will be teaching a lesson at the Lighthouse in a couple weeks- so pray for clear communication of Biblical truth
-Finances
-Choosing a field of service
Thank you!
-The Missouri McIlroys