Log: Korvus and Sam, Wednesday afternoon (backdated)

[x-cannonball.livejournal.com]

Korvus and Sam chat after class, discussing how he's finding the course and his conversational skills.


Korvus stood and collected his books as English class ended. He didn't have a problem with proper grammar or spelling, leaving him with very good grades, but he felt unfulfilled as he was still having difficulty with casual conversation. Even in India most people were more casually proficient and would have adapted more easily to America but in his home they only spoke Hindi and he had spent almost his entire life before Madripoor as a Shiar; private tutors, affluence, but not many outside friends. He had a habit of being the last person to leave classes and today was no different.

Given most students' interest in getting out of class as soon as possible, it wasn't very often that Sam found students left in the classroom by the time he himself had packed things up and was ready to leave, but Korvus was one of those exceptions to the rule. He smiled as he saw him, walking over to his student. "So, how are you finding the class so far, Korvus? I hope I'm not making things too boring for you." He was smiling as he said this, though part of him was serious since teaching English was still a new position for him.

"I do not believe you can adjust my interest in he topic." Korvus offered, possibly intending to be reassuring. "I have been proficient in grammar, spelling, and vocabulary for years. I also speak two other languages that do not share a foundational etymology with only the occasional, minor error."

Sam took that as a positive remark, nodding at Korvus. "You really do have a solid grasp of the fundamentals, there's no denying that." He was pretty sure that the younger man could definitely teach him a thing or two when it came to other languages. "Is there anything you'd like to see on the reading list for the course, anything you'd especially find interesting to study?" Sam sat on the edge of one of the nearby desks as he spoke to him. He liked to canvas things like this with his students, trying to customize the workload to meet the individual student's interests as much as it could while still being educational.

"It is my desire to improve my conversational skills." Korvus admitted readily. "My suite mate insists I sound pretentious and thus off putting. It has caused tension in our relationship."

"That's a good goal, for sure. And, well." Sam rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of how best to phrase his remarks. "Maybe a little bit, but the truth is you're the one speaking correctly while the rest of us use more slang and colloquialisms." It was something that might take a bit of time for Korvus to adjust to in his new surroundings. "It'll come to you after awhile, I reckon. Things like... well, I'm a poor example, heh, but... here's an example. Instead of saying things like 'you all' I sometimes say 'y'all.' As in, how are y'all doing today?"

"I attempt to practice but I often make mistakes and I believe it is burdensome to my peers. My father did not approve of Hindi slang or colloquialisms any more than he would have in English. I am thus at a severe cultural disadvantage in fluency." Korvus offered in explination.

Sam nodded as he listened, rubbing his chin as he took in with Korvus was saying. "They are informal in nature, which is not for everyone I suppose." He wasn't sure what else to tell him. "Well, the only thing I could suggest would be to immerse yourself in the culture then. Maybe by getting familiar with how others speak and act that'll help you adopt those mannerisms to some degree. I mean, you could still be formal and fluent, just in a different manner, perhaps." Hopefully that made sense, Sam wasn't sure what else to recommend to the young man. "Other than that, how are you finding your time here?"

"Awkward." Korvus said with a soft laugh. "I have been watching American cinema to assist my linguistic adaptation but I have difficulty differentiating between some comedic elements and genuine cultural traits."

"Oh really? What movies have you seen?" Movies could have been a helpful asset, depending on what films he'd been watching at any rate. "It can be hard to tell sometimes, yeah."

"I have seen 'American Pie.' I have since been told that is not an appropriate case study. I thought, as with the idiom 'As American as apple pie,' that it would deal with American cultural traits. Certainly there were obvious cases of extreme humor in it but I did not realize the entirety of the interactions were satirical." Korvus said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's... that's not a good one." Sam loved pie as much as the next person but no, not even close to being appropriate. "I can see you'd think that, though, yeah, but no." He was just going to skate by any specific instances of extreme humour in it, as Korvus put it, and move on. "Movies might not be the best reference either. Or television, I suppose." He couldn't think of any shows off the top of his head that'd work either. "I think you'll be ok in time. People just need to understand it takes time to acclimate and that being formal isn't necessarily being pretentious."

"I will continue to insert myself in casual conversations." Korvus nodded, distilling Sam's advice for clarity as he agreed.