I've never been one to pick up other languages very well. Once upon a time I used to speak Tagalog, Cebuano (from Cebu), and even French! Not at the same time, but as time wore own and the people with whom I spoke to left my life or I left theirs, my ability to speak these languages faded away.

My mother, a Filipina who does speak Tagalog and Cebuano decided that speaking these languages would interfere in my ability to speak English properly. And since my dad could 'only' speak English (he spoke Spanish fluently, and French with working capacity), my mom stopped conversing with me in her native tongue. After moving to India from the Philippines, I had nobody to talk to and, thusly, it faded from my memory.

Living in Bangalore, I have tried to learn the language of the state with some difficulty. Kannada is a strange language, and the script looks quite amazing. Here, have a sample:

ನಾಯಿ ತನ್ನ ಚೆಂಡುಗಳನ್ನು ನೆಕ್ಕಲು ಬಯಸುತ್ತದೆ.

Looks quite pretty, does it not? What's it say? It's supposed to say: "A dog likes to lick its balls", but I've been told that Google Translate isn't very accurate, so I don't know what it actually really says.

That aside, I'm in the same boat as non-Kannada speakers. I only speak a smattering few words in the language, but I see the instant response. If you speak Kannada, you're automatically a superstar. In fact, you become part of their family and, after saying more than a few words, you'll be invited to join the person you're talking to to their house for food and drink. Honestly, I've taken a few up on the offer with very happy memories and rewarded with long-lasting friendships.

Anyway, let's begin the lesson.