And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech...

"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech...And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us a name, And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech..." Taken from Bible, Gen 11: 1-9

Some of my friends learn to speak tamil, I don't know the reason, but when they try speak tamil, they will make sure that no any indians are around, as if those indians will beat them up if they heard my friends speak like them. And, once, my friends and I were in malaysia. We mit some friends from Malaysia. So, curious me, I try to mimic the accent of a malaysian speaking chinese. My friend quickly stop me saiding that its rude to do so. Sometime, some of my friends feels that it is rude to mimic speaking other races languages or their accent. But I feel otherwise...

Sometime when we talked about speaking western languages (french,spanish,italian...etc) people feel cool about it, in some ways it is more high class. Well... look at it this, as compare to learn speaking local languages, surely I think it is more pratical to learn to speak local languages, as it can build up more trust and relationship amoung races. Imagine, if i'm in the shoes of that indian or that malaysian, I'll feel more than glad to know that someone is learning my language, trying to know more of me, my culture.

Here's a good example. Hudson Taylor, a missionarie, Founder of China Inland Mission, successfully bring the gospel into China. What's did he do that leads to such success...

"He told his Sunday-school teacher of his call, and was encouraged and given a copy of the gospel of Luke in a Chinese dialect...

Then he began studying the meaning of the Chinese letters in the little book his Sunday-school superintendent had given him. He knew that it would not be an easy task to learn the Chinese language and he wanted to begin as soon as possible. Some one had said that those who learned it needed "bodies of iron, lungs of brass, heads of oak, hands of spring steel, eyes of eagles, hearts of apostles, memories of angels, and lives of Methuselah." Though far from possessing all these qualifications Hudson went at it courageously and made good progress...

About this time Hudson met a German missionary who had come back from China. When this man noticed the light hair and eyes of the younger one he said, "Why, you would never do for China. They call me 'red
haired devil,' and they would run from you in terror! You could never get them to listen at all."...

For some time he considered the question of adopting Chinese dress, and finally decided to do so, believing he could accomplish more for the Lord in that way. He had his head shaved, leaving a little hair which would grow into a Chinese cue [hair tied at the back of the head in a braid, and with baggy trousers, white calico socks, satin shoes, and to complete the costume, a loose silk gown with wide sleeves, he attracted less attention, and won the hearts of the natives as he could not do when in English dress..."

Hudson Taylor, he did even more than just speaking their languages, he wear like them.

Another example is, this is a classic one. Every year, my church will sent the youth to thailand for mission work, and before the trip, we are all gear up, to learn their languages and culture so we could be like them, easier for us to spread the gospel to them. And only at that time, my friends don't feel that it is rude to speak somebody else language and their accent.

Just hope someday my friend, who learn to speak tamil, will one day, successfully spread the gospel to their tamil friends around them. If not, it will be waste of chance...