Learning Pashto

On any given day where we are not in "the field" (a broad term encompassing training areas spread all over Southern California) you can expect to see language training on the schedule. There are two main languages spoken in Afghanistan, Pashto and Dari. Pashto, or the language of the Pashtuns, is used mostly in the south and the east. Dari (otherwise known as Afghan Farsi) more in the west where Afghanistan borders Iran. Many educated Afghans can speak both languages, but with a literacy rate of 4%, the odds of finding one is rare. My unit therefore focuses on the language we will most likely be using: Pashto.

The first time I looked at a weekly training schedule, I knew something was wrong with this so-called language training. It was plastered across every day for at least two hours, generally after noon chow. There were two explanations for this: either we had a dedicated Pashto speaker who was going to train use as a unit; or someone was using it as an excuse to avoid coming up with real training. In my experience, few people can sit down and work on anything by themselves for more than twenty minutes without getting distracted.

My first session revealed the answer. It was a joke: the training consisted in sitting at computers without speaking, running through the Rosetta Stone Pashto course with headphones on. I think it took six minutes before the first Marine was texting under the desk. Maybe five minutes.

My team and I sat through four of these days without complaint until I felt like I was going to lose my mind. It's not that Rosetta Stone is worthless, quite the contrary. It is, however, poorly tailored to the Marine Corps deployment cycle; Marines do not have enough time to get comfortable with the basic language before heading overseas. We instead focused on learning simple, direct phrases that are important to our civil affairs mission. I saw no need for us to know how to say "Two boys and one girl on the table."

I approached LT on a Friday (when he was sure to be in a good mood) and pitched my plan: Let me take the Marines and run through audio clips I've downloaded onto my computer. We can simulate conversations dealing with questions, important nouns - buildings, farm equipment, money - and pick up the habit of speaking in full sentences. LT didn't even hesitate. "Good, go do it." In case you didn't know, these are the four greatest words a Sergeant can hear.

These shorter, interactive sessions were received well by the guys. Some of the Rosetta Stone stuff helped, but their inability to say "Thank you" or "My name is" showed how little was being accomplished; they had, after all, been working on their Pashto for over a month before I got to the unit.

Mumbles actually shows the most aptitude for Pashto, proving yet again that God has a sense of humor. The others work hard but tend to get caught up in the repetitions and do not listen carefully to the accent and inflection. My time working on Spanish in college helped my ear and I try to work with everyone on pronunciation. Dominano has a hard time understanding why Pashto cannot have a Spanish accent.

On days or weeks when we go to the field I try to maintain our level of proficiency through games. I might have the Marines call out radio frequencies in Pashto, or count pull-ups out loud that way. People tend to stare when we exercise as a team with push-ups and count "Yow, Dwah, Dre - Yow! Yow, Dwah, Dre - Dwah! Yow, Dwah, Drew - Dre! Yow, Dwah, Dre - Saloor!.

I harbor no illusions about this training. We can only lay the groundwork and hope everyone gets enough exposure in Afghanistan to actually speak to locals. If we learn nothing else, however, it's a great exercise to build up the team's camaraderie.