Hummingbird and Sparrow

Recently hummingbirds have been coming to my backyard every day. I hung a hummingbird feeder on my terrace two months ago. One month after I hung it, hummingbirds became guests of my backyard. They are kind of like pet hummingbirds. If the artificial nectar runs out, they fly and chirp above my head. I make nectar for them once a week. They are so cute. I love them.

Hummingbirds live in South America and North America including Alaska. I had never seen a hummingbird before I came to the U.S. However, I knew the name “Hummingbird” from my early years. I learned the term in English class at my junior high school. On the other hand, I didn’t know the English term “sparrow” until recently.

Sparrows are commonly seen everywhere in Japan. Even though it’s a popular bird in Japan, I didn’t know its English name because I had not had an opportunity to talk about sparrows in English until recently. I never learned the word “sparrow” during my school days.

I have many experiences like this. I know a lot of English words for things I have never seen. Here are animals I can name in English, but have never seen:

Anteater, hippopotamus, platypus and so on…

Here are animals I saw often in Japan, but couldn’t name in English before I moved to the U.S:

Wild boar, raccoon dog, flying Squirrel, mole, and so on….

When I explain Japan or Japanese culture, I sometimes stumble over English words. “Sparrow” is one of typical example. I think that most Japanese people who are acquiring English skills are probably like me. During my school days, I studied English more than 8 years. I focused on reading articles because reading skills were the most important for passing the university examination. These days, I really think that I should have interacted with native English speakers wherever possible in Japan and tried to explain something by myself. To me, English was just a subject needed for getting a good score on entrance examinations and regular examinations. If I had kids, I would give them an English education as a communication tool.