Local Chiropractor Can Teach You 40 Languages in Five Weeks

Dr. Ralph Carrozza was waiting for an attendant at a gas station in New Jersey. After awhile, he grew a little impatient and went inside to speak to the attendant. Carrozza politely told the man he had been waiting for a while. The attendant replied that he was very, very busy and would get to Carrozza in a few minutes. Carrozza noticed his accent and asked, "Do you speak Arabic?"

The man nodded and Carrozza said a few words in Arabic, which translated to "peace is with you and God's mercy."  After this very respectable greeting, the attendant dropped everything and was suddenly not so busy. Carrozza realized then he could receive immense respect if he initiates a bridge of communication between different cultures.

Carrozza will host a "Intro to Foreign Languages A to Z" class as part of the educatioin program offered at the Marple Newtown Recreation Department and will focus on a variety of cultures, languages, and the value of communication.

A five-week course, the class will meet once a week from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Carrozza encourages students to stay past class time to practice or discuss the evening's lesson.

It begins on Tuesday, April 5, and continues to May 3 at the . The class is $45 and there are still spaces left. Carrozza is also very flexible about setting up time outside of class in case a student is absent. His main goal is to share his love of language. Along with his Doctor of Chiropractic degree, he has a Bachelor of Science degree in education.

Carrozza began his language quest about five years ago when, as a full-time chiropractor, he wanted to communicate better with his foreign patients.

"Communication is key to any type of health care," he says.

His mentor was one of his patients who happened to be a linguist for the government and knew 20 languages. Due to an auto accident, the patient was cam in more frequently but some of the regular visits turned into a lesson session for Carrozza. Soon after, Carrozza caught on and felt very confident in his abilities.

"These other languages aren't as hard as people think," says Carrozza. In fact, English is the hardest to learn."

His approach to teaching focuses on phonetics and how the word sounds. He creates a dialogue and associative patterns in the words to make them memorable. One of Carrozza's examples is as follows: in Chinese (specifically Mandarin), the key word is "knee" as heard in "Chinese." 

Knowing this key phrase can lead to memorizing three different phrases. "Hello" is "Ni-hao." Then he takes it a step further, "How are you?" is "Ni-hao ma."  Lastly, he shows the response to these questions, "Good" is "Hao," and it is the same "hao" used in the previous two statements. The relationship between sounds helps create an auditory pattern that many students find easy and fun.

Carrozza has taught this class about six times in different locations throughout Delaware County. He has even brought this class to 's nursing program, which allowed him to incorporate many of the patient phrases he uses on a regular basis in his practice.

Carrozza also gave his class to ESL teachers in the . Once they began using the simple and friendly phrases Carrozza taught, the teachers found their students much more receptive in the classroom.

The class is designed for everyone who is interested in other cultures. Carrozza has seen a variety of students ranging from travelers, bankers, sales people and teachers.

Carrozza's passion for understanding and teaching languages is infectious. He shows others how easy and enjoyable it can be to speak a new language, or 40 new languages. Despite being familiar with 70 languages, he still finds it fascinating to discover a new dialect or language. His ideals of positive communication will enhance your life personally and professionally.

To sign up for "Intro to Foreign Languages A to Z," contact Marple Newtown Recreation Department.