Learning a new language

After nearly 20 years as a pilot I was rather surprised to find a lifestyle with a language more complex than aviation. We picked up our books for our ASA101 course today and the list of terms is daunting to say the least. I'm sure that some day this language will become second nature, but for the time being it is very much like putting on new school clothes in September that feel too stiff and not broken in. When is a rope not a rope? When it's a sheet or a halyard or a lifeline or a rode or...