Wait, so what are you studying?
A question on one of my priority applications for housing this year asked me to describe my field of interest in the humanities (I was applying to the Humanities theme house). Unfortunately, it never got turned in, but I rather think it's the first time I've been able to put into coherent words exactly why I love foreign languages. It's still a developing theory, but this is my best attempt at describing it so far, so I thought I'd share. Here's a little peak into the mind of Jess.
If you want my major, it’s Comparative Literature. I’m focusing on Spanish, French, and Italian; however, that is most certainly not the definition of my academic passion, or even the reason I am in college at all. I am here because I am enchanted by the art of languages.
Languages aren’t just series of word-for-word equivalents that a person can translate with a dictionary. Each word has an individual meaning, reflecting its relationship to other words, to the culture behind the language (or the language behind the culture?), and to the people speaking it. Sentences are put together differently, the word order guiding the listener or reader toward the broader, complete meaning. In order to understand a language, you have to start thinking in a different mindset, because the roots of communication lie outside the definitions of the words one uses. Real communication lies in the way people associate different feelings, images, and ideas with various words and how they use those words and all the cultural baggage they carry to craft a narrative or relay thoughts to one another. I am fascinated by the question of how all of this combines to produce a language and a culture and an entire way of thinking about the world. I believe the best way to gain insight into a culture - and more importantly, a people - is to learn its language and its stories. You learn what they value and how they view their relationship to the world. Through languages, I seek to gain a broader, more complete understanding of all sorts of people and their histories.
The last sentence or two need tweaking with respect to word choice and sentence structure and there are a couple places that don't flow quite how I'd like them to, but overall I'm satisfied with it. :)
If you want my major, it’s Comparative Literature. I’m focusing on Spanish, French, and Italian; however, that is most certainly not the definition of my academic passion, or even the reason I am in college at all. I am here because I am enchanted by the art of languages.
Languages aren’t just series of word-for-word equivalents that a person can translate with a dictionary. Each word has an individual meaning, reflecting its relationship to other words, to the culture behind the language (or the language behind the culture?), and to the people speaking it. Sentences are put together differently, the word order guiding the listener or reader toward the broader, complete meaning. In order to understand a language, you have to start thinking in a different mindset, because the roots of communication lie outside the definitions of the words one uses. Real communication lies in the way people associate different feelings, images, and ideas with various words and how they use those words and all the cultural baggage they carry to craft a narrative or relay thoughts to one another. I am fascinated by the question of how all of this combines to produce a language and a culture and an entire way of thinking about the world. I believe the best way to gain insight into a culture - and more importantly, a people - is to learn its language and its stories. You learn what they value and how they view their relationship to the world. Through languages, I seek to gain a broader, more complete understanding of all sorts of people and their histories.
The last sentence or two need tweaking with respect to word choice and sentence structure and there are a couple places that don't flow quite how I'd like them to, but overall I'm satisfied with it. :)