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I am fascinated by languages: their usage, their rules, their evolution, and their connections. This passion developed organically over the last decade, and it has proven indispensable in my myriad pursuits, from acting to computer programming to teaching. I want to study linguistics to learn more about the building blocks of communication, as I believe that they can serve as a compass to help us navigate an increasingly polarised world.
I've been exposed to foreign languages since I was very young, but it wasn't until I took Spanish II in Grade 11 when the seed that I am currently nurturing was planted; my teacher told me that I was performing very well, and that I should consider minoring in Spanish during my undergraduate studies. The idea sounded ridiculous to me! In my eyes, Spanish was simply another class to study for. I even remarked to my teacher that I thought she was overestimating me. As time has shown, though, she saw something in me that even I did not yet recognise.
When building my undergraduate schedule, I learned that I could take language classes to fulfill my humanities requirement. I chose to study Irish Gaelic because I was intrigued by it: I'd been interested in England for years due to consuming British media, but I had only a passing knowledge of Ireland and its history; I don't believe I even knew there was an Irish language before spotting it in the course catalog! I took two introductory courses with a fantastic professor, and as challenging as the course was at times, learning the syntax and grammar of another language, as well as the culture of the people who speak it, broadened my horizons; the world now seemed so much larger than before.
At the same time, my theatrical training introduced me to tai chi. After learning about chakras, I began to imagine strands of coloured energy flowing everywhere, and this imaginary spectral energy got me thinking: How many colours are there? I headed off to the library to begin my research.
As it turns out, this question does not have as straightforward an answer as one would hope. Are you searching for a mathematical answer? A scientific one? Biological? Cultural? Linguistic? Reading Brent Berlin and Paul Kay's 1969 book Basic Color Terms: Their Universality and Evolution was the true start to my linguistics journey. In it, I learned about the flexibility of language, how it can evolve in unique ways in countless different environments.
I dove deeper, reading about the linguistic relativity debate, the unknown origins of language, and the difficulty and artistry in translation. I was also intrigued by the evolution of language throughout technological revolutions, from the postal service to the World Wide Web. In the background, my drama degree placed me in dialect classes, where I learned to read some of the International Phonetic Alphabet; all of my interests were converging.
After graduating, I made use of my minor and became a teaching assistant for a web development bootcamp and a freelance web developer. While building sites for clients, I became interested in web accessibility; clear communication and accurate translation are key parts of making information easily accessible to all, both online and in the real world. I also found useful parallels between programming languages and human languages when explaining computer science concepts to students.
During my time in New York, I have made many immigrant friends, and in an attempt to connect with them more deeply, I began studying their languages. I am, unfortunately, far from fluent in any of them, but I will occasionally write to or text a friend in their native tongue. They seem to enjoy my endless questions, and their corrections often enlighten us both, as I am eager to connect the features of one language to another. These connections, or the lack thereof, is what I am eager to research.
In the popular consciousness, there is the concept of "untranslatable words", and while I don't believe in that idea, I have been intrigued by the similar concept of inexpressible feelings. As I've grown my personal vocabulary, I've found that one language often feels more equipped to express a certain emotion, not because other languages lack the word, but rather because the words or phrases are experientially different for both the speaker and the listener: the ideas carry not a different connotation, but a different life due to their sonic and temporal qualities. Encouraging linguistic diversity through the care and use of various languages, especially endangered ones, then, is as essential as maintaining the different ecological habitats across the globe; just as we travel through the physical environment, our ideas travel the linguistic environment. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected and digitised, understanding the intricacies of communication when moving between languages is vital to properly conveying the stories of others and ensuring their equitable access to the digital world.
The late Kenyan writer and academic Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o said that all languages are repositories of knowledge. I want to study linguistics so that I may become a steward of these repositories, deepening my own knowledge in order to empower others to deepen theirs, whether I am building digital tools for others, sharing my knowledge with them, or learning a new language in order to connect with those around me. I want to earn my master's degree abroad to immerse myself in another culture, and studying in Ireland, the home of the language that initially sparked this curiosity, is the perfect fit. It would be an honour to study at INSTITUTION_NAME.
Go raibh maith agaibh.