Many UT students are required to complete a level of proficiency in a language of their choice for their degree plan. When your grade depends on it, learning a language through coursework can encourage a pattern of maintaining and increasing language skills – but fluency is quickly lost afterwards.
The lack of fluency can be detrimental to students’ understanding of the world, compassion towards others and perception of other cultures. Language offers a window into another culture’s traditions, beliefs and ways of communicating.
Students should maintain their newly learned language by taking advantage of books, movies and on-campus organizations that focus on the language they’re learning. Texas Language Center offers resources to maintain language skills, develop new ones and become part of a community.
“Speaking two or three languages is great, not only in terms of what you can accomplish in communicating with people, but also in terms of your own cognitive development,” said Sergio Romero, a linguistic anthropologist and associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese. “When you speak (multiple) languages, you’re stimulating your brain and cognitive abilities in ways that you wouldn’t be able to do if you spoke only one language. It also opens the door to a wonderful universe of cultural patterns and ways of engaging people that would not be possible if you didn’t know that second or third language.”
In today’s political climate, learning another language is pertinent to creating a welcoming environment and a sense of belonging in the community. It is also a minimal way to accommodate those who may feel targeted as an “other” within the US.
“What we’re seeing is a particular moment in the history of the United States in which anything foreign is seen as dangerous, as a threat,” Romero said. “But that is just a consequence of the political circumstances that have happened in the country in the last 10-15 years. (There has been) a certain devolution of democracy, a certain failure on the part of politicians (and) a certain expansion of the powers of certain groups of interest. … Culture, foreign languages and immigration have become a very useful route of escape to other issues. They’re blaming migrants, for example. They’re blaming foreign languages. They’re asserting that the study of foreign languages is not necessary for a good education.”
Learning about another language and culture offers new perspectives that can foster empathy and understanding in ways that may be different than your own. Just because it may not be the norm for you doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer new learning opportunities and outlooks of the world around you. Languages reflect other individuals’ experiences — creating an opportunity to better understand the world.
“We’re automatically learning different languages, different cultures and different ways of being in the world,” said Vivian Flanzer, director of the Portuguese Language Program and professor of instruction. “It’s interesting because the more I discuss this with my students about the other culture, they also automatically reflect about their own culture. … I think you’re automatically learning about different ways of being in the world and being more tolerant and more understanding.”
Standardized English is controversial because, in reality, there is no correct way to speak or write; there is only a standard that has been defined to exclude others. This is one of many perspectives that outline how damaging the American education system can be to other languages, accents or dialects.
Taking the time to truly learn and maintain your language fluency and knowledge can broaden perspectives, foster a welcoming environment and aid in a more diverse learning experience — a stepping stone to fighting the racial profiling and exclusion of those impacted by recent legislation.
Rail is an English, anthropology and rhetoric and writing senior from El Paso, Texas.
