Which language are you interested in? Why does this language interest you? What are you most interested in learning about the language and the culture(s) which use it?
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I have always been interested in Asian Languages, particularly Japanese and Chinese mainly because of the complete structural difference in reference to English. I also sincerely enjoy languages with unique writing systems as well which drew me to Farsi in my self-directed language journey. The first word I learned in Farsi was in high school I was in my junior year reading Kite Runner in English class. The word was khoshtip, handsome. A classmate of mine in that class was from Afghanistan his name was Sahed and he defined the word for me. From that moment on I knew I wanted to eventually pursue the language even though I was still completely enraptured in Japanese. I even went as far as naming my fish (RIP) Khoshtip. I'm interested in the language one because of its different writing system and two because of current world affairs and the advantage I will have if I decide to travel to the Middle East. I'm most interested in learning conversational aspects of the language more so then the actual culture of those who speak it. Quite literally I would really enjoy to be able to tell others that I can speak a Middle Eastern Language.
I am interested in learning Hindi because I studied abroad in India and where I was taking an intense Hindi course. It was a language I have never had an opportunity to take before. Knowing a bit of Hindi helped me meet Indian people and learn more about their culture. My travelling around India was easier as I was able to manage around and negotiate prices. I felt I was a bit less of a tourist by communicating in Hindi. However, I still feel there is so much more I can improve and learn in Hindi. During this semester I would like to review and practice what I have learned a year ago.
As I hope to go back to India in the near future, it would be really useful keep and further improve my Hindi knowledge. By the end of the semester hope to be able not only to read a text, but also understand it better.
I am interested in learning polish. Or at least that is the first language that I have chosen to tackle in my larger goal of learning a language from each area of the modern world. I plan to learn each of these languages through an autonomous learning process and I believe that this self-directed language learning class will teach me how to successfully master japanese, portuguese, french, and arabic in the future. This language interests me currently because one of my best friends on campus is a native polish speaker and I am excited to see how being able to communicate with someone in their own native tongue instead of depending on their ability to speak english aids in removing a language barrier and understanding another and their culture. It is also my hope that after being taught the finer points of a foreign language by a friend this year I will be able to anticipate and imitate the details of other languages I plan to study in the future. I am most interested in becoming completely fluent in polish, that is, being able to have a flowing conversation about anything rather than learning how to talk about specific topics. I also want to be able to read and write polish correctly and with ease. I realize that these are lofty goals to be completed in a four month period but I plan on continuing my studies of polish after this semester until I become fluent as this is a lifelong aspiration of mine rather than a short term one. I am not so much interested in the culture of Poland itself so much as gaining the ability to more fully understand someone from Poland as an individual.
I am interested in learning hebrew. I went to a hebrew day school for my elementary schooling, but after I moved I was never able to further my education in hebrew and I have since forgotten most of what I have learned. I am interested in learning, or rather relearning, hebrew because it is part of my heritage and my religion. I can still read and write in hebrew but I can't understand it, so that is what I am interested in. I want to be able to understand something I have always been able to read, and I want to learn more about the culture and heritage from which both the language and I come.
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Cultural Post1.docx
I am interested in learning Hindi because I studied abroad in India and where I was taking an intense Hindi course. It was a language I have never had an opportunity to take before. Knowing a bit of Hindi helped me meet Indian people and learn more about their culture. My travelling around India was easier as I was able to manage around and negotiate prices. I felt I was a bit less of a tourist by communicating in Hindi. However, I still feel there is so much more I can improve and learn in Hindi. During this semester I would like to review and practice what I have learned a year ago.
As I hope to go back to India in the near future, it would be really useful keep and further improve my Hindi knowledge. By the end of the semester hope to be able not only to read a text, but also understand it better.