What is your interest in 'your' language and what do you hope to accomplish this semester?
My interest in studying Turkish began when I was in Spain this past summer. Someone in my research lab was from Turkey and he would teach me a few random words whenever I would ask him. Jokingly, I told him that I would learn how to speak Turkish and communicate with him the next time that I encounter him in the future. I am excited about this class because it will allow me to turn this into an actual possibility. I know that it will require a lot of effort because the language is less connected to other languages that I have studied. However, I am still striving to reach a B2 level in the language.
Comments
@Taiyaba I definitely know more Spanish than Turkish, because I have spent so much more time studying Spanish and learning about the different cultures in Spanish speaking communities. This semester in particularly, I feel like I have been studying Turkish more than Spanish, but that is because Turkish actually requires more time. I think Spanish is kind of second nature at this point. I am obviously not perfect when speaking but I can almost always eventually find a way to get my message across. I think my Turkish is going to need a couple more years for me to get there haha.
Wow Zach, this is really cool! This sudden, random encounter launched you into learning a year of learning Arabic! Do you think you now know more about Turkish than Spanish? Which language do you identify with more? This is similar to what happened to me, I was exploring a tourism site for Portugal and just thought "Why don't I try learning this!" Its funny how things like this change what we are interested in!
This is awesome Zach! I hope I can go to Barcelona next summer and meet this person! You, Em and Matt were the inspiration for my Catalan studies (with Dr. Q's encouragement, of course). I wish I had the chance to talk more to you guys about your experience there... We should meet up soon!
It always amazes me that the seeds of curiosity can be planted without great expectation or anticipation. You identify a tangible goal in your post: to communicate with your friend from your travels in Spain! Do you still keep in touch? It'd be excellent for you to connect over Skype for a brief conversation at some point soon for you to show him what you've learned. Let's talk soon about how to record a brief conversation to stimulate continued reflection.