Both my parents are Lebanese immigrants, and I grew up hearing French, Arabic, and English at home. My father taught me to speak French when I was younger, and I studied grammar and structure in school for 7 years. I can fully understand Lebanese spoken Arabic, but cannot speak it well. I practice my French and study Arabic every summer in Lebanon. I'll be starting Spanish at Stanford next year.
I spend every summer in Lebanon with friends and family, and I love the country and its people, but I was always bothered by the fact that I didn't fully fit in. My family always called me American, which I was proud of, but I didn't understand why I wasn't included in their exclusive Lebanese categorization. Back home, I was never fully American either. I didn't know the names of classic songs, t.v. shows or movies that my friends watched and listened to and I pronounced certain words incorrectly. It seemed that I didn't fit in anywhere. It's amazing to me that language can play such an important role in the formation of one's identity and sense of belonging.
Over the years, I've noticed several other puzzling aspects of language. Like why can I sometimes think of a way to express myself in French but can't think of the English equivalent? And why can I fully understand Arabic but not form the same phrases myself? Also, are languages reflections of cultures, or do cultures shape languages. I'm interested in more than just the languages themselves but also how they affect people and communities. That's why I decided to take this class. Also, I wanted to be amongst students who shared an interest in languages and cultures. I'm excited to learn from a group of students who come from diverse backgrounds. :)
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