UCSB. Source.

I first came to UCSB as a declared Global Studies major. It’s a bit broad—you know, studying the globe and all—but generally encompasses the fields of international relations, political science, sociology, anthropology, environmental studies. . . . In theory the major would be perfect for me, since I am interested in other countries, languages, and grew up with some very politically-charged family members. However, I soon came to realize how truly depressing it could be to study global affairs day in and day out. Every Powerpoint slide in the Intro classes touched upon some new atrocity the U.S. government had committed in the past week, some new war we were about to enter, some new famine hitting Africa that was producing hoards of round-bellied children. It was simply too much. Instead of instilling me with hope and motivation to do something, I started feeling like it was best to start making funeral arrangements, should the next terrorist attack or natural disaster strike much closer to home.

During this time I took an Intro to Linguistics class, since I had always been interested in the practical use of languages. And I discovered an odd and foreign feeling. There is nothing depressing about the way our mouth produces sounds, or the way certain words are constructed, or how different cultures use language differently. The saddest theme that class managed to touch upon was the fact that some remote languages in the far corners of the earth are disappearing—sobering indeed, but a far cry from the tragedies of nuclear warfare and infanticide. After that first class I went on to explore the social side of linguistics—how language is used in social settings and across cultures—and since that day I haven’t looked back. Certainly there are aspects that I don’t find thrilling about the field (namely, syntax, which should come as no great shock), but overall I love what I study, and thoroughly loved applying a linguistic vantage point to learning a new language in Spain. I’ve drawn on my linguistics studies as a major theme in this blog, with the hope that it will spark an interest in others as well!

About The Author

Jenny

Jenny Marshall studied Language, Culture, and Society at the University of California Santa Barbara, and now teaches English in Spain. Here she writes about the intersection of language and culture, and lives a life translated by travel.