The Imporance of Being a Linguist

Leila Shearon
Engl 1101
Mrs. Hughes
Blog 1


When I ask myself the question, “has language affected my life?” my first response is no. As I think further into the subject I realize that language has affected my life a great deal. Despite the obvious fact of I am able to communicate with others in my life and create relationships of many kinds. A very important relationship at the present time that is effected by language is the relationship that I share with my boyfriend. He is actually from Haiti. He is fluent in Creole, French, English, and is presently learning Spanish. I have learned phrases in French and Creole. I also listen to many conversations between him and his family. Many times him being multilingual makes things interesting and different. Many people in America are limited to few ways of say things. He has many options. (I love you, Te amo, Je t 'aime, Mwen renmen 'w) It also can create problems. The strong accent can create issues throughout conversations. Languages make life interesting and enable people to interact with others at different levels. I have many Hispanic acquaintances. I also met many other people of different linguistic backgrounds, Hungarian, German, Russian, Polish and many others, during a tour of Eastern Europe. During a theater production in high school I also had to mimic a Brooklyn accent. I was surprised how my attitude changed as my voice was altered to fit the role of my character. I also played the role of an older southern rich woman. As I lengthened the vowels throughout the words of the script my attitude changed as well. I became an elderly woman that was kind yet was able to stand on her two feet. As I write this blog the realization of how something so common as language or an accent can affect ones attitude, thoughts, and relationships with others that you encounter in your life.