Why Languages?

Want to learn a new language but feel daunted or unsure where to begin? You don't need some special talent or a "language gene," says Lýdia Machová. In an upbeat, inspiring talk, she reveals the secrets of polyglots (people who speak multiple languages) and shares four principles to help unlock your own hidden language talent -- and have fun while doing it.

Professor Schwegler’s research emphasizes the study of Latin America from a linguistic, social, and historical perspective. This talk illustrates how linguistics and population geneticists have recently managed to reconstruct the precise African roots of descendants of African slaves that were transshipped some 400 years ago from Black Africa to Latin America. The talk focuses on Palenque (Colombia), where special African traditions and an unusual creole language have been preserved to this day.

Ben Elwy ’23 designed and taught a free Arabic language and culture program to kids at his local library in Wellesley, Massachusetts this summer to share his love of language and to build community across cultures in his hometown. As a participant in the new Service Starts with Summer (3SP) program, Elwy committed 100 hours to his service project.