Arabic, German, Swedish, and a smattering of Ancient Greek. Sam Meade is not a language major and he may not be fluent yet, but these are all languages he’s studied in one way or another during his four years at Michigan State.
As an interdisciplinary humanities major, Sam’s three concentrations are in religion, theater studies, and ancient and classical Mediterranean studies; he also has a second major in history. Classes in three different languages might seem like an unusual addition on top of all that. But there is a common thread that connects them: through each unique lens, he’s learned about the formation of cultures and the ways in which we see others, especially those who are different from us.
Sam knew he wanted to study a language as an incoming freshman, but it was hard to choose one. So instead, he chose two. In his first semester, Sam took a 300-level German class, continuing after four years from high school, and Arabic 101, starting a new language as well. As anyone who’s studied multiple languages could guess, it started to get confusing as German vocabulary accidentally slipped into Arabic class, or vice versa. After one semester of Arabic and two of German, Sam took a hiatus from language learning, picking it back up just this year with an introductory-level class in Swedish.
Though the vocabulary and grammar of each language changes, he says that the feelings connected with learning a new language remain the same. “Every time you learn a language you have a lot of fear and anxiety, but also eagerness… I think that never changes.” For Sam, an important part of his language journey has been embracing that initial fear and deciding to keep pushing through—to learn that next word or phrase. The ability to recognize and overcome the mental barriers created by fear has not only helped him continue to learn new languages, it’s also translated to other areas of his life where fear might otherwise have held him back.
Thanks especially to the variety of languages Sam has studied, he’s come to understand one of the most valuable things language study has to offer: the ability to better understand other cultures. It’s something that remains relevant whether the language is technically needed to communicate with someone from another background or not. For example, Sam has realized that almost everyone from Sweden speaks English as well; however, he still learned a lot about the country’s culture by studying its language. As with any group of people, culture is deeply rooted in language, and learning that language can tell you a lot about their values and traditions. And language major or not, these lessons about culture and understanding relate directly to Sam’s studies.
In grad school, Sam hopes to continue studying the spread of nationalism, something he considers to be one of the biggest issues of the century. It’s also often tied directly to language. Videos regularly surface online that show how just having a conversation in a foreign language can bring out hatred and bigotry in complete strangers, who yell things like ‘speak English,’ and ‘go back to where you came from.’ Within this context, something as simple as taking a language class—starting the process of understanding other cultures and perspectives—can be extremely powerful. It’s why Sam hopes to continue studying languages in the future, to better understand the causes and solutions for nationalism wherever it occurs. The connection he makes can serve as a reminder for all of us. Just imagine: what hatred and violence might be avoided if we all made an effort to learn someone else’s language?
– Story by Katherine Stark
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