A brief Q&A with Dr. Aleka Akoyunoglou Blackwell, an associate professor at Middle Tennessee State University. She teaches linguistics and has an M.A. in Slavic Linguistics (U of Illinois/Urbana) and a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics (Boston U.). Dr. Blackwell has been actively involved in the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad since its early years, and she organizes an annual regional Linguistics Olympiad at MTSU.
1. What languages do you speak or have studied?
I am a native speaker of Greek. I studied English starting at age 5. I studied French from age 12 to age 18. I studied Russian in college and in graduate school. I am currently trying to learn Japanese.
2. Why do you think learning about languages/linguistics is important?
I find languages fascinating. I enjoy seeing and understanding the variety in grammatical structures across different languages. I am excited to see how human brains have lexicalized concepts differently across different languages. I also love understanding cultures through their lexical choices. One of my favorite books is Anna Wierzbicka’s Understanding Cultures through Their Key Words: English, Russian, Polish, German, and Japanese.
Learning about languages and linguistics is valuable and important for numerous reasons. Language is a reflection of a person’s identity and culture. People’s nationality, history, and religion are tied to the use of language. Connecting with other people is primarily accomplished through the use of language. As far as the study of linguistics specifically, this field of study builds critical and lateral thinking in students.
3. Could you describe any personal experience where language/linguistics had made an impact somehow?
In my case, English was the language which fascinated me first in life. I watched my older sisters learning English with a private tutor and I could not wait to join the lessons. My parents could not hold me back, so by the age of 5, I attended the lessons and completed homework. I was hooked. I found it fascinating that different sets of sounds could mean the same thing for different people (Greek vs. English speakers). I was intrigued that there were words in Greek which could not be translated into English faithfully and fully. I have since become an expert of English and have, in fact, built my whole career around it. I currently teach college courses on the Structure of English (Grammar) and it’s one of my favorite courses to teach. At age 50, I am still learning new English words and feel the excitement and wonder I felt when I was a little girl.
4. What is one interesting topic/sub-field/language you'd recommend linguistics/language lovers to look at, and why?
This is a difficult question to answer because I find all areas and sub-fields of linguistics interesting. Currently, the field of neurolinguistics is providing some fascinating insights into language and will be providing linguists with discoveries which should inform our theories of how language is stored, processed, and accessed. I just finished reading the book called Louder than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning, a great and accessible book to introduce you to this line of research.
:)
Aleka
Comments