Building connections through language
Humber Polytechnic and the University of Guelph-Humber are made up of a diverse student body with many domestic and international students. Around campus, you can hear students speaking in different languages, and each represents a unique and interesting part of an eclectic student body.
There is an element of connection that can be explored through belonging to a group of like-minded individuals, but ultimately, we are all united by speaking student!
Let’s delve in and speak to students about their experiences and whether they speak a second (or third) language.
Do you speak two languages?
Name: Thi Phuong Thao Le
Pronouns: She/Her
What languages do you speak?
Thi Phuong Thao Le grew up in Vietnam and started learning English at an early age. Starting in third grade her parents invested teaching her English through schooling. She took extra classes and watched English channels growing up to practice. At the time this was very rare in her community.
“I know that IGNITE has a VSA (Vietnamese association club). I can connect with people who speak the same language and have the same culture, and I can connect with to feel at home. I write diaries in English and dream in English. I also dream in Vietnamese sometimes when I am talking to my parents.” said Thao Le.
Are you planning to learn another language?
“I want to learn Spanish. I like a lot of Spanish songs, and I want to learn to sing them and to understand them better. I articulate myself better in English,” Thao Le said.
Do you speak three languages?
Name: Jappamdeep Singh
Pronouns: He/Him
What languages do you speak?
Where Jappamdeep Singh was born, there were mostly two languages that were spoken in his community, Hindi and Punjabi. His natural curiosity led him to learn languages apart from those two when he made his way to Canada.
“English would truly be one of the most commonly spoken languages in the North American continent and Canada being one of the countries [having] this language as the first language, and usually back home we converse in English when we are at school or at colleges or meeting friends, but when you are with your family you speak your native language.
Studying at Humber for almost two years made my English proficiency great.
Working with IGNITE as a cherry on top because everyone we converse with even though they are from different parts of the world, they speak the same language to promote inclusivity and making the other person comfortable,” Singh said.
Are you planning to learn another language?
When he first went to Quebec, French was spoken. It was difficult to talk to locals and intrigued him towards learning French. The language that he is now practicing and currently has a 50-day streak on Duolingo is French. He currently speaks currently speaks three languages and is on his way to a fourth.
Do you speak four languages?
Name: Kamilla Martirossyan
Pronouns: She/Her
What languages do you speak?
Kamilla Martirossyan was born in Kazakhstan and in her country the two official languages are Russian and Kazakh. She speaks both languages in addition to Ukrainian, however Russian was always her first language.
“Almost all my friends are Russian speakers because we have a large community of Ukrainian and Russian people on Lakeshore campus. Working here at IGNITE, we have two Russian speaking co-workers who are my friends. My friends are Mariia and Marina, and we became friends first and then we became coworkers,” said Martirossyan. She started learning English when she was six years old, as part of an integrated school program.
“Speaking English was always a part of my journey, just because it was really a base to know English and it was a non-negotiable thing to speak, learn and know and it helped me to be more confident with myself because it’s a form of self-expression.”
Are you planning on learning another language?
“I would really like to learn French but unfortunately but after learning English I feel like I reached my max in terms of learning languages,” Martirossyan explained.
We all speak IGNITE
You might speak one language, and that’s great! Whether you speak more than one language or have commonalities with those who might share a second (or third, or fourth) language, we all speak the same post-secondary language: IGNITE!
That means finding what makes us similar rather than what makes us different. To connect with others, you have to communicate, and your language is part of your story, as shown with our interviewees!
A special thanks to Thi Phuong Thao Le, Kamilla Martirossyan and Jappamdeep Singh for being gracious with their time and allowing us some insight into their stories!
Feature image courtesy of IGNITE.
We know that learning new languages can be difficult! One thing we do have in common is we all need to eat!
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