{"id":2075,"date":"2025-04-15T16:06:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T23:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/?p=2075"},"modified":"2025-06-25T10:48:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:48:25","slug":"whats-in-the-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/2025\/04\/15\/whats-in-the-language\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s in the Language?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Another reason to enroll in a course \u2014 you get to understand your international friends\u2019 childhood cartoons \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a prevailing idea that Languages \u2014 unlike Chemistry, Economics or Anthropology \u2014 can be self-taught without having to sign up for classes or immersion programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To what extent is it true? While self-teach apps like Duolingo made a lingua-revolution in the language learning sphere, taking a class specifically dedicated to acquiring a new language has its hidden perks that not many know of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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  1. Language isn\u2019t just a collection of words and grammar rules \u2014 it\u2019s about opportunities. Learning a language as a part of a college course can open doors that aren\u2019t available if you decide to learn it on your own. Many college departments, especially those at Reed, have grants, fellowships and access to opportunities that are only known if you work in close contact with the Language and Literature professors. For instance, Middleburry Immersion program that we wrote about recently prefers students with some form of language background that can be easily proven if you have a language listed on your transcript. Or perhaps you want to carry out a summer research dedicated to your favorite book? Well then look no further than Ruby Lankford Grant \u2014 and being familiar with language professors increases your chances of being chosen!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Practice. Independence in language learning is important and nurtures one\u2019s discipline but any language is inherently a social construct that can be polished and perfected through other\u2019s feedback. Enrolling in a language course will put you closer not only to other students but native speakers and Language Scholars who specialize in teaching language acquisition to non-native speakers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. It\u2019s \u201cofficial\u201d. And while many would say that a \u201cpiece of paper\u201d doesn\u2019t matter and that any language knowledge unleashes itself in practice, many employers would love to see a Language course spelled out on your official transcript as a strong evidence for the skills you\u2019ve gained. Jus simply stating that you know a language might not be sufficient in contemporary-day competitive job market so having an extra skill that you can show off is a great reason to enroll in a college-level language course.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Did you encounter other reasons to take a language course? Share them with in comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There\u2019s a prevailing idea that Languages \u2014 unlike Chemistry, Economics or Anthropology \u2014 can be self-taught without having to sign up for classes or immersion programs. To what extent is it true? While self-teach apps like Duolingo made a lingua-revolution in the language learning sphere, taking a class specifically dedicated to acquiring a new language … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “What\u2019s in the Language?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2784,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-levels"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2784"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2110,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions\/2110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}