Culture of Language Speaker Series
The Culture of Language speaker series celebrates cultures through the lens of language - how language impacts thought, behavior, social interactions, brain development, cultural identity, and more.
Living & Learning in a Second Language: Student Panel
June 2021 | Zoom Recording
If you think that the Caltech curriculum is hard, try tackling it in a second language. Caltech international students share their stories, challenges, and tips from living and studying in a language different from their first language. This moderated panel features Mi Lei from China, Daniela Osorio Rodriguez from Colombia, and Ahmed Soliman from Egypt. Don't miss a word of it.
A Tour of Accents with Erik Singer
July 2021 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM PT | Zoom Recording
Erik Singer is a New York-based dialect coach and voice actor in commercial voice-overs, audiobooks, and animation. With more than 10 years' experience teaching workshops in speech and accents to actors and to other voice and speech teachers and professional dialect coaches, his expertise is in the sound systems of languages and accents, and in a process of accent acquisition. He even collects accents, so you can donate your accent! Erik Singer was featured in the New York Times about his popular YouTube videos. Join Erik Singer on a tour of accents!
Can You Lose a Language You Never Knew?
Thursday, July 22 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM PT | Session Not Recorded
Growing up in a multicultural community makes some wonder if they may have missed out on something. How important is learning one's heritage language - the language of one's parents or grandparents - to one's social identity? This panel discussion focuses on the intersection of language and social identity. We will explore the ways in which linguistic identity informs intergenerational familial and community relations. Moderated by Yazmin Gonzalez, Assistant Director of the Caltech Center for Inclusion & Diversity (CCID). We encourage you to read the article that inspired the session.
Foreign Language Learning at Caltech: Faculty Panel
Wednesday, July 28 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM PT | Zoom Recording
Did you know that Caltech offers students the opportunity to study five different languages? Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish! What are the advantages of language learning for scientists? Faculty share stories, inspirations, and insights from life experiences and from teaching foreign languages at Caltech. It's never too late to learn a second language! What language do you want to learn? This moderated panel features Caltech lecturers Dr. Andreas Aebi, Dr. Gloria Arjona, and Dr. Christiane Orcel.
Bilingualism's Positive Impact on Cognitive Development
Wednesday, August 11 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM PT | Zoom Recording
What is going on in the bilingual brain? Can learning a second language positively impact cognitive development? Dr. Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim, postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University, researches these questions and helps us understand how bilingualism not only helps develop greater acceptance of other cultures but also helps improve self control, get better job opportunities, and even protect against dementia.