Language proficiency

[OctaviaButlerfan]

How did you choose which language(s) to study for your PhD? Or, how will you choose? Also, if you had no constrictions on availability and/or practicality, which language(s) would you choose? Which language or languages do you feel are most relevant to your particular interests, and why?

[isabelarcher]

I'm applying for Comp Lit this fall. I'm a French major, and I would say that I'm pretty fluent (studied since high school and have lived ~1 year total in 2 different francophone countries). I picked it pretty arbitrarily in high school but I really do love it. I'm also really interested in Romanticism (generally) so my next language will probably be German. I also majored in Classics, so I've got some pretty decent Latin and halfway decent Greek, which are pretty relevant too. I think having fluency in English, French, and German would be ideally suited to my interests, eventually. Also, I can understand Spanish and speak it rather poorly, so someday I would like to be able to do more with it than watch telenovelas. If I had no time constraints I would learn Japanese, just because. 

 

Thanks for posting this, I love languages and talking to other people about them. (◕‿◕✿)

 

[toasterazzi]

How did you choose which language(s) to study for your PhD? Or, how will you choose? Also, if you had no constrictions on availability and/or practicality, which language(s) would you choose? Which language or languages do you feel are most relevant to your particular interests, and why?

 

When I go into a PhD program, I will most likely pick Spanish as my first foreign language since it's the one I have the most experience with (4 years of high school and 2 years of college). That being said, I've lost a lot of the Spanish knowledge I had, so I've been working on brushing up here and there when I can. Ultimately, I don't especially plan to do a lot of foreign language study in my work, but I'm very interested in several cultures, including Spanish/Latin American culture, and those cultural interests could be part of my work.

 

Assuming I have to choose a second language, I will most likely choose Italian. I've never been especially interested in French or Latin, but I love all things Italian. I studied abroad in Italy, and while I did pick up some of the language while I was there, it wasn't nearly enough. 

 

If there were no restrictions, I'd learn ASL. I've always wanted to learn, but my undergrad university was really restrictive on who could take those classes (basically only Deaf Education majors). My fiancee's dad is deaf, so this is especially relevant for me now.

[Liebestod]

With regard to the foreign language requirement for Ph.D. programs in English: I wouldn't worry too much about it. I remember how nervous I was when I took my translation exam...then I passed at the level of "Fluency," fulfilling the requirement. Of course, I had studied French at the advanced undergraduate level...but then, my peers took the exam and passed at "Fluency" as well, having only studied elementary French the summer before! And this was at a top-10 English program.

[danieleWrites]

I'd pick Japanese: manga fan. I'd also like to watch Great Teacher Onizuka in Japanese, without a translation. I'm picking German, tho', because I'm a Marxist (not a political Marxist, but a sociologist Marxist and literary Marxist) and Marx was German. Most of the big philosophy was in German. I'm not terribly interested in German literature, though I do love Rammstein. The band, not the city. I prefer Japanese literature. I will learn Japanese, just not for the PhD. The Navy got me pretty fluent in Korean in a year, and they say Korean is a lot harder than Japanese. So, yeah.

[Metaellipses]

I'm an early modernist and studying primarily Latin texts (emblem books and masques) not all of which are available in translation (and some that I wouldn't want to read in a translated edition, emblem books being essentially full of riddles that are best understood in the original) so I've been brushing up on my Latin for the language exam. Right now, I'm probably approaching the intermediate level and stumbling through Cicero. I don't need to have fluency for the exam - just proficiency, so I think I'll probably be ok if I keep up with the intensive study schedule I've set for myself over the summer. My second language will definitely be Italian. Since I'm comparative Renaissance, Italian is really useful to me. Not to mention that my family is Italian and I qualify for (and am partway through the process of acquiring) dual citizenship, and yet don't speak the language! Duolingo has been really awesome for casual Italian study while I focus on Latin.

[Katia_chan]

Fun topic.  My main goal as I work on a (probable) reapplication is to brush up on my Latin.  I took an intro course, and an intermediate reading course that I clung to my classmate's coat tails to pass, and as a medievalist I need to get better at it.  I don't know what my block is, but I need to vanquish it.

 

Another goal is to learn Welsh, because my alternate work is in Welsh nationalism studies, and it would be really, really nice to learn the language and read the original documents for my research.  Will I be able to test on it in my eventual language exams?  Probably not...  But I need to know it anyway.

[Gauche]

In order to satisfy the language requirement for my program, I just need two years of a language in college, and I've already taken two and a half years of Japanese as an undergrad. I'd like to brush up on my Spanish as well as learn German and French too though.

[Datatape]

I have to fulfill two foreign languages for my program, but thankfully they allow the fulfillment I did for my M.A. (in Spanish) to count as one of those.  For the other, since I'm a Southern lit specialist, French is definitely going to be the most useful, so I'm brushing up on that.  I plan to work on it slowly over the next year or so and test out sometime next summer.

[thatjewishgirl]

I'm choosing Hebrew.

[ProfLorax]

American Sign Language! I got this approved because of my interest in disability studies. Even more excited for me, I will be taking ASL courses at Gallaudet, so that's super cool. 

[Swagato]

I'll need French and German. I have no language background @_@ (my schooling was in India, where those languages aren't usually offered. I'm fluent in Bengali and Hindi which are perfectly irrelevant to my graduate work, although my POI did indicate that we might be able to use one of them if necessary...)

 

Anyway, I'm relying on a slew of online/programs (Duolingo, Pimsleur, Headstart) to prepare my French. Also bought the highly recommended "French for Reading" book which is apparently designed with humanities grad students in mind. I'll need to establish one language proficiency before I can take my quals. 

 

I got the impression they are fairly relaxed about this timeline, though it obviously impacts time-to-degree.

[literary_tourist]

I'll need French and German. I have no language background @_@ (my schooling was in India, where those languages aren't usually offered. I'm fluent in Bengali and Hindi which are perfectly irrelevant to my graduate work, although my POI did indicate that we might be able to use one of them if necessary...)

 

Anyway, I'm relying on a slew of online/programs (Duolingo, Pimsleur, Headstart) to prepare my French. Also bought the highly recommended "French for Reading" book which is apparently designed with humanities grad students in mind. I'll need to establish one language proficiency before I can take my quals. 

 

I got the impression they are fairly relaxed about this timeline, though it obviously impacts time-to-degree.

 

Hmm...if you're studying French, why don't you enroll somewhere like Alliance Francaise. The classes there are pretty good, and I learned more from there compared to the classes I took in my home university.

[Swagato]

Probably the biggest factor is cost. Moving is expensive, and my stipend doesn't kick in until September. And my SO will need to find a job...etc. I did consider a crash course. But, given how many resources there are for at least getting a decent grip on it on your own (the resources I mentioned), and the fact that I can always take language courses @ Yale, we figured it isn't worth the expense. It's just that the courses I take won't count toward fulfilling the requirement. 

[Bennett]

I speak (fluent) French and (decent) Dutch, but will need German for the research topics I'm interested in working on... Have been taking a community college course this semester, and plan to continue on during my PhD program this coming Fall--then hopefully spend some of next summer in Germany itself. My hope is that I'll be able to pursue research in the original by the time I'm in my second year, but German is hard. And Hegel (e.g.) is hard even in English!

[literary_tourist]

I am reviewing my French, but I know I will need to study another language. Since I am a Victorianist, I'm thinking of studying either Italian or German, but Spanish seems a lot easier because it is closer to my mother tongue (Filipino). What do you guys think?

[skybythelight]

I have a decent amount of Spanish, though not quite enough to test out of the requirement. It would require some brushing up. My interests are pretty theory-heavy, though, so I'm considering taking up French.

[OctaviaButlerfan]

These are great replies- it's very interesting to see how people's decisions are determined.

 

I'm considering Spanish as my first, partly because I have already studied some Spanish, and partly because in recent years there has been a move to study science fiction by authors from Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Spain. That might be done and gone, though. I'm not sure.

 

I think that if I could study any language at all, just because, it would be an Aramaic language. I think that would be fascinating. I don't think that's likely to be practical, though, and I don't know what my second language should be (if one is required). Possibly Greek or Latin. I am interested in canonical and non-canonical women writers of the classical and medieval worlds.

[Swagato]

I actually have had a few moments of panic as to whether I'll even be able to pick up French and German to the degree required to successfully read in the originals. My field is not very text-centric (i.e. it's unlikely that I will find myself reading Hegel or Merleau-Ponty in the original), but there will be plenty of essays and articles by French and German writers to read. Do we think it's possible to achieve at least the French within 2 years? Assume that I will be taking courses every semester, and will also be using the other resources I mentioned. And summer immersion programs whenever possible. 

[smellybug]

I actually have had a few moments of panic as to whether I'll even be able to pick up French and German to the degree required to successfully read in the originals. My field is not very text-centric (i.e. it's unlikely that I will find myself reading Hegel or Merleau-Ponty in the original), but there will be plenty of essays and articles by French and German writers to read. Do we think it's possible to achieve at least the French within 2 years? Assume that I will be taking courses every semester, and will also be using the other resources I mentioned. And summer immersion programs whenever possible. 

If you do summer immersion, I think so. Obviously you're super smart and dedicated and that's mostly what it'll take. I got there in French in three years but I only did brief stays in France. Don't underestimate how much you can do in a few months immersed in the language.

[yellow.wallpaper]

I'm proficient in Spanish and French. I do know a lot of German, but definitely need some practice before heading straight into a novel in the language.  I need to fulfill my language requirements like Latin and/or Greek, and I think I'll definitely take Latin. I also know a lot of Portuguese, but won't be using it for my specific interests.

 

Apart from the requirements, I want to finish learning Old Icelandic (I took a course on it last semester and fell in love!) and French Creole (I know a decent amount of it)! I do, however, would also love to learn Swedish, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish and Bulgarian. 

 

That's a lot, but I love learning. Although I'm proficient in almost all Romance languages, I have no interest in learning Italian.

 

I think my language interests are definitely more varied than my specific interests for grad school!

[Swagato]

Good lord that is a long list of languages. 

[ProfLorax]

Clearly, we all need to invest in a babel fish.

[veniente]

My programme requires me to pass another language proficiency exam, so I'm looking for study tool suggestions.

 

Two well-known books that I would recommend in preparation for French proficiency exams are:

- Edward M. Stack, Reading French in Arts and Science, 4th Edition

- Karl C. Sandberg and Eddison C. Tatham, French for Reading

 

Has anyone used, or does anyone know of, books of similar quality and usefulness pertaining to Italian?

[beet-nik]

I have no need for second-language proficiency in my specific MA program, but I already know that my interest in Canadian and Québécois lit will ultimately lead me to one of two options for my PhD apps: A. An English program in Canada, or B. A comp lit program in America. The wider the net I cast, the more likely I am to get an acceptance is what I'm hoping (don't we all)!

Anyways -- I'm currently in Québec for a summer immersion program on a Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship provided by the Canadian-American Center at my University. I guess knowing about the requirements a bit early for PhD programs helped me secure funding that will essentially pay for me to become fluent in the language I needed...I'd recommend it to anyone on here who is applying for MA programs for sure! The requirements of my fellowship do extend my time-to-degree though, as I am required to take one French and one Canadian Studies course each semester along with my (whopping) one English course to work toward my degree. Luckily, I'm in a pretty flexible program and I will still get my MA in three years.

 

Wow, sorry for being long-winded everyone. 

Edited July 24, 2013 by beet-nik