Faculty of Languages and Linguistics Ends Academic Year with Annual Awards
Georgetown University鈥檚 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences gathered at the end of the academic year to celebrate outstanding members of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (FLL).
鈥淭he Faculty of Language and Linguistics is a national and preeminent leader in language education,鈥� said Rosario Ceballo, dean of the 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences. 鈥淎s we look at the world today, it鈥檚 important to reach out to others, to listen, to learn and to dialogue across our differences. Speaking and learning languages can help us to be people for others.鈥�
In her remarks, Ceballo spoke to the unique power of interdisciplinary, humanistic learning to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers.
鈥淭his learning might come in linguistics, where our faculty and students research and study the forms and contexts of language,鈥� said Ceballo. 鈥淚t might come in languages no longer spoken, like Ancient Greek and Latin, whose legacies surround us everywhere we turn or it might arise in the panoply of modern languages that our Faculty of Languages and Linguistics research and teach.鈥�
Distinguished Service Award
As part of the ceremony, each year a member of the faculty who has 鈥渕ade extraordinary contributions to the programs and mission of the FLL through his or her research, teaching and service to the community鈥� is presented with the FLL Distinguished Service Award.
This year, , a professor in the and faculty directory of graduate liberal studies in the , received the award. , the chair of the , presented McNelis with the honor.
鈥淧rofessor McNelis challenges students to confront the fundamental human questions raised by ancient texts, even as he develops students’ ability to identify the elements of diction, meter, and style that together make up a poem’s literary texture,鈥� said Lee. 鈥淗is trademark combination of sharp wit, modesty, and wisdom make him an ideal teacher and invaluable colleague.鈥�
McNelis served as chair of the classics department for six years. He is one of the world鈥檚 foremost Latinists and his translations of difficult texts challenge contemporary notions of gender and sexuality in the ancient world.
鈥淧erhaps the most important lesson to be drawn from your studies is that there is not a single way of speaking, of conceiving of the world, of trying to communicate ideas to others, of capturing the excitement, beauty or even the disappointment of a given moment in life,鈥� said McNelis to the assembled FLL graduates.
The Regent鈥檚 Address
Each year, the FLL Awards Ceremony features The Regent鈥檚 Address, which is delivered by a senior in the FLL with an exceptional GPA who is chosen by the faculty. This year鈥檚 remarks were delivered by Chloe Olivia Morris (C鈥�23).
鈥淭he Faculty of Languages and Linguistics has opened my eyes to something paradoxical: we鈥檙e not just students of 鈥榣anguages鈥� and 鈥榣inguistics.鈥� We are students of history, literature, art, political science and anthropology,鈥� said Olivia Morris, a Spanish major. 鈥淭he FLL has taught us to become global citizens of an ever-changing world with the goal of intercultural communication, understanding, and bridge-building.鈥�
For Morris, studying a language is about far more than just proper syntax and pronunciation.
鈥淭he Department of Spanish and Portuguese has taught me that languages are more than just phonetics,鈥� said Morris. 鈥淟anguages are vehicles that simultaneously unbuild and rebuild our worlds, and they change us just as much as we change them.鈥�
