Reflections from the Wall
November 19, 2014鈥擥别辞谤驳别迟辞飞苍鈥檚 , in collaboration with The George Washington University, recently commemorated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall through a week of special events. German major John Haviland (C鈥�15) explains why taking time to reflect on cultural events, like the 25th anniversary, are an essential aspect of a foreign language education.
鈥淟earning a language is more than just understanding grammar and vocabulary, syntax, and how a language comes together. Languages evolve over time, just like the people who use it. They are almost reflections of the people who use it,鈥� Haviland said. 鈥淏y understanding the language and metalinguistics, you can come to better understand the culture, just as the culture helps you understand the language and create a better understanding of everything as a whole.鈥�
Video by Kuna Malik Hamad.