Language Essay Contest Winners Series: Exploring Why Evan Owens Learns Languages

Content

Last fall, undergraduate students were invited to submit short essays on the theme: Why Do I Learn Languages? This contest provided students with the chance to share their personal experiences with multilingualism and language learning. An interdisciplinary faculty committee reviewed the submissions, and the winning essays are featured below, accompanied by reflections on each student's relationship to the essay writing process and language.

We had the honor of speaking with one of the contest winners, Evan Owens, a third-year double major in Linguistics and Portuguese. His essay was titled “I Ka ʻŌlelo Nō Ka Honua,” which translates to In Language, There Is The World.

Language & Identity

Owens drew inspiration from his home state of Hawai'i. “We have mandatory Hawaiian language classes in schools,” he recalled. “I remember thinking it was amazing that the government supported this, but also that we, as a community, wanted to learn Hawaiian too. It was inspiring that everyone was committed to keeping the language alive. You don’t see that in many other states, so in Hawaii, language is very much tied to identity.” He further explained, “The language itself is part of the community, and I really tried to highlight that in my writing.”

In his essay, Owens emphasized the value of language as a means to connect to something larger than oneself. “The idea of language really allows you to connect to a community, whether it's your own or another, it allows you to build relationships with other people from all types of backgrounds”.

The Threat to Endangered Languages

He also acknowledged the growing issue of endangered languages. “There are so many languages spoken around the world, but almost half of them are endangered. Some of this is due to globalization: people move away, and the language fades. For example, more than half of all Hawaiians now live outside of Hawai’i. Language is integral to identity, culture, and community. It even impacts your brain. Some languages allow you to express yourself in unique ways. Another aspect is ongoing colonization and government suppression." 

In a powerful conclusion, Owens reflected, “When you lose a language, you lose a way of expressing something.”

Owens' essay serves as a profound reminder of the importance of learning and preserving languages. His writing highlights the deep connections between self and community, creating a powerful piece of art.

His essay is pasted below. Hoʻomaikaʻi, Evan!

I Ka ʻŌlelo Nō Ka Honua

(In language, there is the world)

Evan Owens

Growing up in Hawaiʻi, one of the most linguistically and ethnically diverse states, I was surrounded by languages: I spoke English with my ʻohana, Japanese with my obaasan, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi with my kumu, and heard many more. I didn’t realize what a huge privilege this was, but as I got older I learned the darker sides of our history such as Act 57, which banned Hawaiian in schools until 1986. This inspired me to study Linguistics and Portuguese at UMass in the hopes of pursuing language documentation–Portuguese may seem an odd choice, but it’s extremely relevant to my identity: Hawaiʻi has a lot of Portuguese influences and I have family in Brazil, which has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. My language classes have continued to expand my knowledge of the world; learning about East Timor in my Portuguese classes inspired me to study Indonesian with the Five Colleges Language Center, and everything came full circle when I noticed the similarities it had with Hawaiian! Learning languages has not only allowed me to stay connected to my heritage, but learn about how my identity relates and connects to many other people and places around the world.