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Monday, February 29, 2016

Megan Arlt: Learning the Languages of our Field


                 
The idea of learning the languages of a field is an easy concept. Just like countries have different languages, learning the language of a field is the same thing. When someone is born, they’re unaware of the language around them. They hear the language, day in and day out and begin to understand it unknowingly. They see expressions on faces and try and correlate body language to actual meaning of words. As people hear the language more and more, they pick up meaning of words. This goes on for a while and before they know it, they’re not only understanding the language but also speaking it. When it comes to babies it’s obvious they don’t think that intricately and understand the processes they go through but by breaking the concept apart it is clear that just as babies learn, learning the language of a field is the same way.
Having a father who’s an engineer, I’ve experienced the beginning phases of learning the language of my field. Many times while growing up I’ve asked my dad for math or physics help. What should have been a simple procedure turned into a complex problem involving words I’ve never heard. I picked up more and more words as I grew older but I knew I’d have to pick up a whole lot more if I wanted to become an Engineer.

The process of learning the language of my field is taking time but it is the same with all fields. The more engineering classes I’ve taken, the more I’ve learned. Picking up any language of a field happens in the same manner. It starts with the basic ideas, studying the material, and then working toward understanding and speaking the language.

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