Alexis Lipson Language Autobiography 1

First languages tend to come easily and without a great deal of fanfare for most. After

that first word is uttered, language acquisition becomes a normal part of a childs routine. My

own experience with English was nothing out of the ordinary. In reality, I hardly remember the

road to fluency. My second and third language, however, have been a different story. While I

spend every waking moment surrounded by written and spoken English, my experiences with

Spanish and Russian are few and far between, especially if I do not seek them out. This

difference in time spent with L1 versus L2 and L3 has made a world of difference.

My childhood is a blur of books and journals. I was either reading stories, attempting to

write them, or filling journals with any and every thought that popped into my head. My

summers were spent at the library rather than the swimming pool. I do not remember a piece of

grammar homework I had an issue with in elementary school. When it came to sentence

diagramming in high school, I continued to excel. Upon graduation, seniors at Abilene High

School were chosen to represent each subject as students of the year. I received the English,

Journalism, and History student of the year awards upon graduation. To say my first language

was easy to acquire is an understatement.

Unlike English, my second and third languages have been anything but easy to acquire.

As my freshman year of high school began, Abilene High School hired a new Spanish teacher

under the agreement that within the next two years, she would pass her Spanish certification

exam. In the end, she did not acquire this certification, and these first two years left me with two

skills: verb conjugation and the ability to recognize Spanish artwork. The Spanish teacher hired

upon my junior year of high school was a vast improvement, but the poor experience prior to

this left me with a bitter taste for the language. I chose to embark on a new path during my senior

year, attempting an independent study in which I began teaching myself Russian.

Alexis Lipson Language Autobiography 2

My fathers paternal grandparents originally arrived in America after fleeing Kiev due to

religious persecution. No one in my family spoke Russian but the stories about their journey are

shared and discussed at almost every family get together. My grandmother tells my grandfathers

family history more than her own because she finds it so fascinating. My grandmothers

fascination was contagious, leaving me with an insatiable desire to learn about Russia, Ukraine,

and the languages they speak. My father gathered all of the Russian language materials he could

find for me and off I went about as quickly as a snail. By the end of my senior year, I had

mastered content worth about two weeks of college curriculum - I could easily ramble off the

alphabet, some numbers, and the colors of the rainbow. I struggled to do more than introduce

myself. Without an instructor that spoke the language, my progress floundered and eventually

stopped completely.

Upon graduation, I was accepted to attend Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. I

agreed to attend upon one condition: they find a way for me to attend Russian courses. This

promise fell through, and I spent a year without any foreign language instruction, although I was

paired with a roommate from Uzbekistan that spoke Russian, Uzbek, and English. In typical

young adult fashion, my friends and I did learn new Russian words, albeit not ones welcome in

polite conversation. Perhaps the only phrase I learned that was repeatable that year was Happy

Birthday, which I learned so that we could send my roommates mother a happy birthday video

from all of us in Kansas.

Realizing Bethany College was not able to provide the education I desired, I transferred

to Doane College. At this point, I simply wanted to continue to reach at least some level of

fluency at either Spanish or Russian. Doane had a promising Spanish program, so I added a

minor and got to work. The first semester of Spanish at Doane was the first time I felt I was truly
Alexis Lipson Language Autobiography 3

making effective progress in acquiring a new language. I could finally look at a couple

paragraphs in the desired language and understand, at the very least, what was being discussed. I

could hold simple conversations with my classmates and professor.

My desire to learn Russian had not disappeared, though, and after a year of Spanish, I

was still looking for a way into a Russian classroom. With the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

just a thirty minute drive down the road, I started looking into my options. I spoke with the

academic affairs department, filled out all the required forms, and was soon taking a full course

load at Doane plus Russian 101 in Lincoln for 5 credits. My professor, Mina, spoke Czech,

Russian, and French. Mina did not accept laziness and expected attendance each day of the week,

barring extreme circumstances. Despite the difficulty, classes with Mina were an absolute blast.

Our class quickly dwindled from the original 25 to approximately 10, which meant we grew

rather close. My favorite memory has to be the day we finished our first chapter book in Russian

together, sharing high fives and congratulations. The only issue I faced as I progressed through

Russian courses at UNL was the distance. My classmates had each other just a couple buildings

away, whereas I was unable to join for study groups. My advisor at Doane College had actually

studied Russian rather intensely early on in his career, but had not used the language recently

enough to be of a great deal of help. I spent a lot of evenings talking to myself in my room, but

the effort was generally worth it.

Eventually, I chose to drop my Spanish minor. I spent one semester taking both, but

quickly determined I would not be able to perform at a high level in either if I did not focus my

energies on just one. In the end, my Spanish skills landed at what I would deem survival. Since

ending my Spanish studies I have had a few coworkers that speak it fluently and will sometimes

use it in conversation with them, but I do not otherwise work with the language.
Alexis Lipson Language Autobiography 4

While in college I was fortunate to obtain an internship at the American Historical

Society of Germans from Russia. I worked with the librarian to catalog and organize a large

collection that one of their older members had donated. This collection included works in

Russian, German, and even Spanish. By the end of my two semesters with the library along with

a research project for my senior seminar, I had an intimate knowledge of the story of the

Germans from Russia, but especially of the typical words used in titles of books about them. This

was a great experience that allowed me to use the unique language skills I had acquired at that

point in my education.

Since graduating from Doane College, I have not found many opportunities to use my

second or third languages. Lincoln, Nebraska does have a rather significant Russian and

Ukrainian community, but the only interaction I have had with them thus far is while working as

a receptionist in the loan department of a local bank. These conversations were typically short

and consisted of explaining I knew some Russian and exchanging simple pleasantries. I am

thankful for the DuoLingo application available for free on smartphones, as it allows me to

interact with the language regularly, although not at a high level. At this point, even my Russian

skills are hardly above my Spanish skills.

Eventually, I hope to find an opportunity to spend time in Ukraine or Russia so that I can

fully immerse myself in the culture and language. I believe this is the only way I will truly attain

fluency -- to be thrown into it in the same manner as I was with English. Until then, I will

continue to interact with the language as much as I am able.