Welcome!

Well hello, world.

I suppose you're wondering who the hell I am, and what the hell I do, and what it is I'm trying to do. Well, you asked for it...

I am, by day, a relatively mild-mannered receptionist, with dreams of becoming an author. I host another blog (here) where you can learn how that's going, as well as my other activities. It is my main hive, so to speak.

My name is Sonia Carrière. It's a French surname. I don't speak French, and my French Canadian father is sorely disappointed in me. It's not entirely my fault. You see, I was raised primarily in Australia. They don't offer French language courses in Australia or, at least, they didn't at my school. No one in my town spoke French, really, except my dad.

I did once speak it but, after moving to Australia before I turned 6 and staying there until I turned 17, I've lost it. I've had ample opportunity since to learn, but have always found myself terribly busy, first with university, then with life. So, that fact that I still don't speak French is very much my own fault.

Still, language is something that fascinates me no end. From its earliest development, the evolutionary implications of the creation of language, right through to the myriad of languages spoken today and the vast number of cultures and world views that accompany them, there is nothing quite so remarkable as language. Except, perhaps music, but I don't have the time or inclination to blog about that.

I am particularly fascinated by dead and dying languages. Every time I hear of a language designated as endangered, I feel a terrible pang of loss. Language is beautiful, and the death of one is a tragedy.

You see, so many things are attached to a language - culture, world view and, not least of all, identity.

I've made it my mission to learn as many languages as I can. It's a life-long process, no doubt, for my list of languages I desire to know is a mile long and many languages on there are extinct, or very near to it. Some, like Irish and Welsh, are undergoing revivals - a wonderful thing indeed. Others, like Occitan - the language of my ancestors (my father's family came from Languedoc, where a dialect of Occitan is still spoken... though barely) are struggling against seemingly impossible odds.

This is my journey, as I attempt to learn those languages that most fascinate me. Some languages I want to learn because they will be useful in operating in the world as a global citizen (such as French, Arabic and Mandarin). Others I want to know because they will help me in my academic endeavours (French and German specifically), and yet others I want to know simply because they are fiercely fascinating and utterly beautiful (Occitan, Welsh, Irish and others).

Hopefully I will blog here once a week, with updates on how I'm doing. The more of a language I learn, the more I will endeavour to write in it (don't worry, I'll provide translations as well). I'm sure to bumble about at first.

Wish me luck!