Third Task

“Professor Adriana, professor Serna and I are the linguistics”

An interview to professor Olga Arbeláez

 

On wdnesday I got the opportunity of interviewing one of our remarkable professors in the Faculty of Education, Olga Arbeláez. She coordinates Etnoeducation program and teaches to some indigenes communities, as well, the subject: Introduction to Linguistic. 

As some may not know, the Etnoeducation program teaches to the indigenes communities being aware of writing through IPA¹. So the program, itself, it is on task of helping to design a Phonetic Alphabet for these people because of a highlighted importance of perceiving these languages. However, professor Olga thinks this is a big deal because the endeavour on this project is turning tough due to some facts on the process. She lays out this semester, she had to invite professor Serna to her class because her students asked to her a lot questions that had to do with transcription and IPA. Why? Well, --as she can interpret--, some misunderstandings and lack of information by Summer Institute of Linguistics have made more exhaustive the process.

 On the other hand, she has gotten much knowledge from them and her experience there. She learnt there’s another Emberá family: Esperarada Siapidara Emberá. In particular the ways they greet have some variations in transcription terms. She explains it is because one those families is son of a linguistic and the other ones are children of another linguistic, as well; those families’ tongues come from the same root but this variations in base of transcription terms, turn pretty difficult a well appropriation of the study of these languages.

 Besides, Etnoeducation Program by compound by some subjects, such as : Language and Culture, Introduction to Linguistic, and Linguistic Analysis. This bachelor’s degree has a distance modality; therefore they only have 32 of 64 hours by attendance class divided in 4 days long. Professors that lead this program as well as Olga are: Adriana Álvarez and Juan Manuel Serna. “Professor Adriana, professor Serna and I are the linguistics”, she highlights.

Finally, she remarks the context in which these communities live in. she considers that this experience, itself, has changed her life-outlook and the way she teaches. She says that when you are there, in those places, every single person is unique universe: the diversity is everything, even for them because each one from a tribe has a different way of being, way of thinking.

Questionnaire

1.     Do you consider these programs contribute to change our outlook in transformation terms?  

2.     How we, the outsiders of these communities, ought to remain these programs?

3.     Have you ever one take into account to study a degree like this?

 

 

 ^{1.               International phonetic Alphabet}