If someone who speaks three languages is trilingual and someone who speaks two languages is bilingual, what do you call someone who speaks just one language? An American.
Despite English being the dominant language of the United States, UO offers over 15 languages for students to explore. But besides the daily or even weekly classroom conversations, where can we put another language into practice?
The UO is home to 2,500 international students with at least 25 languages spoken. Located at the Erb Memorial Union, the Mills International Center offers weekly one-hour group sessions for students to practice a language, converse with students of all proficiency levels or simply listen in.
“I think of language as a way to connect with my culture and ancestry,” Penina Vaimaona, a UO student from Oahu, Hawaii and one of the coordinators of the language circle groups, said. “Language is like a bridge that connects people.”
The Mills Center is a space reserved on the second floor of the EMU filled with rows of foreign novels, dictionaries and olive-colored couches for people to relax. The center has become a home away from home for international and domestic students.
“I’m from a big family, so seeing a lot of people meet, talk, laugh and do activities is something I grew up with, so that’s something I really appreciate and enjoy,” Vaimaona said. “Seeing other people do that through language circles is what drew me to want to do this more.”
This term, language circles will be hosted every Monday from 3 to 7 p.m. starting April 7. Twelve different languages will be spoken each week during the three-hour circles, starting with Korean and then Vietnamese, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, Arabic, English, German, Italian, Spanish, French and finally, Thai.
Aurélien Daglo-Agbodo, a native French speaker and the French language circle leader, came to the Mills Center seeking a sense of community after spending his early childhood in Togo, Africa, and then living in France up until high school.
“When I transferred here, there wasn’t a French community,” Daglo-Agbodo said — so he created one. The French language circle began in the fall of 2023 thanks to Daglo-Agbodo, and the circle hasn’t been stopped since.
The purpose of the language groups isn’t just for native speakers to converse but to build a community through language, helping other language-seekers of all levels work toward the same goal of finding connection through shared cultures.
“I know how hard it is to learn a language, especially when you don’t have people to practice with,” Daglo-Agbodo said. “I came from a school where there were a lot of Africans … so I had people to speak with or just like, you know, to connect. I went from a smaller school to a bigger school. I had no roots or no way to find people that can relate to me in a way.”
The language circles are not exclusive to UO students but are available to all community members of Lane County as well. In the upcoming weeks, the Mills Center is figuring out a time for one of its most popular language circles: English.
“In the past, we’ve had a lot of people join English. So we’re kind of trying to adjust the space to accommodate everyone,” Vaimaona said.
Languages are a bridge between cultures, so English groups in the past have been vital, especially for international students wanting to learn more about cultural norms.
“The cultural interaction that happens during the language circle is very valuable for international students to know the American culture,” Biju Ghimire, the intercultural education coordinator at the Mills Center, said.
“As a non-native English speaker, you understand the value of the language and authenticity of it when you have to speak a language other than yours,” Ghimire said.
Whether you are learning a new language, seeking to broaden your cross-cultural knowledge or simply nostalgic for a language spoken at home, the Mills International Center language circles are open to everyone.
