Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Khanh Le. Most people spell it "Kahn Lee" when they hear me pronounce it, though I'm not exactly sure what language that could be from... I'm originally from mid-southern Vietnam, so Vietnamese is my first language. I also speak English, and hope to study either Spanish or Japanese during my time here at Stanford.

Language has fascinated me ever since I realized I could not only speak, but think in two languages. When I first came to America at thirteen, I barely spoke any English, and must slowly learn the language through conversation and "thought translation." I remembered new English words by raking my brain for or guessing in context their definitions in Vietnamese, and I similarly expressed myself by translating my thoughts from Vietnamese into English. As I gradually improved, however, I slowly if unconsciously stopped translating and began actually thinking in the English language. And the minute I noticed I stopped, I realized that I think with language, and I have wondered since if language in turn shapes my thoughts in any way. Since college--in my ideal imagination--is the chance for me to find answers to questions I'm most interested in, I couldn't think of a better way to start college than to spend fall quarter discussing this pressing question with others just as curious and interested as I am. And that's you guys.

I sadly have only seen the U.S. and Vietnam, and spent a total of four hours in an airport in Taiwan. I hope I can add more red in the near future. (The huge block of red that is the United States looks so deceiving.)



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See everyone tomorrow!