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Lamar A. Graham

Lamar
Blurred image of the arch used as background for stylistic purposes.
PhD Romance Languages, Hispanic Linguistics 2015

Ph.D. in Romance Languages with a concentration in Hispanic Linguistics, '15, Assistant Professor of Spanish at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 2015, researcher in historical and comparative Romance linguistics, generative syntax, and sociolinguistic variation.

A memorable international experience at Georgia was meeting and interacting with all the students and faculty members in the department who were there from other countries.  I had never had the opportunity to learn about the cultures and customs of their homelands in other venues, and I am thankful that the department welcomes and encourages intercultural communication in the manner that it does.  My appreciation of my colleagues’ languages and cultures increased many times over, and I have been able to apply these experiences to my personal and professional development. 

Studying language, literature, and culture at Georgia prepared me to become an effective researcher on a larger scale than I previously thought possible.  My research as a historical linguist and sociolinguist has an inherent comparative element that first emerged during my time at Georgia.  The knowledge of various literatures and cultures has facilitated my ability to distinguish trends and patterns in language use attributable to a person’s culture, age, and/or gender, and I have used this ability productively.  Additionally, my understanding of cultures and languages outside the Spanish-speaking world consistently informs my research in linguistic divergence, both historically and contemporarily. 

I encourage students at Georgia today to approach their studies with as open a mind as possible.  When I first arrived in Athens, I had no idea of what my primary research interests would become, aside from the fact that I was studying Hispanic Linguistics.  My coursework, my personal connections, and my interactions with all the Romance Languages faculty helped me align my goals and set me on the path I am on today.  I was fortunate to join such a diverse community with so many perspectives unlike my own, and I strongly believe that this afforded me the flexibility to construct my career in the way that I did. 

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