Juan José Maldonado Osorio

When I started working in the Lab, I was aware that, even though I am a native Spanish speaker, I still had a lot to learn. However, I did believe that I was capable of assuming the responsibilities I was given without any issues. By the time I was explained what I had to do, I realized that there was much more to learn than what I initially thought. So, the first part of my experience in the Lab consisted of learning and remembering the conceptual background that I needed to analyze the data and classify it accordingly. This was one of the most valuable aspects of my experience working in the Lab.

By having access to the interviews that were conducted with speakers of the Yagua language, I was able to learn the dynamics and traditions of a language and a community that has been experiencing the emergence of the Spanish language within the most recent generations. In fact, this is something that I related to a concept that I have worked on in one of my master’s courses: language shift.  According to Horner and Weber (2018), language endangerment occurs when a minority language is no longer used in family transmission. The consequence is often language shift (p. 84).  The Lab presented real-world material that I could use to apply the knowledge I am acquiring in graduate school.

A few fun facts about yourself or a few interests/hobbies, etc. I remember listening to an interview someone did with C. Murphy, and he said he was a really boring person: that he did not do much. Now that I think about it, I feel tempted to say the same thing. I usually read “classic” literature, watch movies, and play chess and soccer. Besides that, I would say that I really like to cook, and I have been trying to improve my culinary skills since 2023.