Professor Spike Gildea grew up in Vida, Oregon, about 30 miles northeast of Eugene. He has been a Duck since before he was born: his grandmother and mother both got their degrees from the UO, his little sister did, too, and his son is currently studying at the UO. Also, he married another Duck (who has a brother, a sister, and a brother-in-law that got degrees from the UO). Oh, yeah, in addition to getting all three of his degrees at the UO and spending eight years in the wilderness (two in Belém, Brazil, at the south bank of the mouth of the Amazon, then another 6 at Rice University in Houston, Texas), in 2000 Spike won the jackpot and got to come back to the UO as a professor and Head of the department where he got his degrees (he ditches that job regularly, but was roped into serving this year as the Interim Director of Composition). For pleasure, Spike plays guitar and sings, cooks (mostly curries, meats and vegetables), and gardens; he loves to get out in nature on a regular basis.

Spike thought he was incapable of learning a foreign language until he finished his BA and went into the Peace Corps — he taught English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in a small village in rural Nepal. Immersed in the language and culture, Spike discovered he is actually a pretty good language learner when he needs the language to make friends and get stuff done. After he finished with Peace Corps, he went to grad school and (to make a long story short) he ended up studying a family of indigenous languages spoken in the Amazonian region of northern South America. As a PhD student, he learned Spanish working in Venezuela; after finishing the PhD, he learned Portuguese by taking his family and living and working in Brazil. He didn't learn Australian English during a 4-month period as a visitin scholar in Melbourne, Australia, in 2006, nor did he learn French during a 10-month period in Lyon, France, in 2014-2015.

Most of Spike's published research is about description and reconstruction of historical change in the grammar of indigenous languages (especially those belonging to the Cariban family) of South America. As a teacher, Spike is into introductory undergraduate courses for non-majors, especially LING 201 Language and Power (which he created), and now this new course How to Learn Languages, which he is co-creating with some amazing colleagues. He has taught a FIG eight years (which is every year that he has not been either Department Head or on sabbatical) and he is looking forward to being in FIG number nine with you-all!

Email: spike@uoregon.edu
 

Lara Spurgeon is a second-year student at the University of Oregon majoring in Journalism and minoring in art. She grew up in the Portland Metro area but now calls home a little farm in the town of Banks. Lara’s parents raise a wide range of animals such as chickens, sheep, goats, turkeys, quails, ducks, and more and they provide lots of fresh eggs for everyone. She also enjoys dancing, swimming, and doing all kinds of art in her free time. Her favorite kind of art to do are acrylic paintings where she experiments in brightly-colors pop art styles. She loves learning about Chinese language and culture and hopes to study abroad in China soon.

Email: lspurgeo@uoregon.edu

Hi all! I am Sammy and I will be the FIG Assistant for the Arabic cohort of “Say What?” This will be my third year as an FA and I am excited for the opportunity to collaborate with some wonderful faculty members from the Arabic Studies and Linguistics departments on this new FIG. 

I grew up in the Portland area and have loved studying here in Eugene for all of the great outdoor activities — from hiking to skiing — that are available in our backyard. I am a senior studying Entrepreneurship through the Honors Program in the College of Business and minoring in Arabic Studies. 

I have also loved the variety of opportunities to get involved at the U of O and have found great experiences and friends in a number of places. Notably, I am a Senior Manager with the Oregon Consulting Group, a student-run consulting firm housed in the Lundquist College of Business, and a member of the UO Alpine Ski Team. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, visiting new cafes, and being outside.  

I am excited to work with you as you begin your own journey at the U of O! If you registered for “Say What?” with the Arabic cohort I would love to get to know you a little before fall — send me your name and a little about yourself/your interests via email (sbazant@uoregon.edu). Additionally, check out the short summer assignment below — we will use this as a jumping off point for our first FIG meeting. Have a great summer and I look forward to meeting you! 

Email: sbazant@uoregon.edu