Mar
18
El tesoro arqueológico de Archer Milton Huntington
Over a century ago there was a neoyorquino named Archer Milton Huntington who fell madly in love with Spain and the Spanish language. Back then there was no Internet, so he couldn’t blog about his passion. Fortunately he was rich. Filthy rich. So he had the means to hop on a ship and travel to Spain.
Huntington’s interest in Spain and the Spanish language was so intense that he eventually founded the Hispanic Society of America, a library and a museum in New York City to house his collection of books, art and archaeological artifacts. Now, for the first time, el tesoro of Archer Milton Huntington is coming to Spain for a temporary exhibit in Madrid and in Sevilla this spring. Listen to this week’s podcast to hear more about el talentoso Sr. Huntington.
Photo: Huntington following the route of El Cid in 1892. From the Hispanic Society of America.
Eleena,
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this: Why is a person drawn to a language and culture he could easily live his whole life without knowing? Why was Huntington (why am I?) drawn like a magnet? Not everyone is.
I have thoughts on this, but they are just my own musings. I’d love to hear the thoughts of others on this topic.
Hi Marilyn,
Good question! I think the answer is different for everyone. I’m sure many people are attracted to aspects of the culture that the foreign language represents, aspects or characteristics that they feel are lacking in their own native culture.
To me what’s striking about Huntington is that he chose Spain and not Egypt or Italy, which would’ve been more obvious archaeological areas to be fascinated by in the late 19th-century, I think, than Spain. But perhaps for Huntington that was part of the appeal, that Spain wasn’t overrun by wannabe archaeologists!
It appears that his interest in the Spanish language first started with his interest in literature and from there mushroomed. I can totally see how that would happen. In fact, I know someone who wanted to learn Spanish so that she could read the novels of Gabriel García Márquez in their original Spanish. If his writing is so stellar in English, what must it be like to read it in his original voice and in his original language? That’s probably what was going through Huntington’s head…that in order to fully appreciate what he was reading, he had to fully experience it.
I think for people who are fascinated by a foreign language, once they start really learning it they also want to learn more about the culture and the history behind the language. It’s like being in love with someone and wanting to know more about them, meet their family, see where they grew up, etc. It’s not enough to just experience what’s on the surface but also wanting to feel a deeper connection.
In my experience, the people who really stick with learning a foreign language long-term do so because they are inherently drawn to the culture surrounding the language. As an English teacher here in Spain, I find that my Spanish students who aren’t all that interested in British or (the culture of some other English-speaking country) tend to not be motivated in the long term. If they have to learn English for their job or a test, fine, they’ll do it, but once they feel like they’ve reached the appropriate level, they’re no longer really motivated to continue improving in the language. Whereas the students who find aspects of the culture fascinating or appealing, who want to travel or read books or watch movies in English, will remain very interested in studying the language. I’d wager that the same mentality is true in other societies. If someone is attracted to the culture behind the language, they’ll be more motivated to learn the language.
In my case I was initially drawn to the Spanish language because of its sound. To me, Spanish sounds beautiful, and every morning when I wake up and turn on the radio and hear the radio people in Spanish it makes me smile. I just love the sound of the language. Also Spain, to me, as a country is so fascinating with its intense history. I’d love to see HBO or Showtime take some chapter out of Spain’s long history and give it the ROME or “The Tudors”-type of treatment in a tv miniseries. It would make for great television.
So, Marilyn, what’s your take on this topic? For you, why is it Spanish and not some other language that floats your boat?
Sorry to take so long to respond to that Q at the end. I had to think about it a bit.
I had only two years of Spanish in high school – over 35 years ago! – but ever since that time, I’ve been drawn to the printed word. I’d pick up pamphlets or books in Spanish and enjoyed trying to read them. Friends, seeing spanish-language materials in my home, would ask, “Who here speaks Spanish?” and my answer was “Nobody.”
A few years ago the idea sort of came to me to work on my listening and speaking skills, and not be content just to be able to read (simple things).
I think a language reflects the culture from which is springs and, to me, Spanish is a very POETIC language. Maybe that seems like a strange word to use, but it comes to my thoughts often, not just when I listen to Spanish, but when I heard native Spanish speakers speaking in English. Often, I hear a poet behind the thoughts that are expressed.