Even though it is tucked inside Lyons 210, the Department of Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literatures (SELL) is ready to expand, according to Professor Michael Connolly, the department’s chairman. SELL currently offers Chinese and Arabic, which require four course credits per semester. But in an effort to bring the intensity of these languages in line with other universities’ programs, Chinese and Arabic will now require six course credits each semester.

Connolly, a linguistics professor, will not reveal how many languages he speaks, only stating that he speaks English, which he claims to speak poorly.  “Asking a linguistics professor ‘How many languages do you know?’ is like asking a chemist ‘How many chemicals do you know?’ or a physicist ‘How many atoms do you know?’” He did add that a typical linguistics professor will be familiar with 60-70 languages.

Professor Connolly’s lifelong love of languages began as a Boston College High School student in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite into outer space. After this event caught worldwide attention, Connolly decided to study Russian on his own. His interest in the subject grew during his undergraduate years at BC upon finding a Hindustani grammar book at a second-hand bookstore.

It was in Connolly’s junior year, however, when he realized he wanted to pursue linguistics as a career. He originally intended to pursue a career in the Navy or the Coast Guard, but a Jesuit priest approached him and asked him if he was interested in Biblical archaeology. While Connolly never became an archaeologist, this subject led him to pursue linguistics as an academic career. He graduated from BC in 1965, began teaching at BC in 1968, and received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1970.

SELL may only have 47 majors and 37 minors in the department, but Connolly believes the department to be strong because of its diverse offerings. SELL offers Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Bulgarian among other languages. In addition, students can major in literature studies or linguistics, which is the most popular major within SELL, currently with 34 majors.

Despite the department’s diverse offerings, Connolly sees room for improvement in SELL. He emphasizes the need for four full-time appointments in language positions as most large universities have, which are frequently staffed with part-time positions. He adds that SELL only has two linguistics professors to service 35 majors. Unfortunately, both hold administrative positions, leaving them overworked and unable to fully cater to their students. After receiving staff appointments, SELL also hopes to expand its academic interests to cross with anthropology.

Although some students may be daunted by the prospects of learning a Slavic or eastern language, Connolly offers words of encouragement to prospective students. He asks them to appeal to their inquisitive and adventurous nature if they are unsure. If anything else, he would tell a student that “People stupider than you have learned Chinese.”

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