This week my group and I presented our article discussion.
:)
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Week 14
This week's reading began with chapter 5 in McKay in which linguitic diversity of English use. Throughout the chapter I began to realize that learners of English are using both their TL and their NL when communicating. I was wondering to myself if this would an example of interlanguage, since they're not just necessarily creating a system but also speaking with it. When we really stop and think about it, our world is becoming more bilingual everyday. English learning is present in countries all over the world, and this in hand creates different variations and dialects of English itself. Throughout the outer circle countries and expanding circle countries, the standardized varieties of English are growing in number. So, we have all of these immigrants coming to the United States, with their own standardized variety of English, but they're still put down and told to learn OUR standard English? What is even our standard, or "correct" English? You can't expect to have an immigrant come, having learned some English outside of the country, and being a native to ANOTHER country come without speaking differently, or with a dialect, or an accent.
It's been stated that a standard language is what is to be considered the "norm". Again, what does this even mean? What is considered the norm of English? Is it English in the south? In the midwest? The east? Is it English from the U.K? How can we as educators be expected to encourage our students to speak in their dialects, etc, but also expect us to tell them to use the "standard"? I believe that this concept is a hard one to really figure out because English learning has become so prominent in countries and the circles are expanding, changes are being made constantly, and this then leads to changes being made to this so-called standard.
I was surprised (but at the same time... not so much) when I read in Lippie-Green about the Hawaiin man who was turned down for his job because of his accent. His Hawaiin accent classified his speech as not standard English, even though he speaks English fine. Where and when will the line be drawn? It can't expected to have people come to this country without accents. You can't expect standard English to have a non-accent status. How does that even make sense?
It's been stated that a standard language is what is to be considered the "norm". Again, what does this even mean? What is considered the norm of English? Is it English in the south? In the midwest? The east? Is it English from the U.K? How can we as educators be expected to encourage our students to speak in their dialects, etc, but also expect us to tell them to use the "standard"? I believe that this concept is a hard one to really figure out because English learning has become so prominent in countries and the circles are expanding, changes are being made constantly, and this then leads to changes being made to this so-called standard.
I was surprised (but at the same time... not so much) when I read in Lippie-Green about the Hawaiin man who was turned down for his job because of his accent. His Hawaiin accent classified his speech as not standard English, even though he speaks English fine. Where and when will the line be drawn? It can't expected to have people come to this country without accents. You can't expect standard English to have a non-accent status. How does that even make sense?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Week 13
When I started reading chapter 4 in McKay and Bokhorst-Heng, the first thing that caught my attention was the word "politicking". The term language politicking refers to the worldliness of language in the context of language planning and policy activity. With this language planning, it has intensified with globalization as a strong organizing force in human interaction and has added a new layer to previously largely nationalist-driven agenda with language planning. I found it interesting that Singapore of all countries that teach English is one that spends a lot of time in English education. "Small in size, big on language", Singapore has a densely multilingual population, and bilingualism is very big, where about 50% of the class time is dedicated to language learning. I believe that American schools should look at Singapore as a good example to follow. We should encourage our students to learn and speak other language aside from their mother tongue, or the nation's main language of English. If we don't encourage this kind of language education, our world will indeed become a monolinguistic place. The death of language needs to be prevented because with the loss and death of languages comes the loss of cultures and identities, each of which belong to people all around the world. This is what worries me the most.
Week 12
For week 12, our reading came from McKay and Bokhorst-Heng. We were to read both chapters two and three. What stood out the most to me when going through and reading, were the different social contexts in which English is learned as an international language. English learning can be viewed as concentric circles, in which there is the Inner Circle; English is the primary language of the country, the Outer Circle; in which English is a second language in a multilingual country, and the Expanding Circle; in which English is studied as a foreign language. I find the concept of these circles very intriguing as well as a great way to really capture and describe the way English is viewed as when spread about the world and is constantly changing. This constant changing makes the differences between these circles more permeable, which I think is a good thing because when it comes to EIL learning, change is always a good thing.
Another point that was made in this chapter was the idea of examining identity of second language learners and how it aids in second language acquisition. I believe that in order for a student to successfully acquire a second language, we as future teachers must understand once again the importance of the identity of the language learner. Where they come from, who they are and what they're ideologies are will all play an important part in their acquisition of a second language. If we sit there and criticize our students for not understand a particular concept in the English language, how are we allowed to expect them to be encouraged to continue or put forth their best effort. If we put down English language learners and put down their own personal cultures how can we expect them to want to learn the language and more about the culture they've moved into? As stated in the book, "classrooms are becoming increasingly heterogenous in language and culture, it is important to know that dynamics, the potential, and the implication of popular culture in such classrooms, not only for the students' language and subject matter learning, but for their identities as individuals in societies which are new to many of them" (page38).
From Chapter 3, the concept of diglossia caught my attention the most. Diglossic multilingualism is when a many L2 speakers of English of bilingual or multilingual contexts won't use English as the dominant language in all situations of communication. An example of these would be my mom. My mom's NL or L1 is Spanish and she doesn't always speak English even though she can speak it a proficiency level. She speaks a lot of Spanish and even when she knows that someone she comes in contact with does indeed speak Spanish as well, she will communicate with them in Spanish over English. Diglossia is when speakers have two or more languages in their repertoire and choice of which language to use is dependent on their linguistic norms, values, and practices. This applies to the use of H-language over L-language and vice versa because this is dependent on the formality of the situation. I think this is a very important concept to remember as a future educator.
Another point that was made in this chapter was the idea of examining identity of second language learners and how it aids in second language acquisition. I believe that in order for a student to successfully acquire a second language, we as future teachers must understand once again the importance of the identity of the language learner. Where they come from, who they are and what they're ideologies are will all play an important part in their acquisition of a second language. If we sit there and criticize our students for not understand a particular concept in the English language, how are we allowed to expect them to be encouraged to continue or put forth their best effort. If we put down English language learners and put down their own personal cultures how can we expect them to want to learn the language and more about the culture they've moved into? As stated in the book, "classrooms are becoming increasingly heterogenous in language and culture, it is important to know that dynamics, the potential, and the implication of popular culture in such classrooms, not only for the students' language and subject matter learning, but for their identities as individuals in societies which are new to many of them" (page38).
From Chapter 3, the concept of diglossia caught my attention the most. Diglossic multilingualism is when a many L2 speakers of English of bilingual or multilingual contexts won't use English as the dominant language in all situations of communication. An example of these would be my mom. My mom's NL or L1 is Spanish and she doesn't always speak English even though she can speak it a proficiency level. She speaks a lot of Spanish and even when she knows that someone she comes in contact with does indeed speak Spanish as well, she will communicate with them in Spanish over English. Diglossia is when speakers have two or more languages in their repertoire and choice of which language to use is dependent on their linguistic norms, values, and practices. This applies to the use of H-language over L-language and vice versa because this is dependent on the formality of the situation. I think this is a very important concept to remember as a future educator.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Week 11
This week's reading took an in depth look at globalization and how it effects the world of languages. I found this reading particularly interesting because I was never really aware of what globalization does in regards to internationalization, liberalization, modernization and deterritorialization. As far as these terms go, they have been around for years and years and the most recent and popular one is deterritorialization. What does this have to do with English? There is a strong relation between globalization and the English language in that there is a wide global spread of the language and its influences on teaching it. With this aspect of globalization, we're presented with this idea of homogenization. People see this as a negative aspect of globalization which leads to the loss of languages. I agree with this to the point that languages are dying more and more with the wide spread of English in the world of culture, but it's also the decision of the members of a particular language or culture to fight this from happening. If people cared so much about losing their language or culture, you'd think they'd fight harder to preserve and save them.
Braj Kachru brings up the perspective of heterogeny. With this the features of World Englishes is described as "a sign of the pluricentricism that has been brought about by globalization". This paradigm offers the idea that with the way that English has been localized, varieties of English around the world exist. I agree with Pennycook when he says that the globalization of the use of the English language is a mix between the homogeny and heterogeny perspectives. There isn't so much a loss of various cultures and traditions, but a mixture of them, a change and crossing borders.
The reading then took an even deeper look into the different factors that have contributed to the wide spread and popularity of the English language. The necessity to know the English language in terms of economic and academic status, along with media incentives. While these seem to good aspects of the spread of English throughout the world, it also poses a threat of leading to monolingualism. I believe that monolingualism is something that we as future educators of English need to help fight. As future TESOL educators, it is important that we don't let the popular and widespread use/need of English engulf the other languages and cultures out there. It is important that we emphasize the importance to our students of keeping their cultural and linguistic identities close to them.
What can we as future educators do to help supplement the positive aspects of globalization of English while not negatively affecting the other languages and cultures of the world?
Braj Kachru brings up the perspective of heterogeny. With this the features of World Englishes is described as "a sign of the pluricentricism that has been brought about by globalization". This paradigm offers the idea that with the way that English has been localized, varieties of English around the world exist. I agree with Pennycook when he says that the globalization of the use of the English language is a mix between the homogeny and heterogeny perspectives. There isn't so much a loss of various cultures and traditions, but a mixture of them, a change and crossing borders.
The reading then took an even deeper look into the different factors that have contributed to the wide spread and popularity of the English language. The necessity to know the English language in terms of economic and academic status, along with media incentives. While these seem to good aspects of the spread of English throughout the world, it also poses a threat of leading to monolingualism. I believe that monolingualism is something that we as future educators of English need to help fight. As future TESOL educators, it is important that we don't let the popular and widespread use/need of English engulf the other languages and cultures out there. It is important that we emphasize the importance to our students of keeping their cultural and linguistic identities close to them.
What can we as future educators do to help supplement the positive aspects of globalization of English while not negatively affecting the other languages and cultures of the world?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Week 8
This weeks reading really caught my attention in regards to what images are used in Bilingual textbooks. When looking back on the reading, the article by Taylor specifically got me interested. I never really thought about how certain stereotypes, cultures, or people were portrayed in the texts in which ELL and EFL students are reading. Cosette Taylor-Mendes provided us with the article, "Construction of Racial Stereotypes in English as a Foreign Language" in which the researcher was particularly interested in how the EFL from Sao Paolo, Brazil look at race and culture.
I was really caught off guard when I read about how there were certain books that portrayed white Americans as rich and well off, while African Americans or other minority types were portrayed as poor or uneducated. Because I, personally, have never learned English as a foreign language in a foreign country, I have no idea nor any experience with the textbooks used in this particular area of study. I have never really thought about what kinds of misconceptions foreigners may already have of Americans and America, mostly due to what they are portrayed as in the textbooks they are using on a daily basis to study from. This really interests me in maybe including a question regarding EFL textbooks and asking my dad when doing the interview for our cultural analysis. I am interested to see what kind of portrayals were made in his textbooks when studying English, or in any textbook for that matter. I am interested to know what his outlook of American was before coming to the States, and how it can relate to other English Language learners we may come across in our lives or our classrooms. From what I can remember my father telling me regarding other races, it's always been a negative outlook and it really upsets me knowing this. This is something I want to change.
I was really caught off guard when I read about how there were certain books that portrayed white Americans as rich and well off, while African Americans or other minority types were portrayed as poor or uneducated. Because I, personally, have never learned English as a foreign language in a foreign country, I have no idea nor any experience with the textbooks used in this particular area of study. I have never really thought about what kinds of misconceptions foreigners may already have of Americans and America, mostly due to what they are portrayed as in the textbooks they are using on a daily basis to study from. This really interests me in maybe including a question regarding EFL textbooks and asking my dad when doing the interview for our cultural analysis. I am interested to see what kind of portrayals were made in his textbooks when studying English, or in any textbook for that matter. I am interested to know what his outlook of American was before coming to the States, and how it can relate to other English Language learners we may come across in our lives or our classrooms. From what I can remember my father telling me regarding other races, it's always been a negative outlook and it really upsets me knowing this. This is something I want to change.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Week 7
After doing this week's reading, my eyes were opened to how important it is to consider the sociolinguistic aspect of interaction between speakers. Like the example provided in the McKay reading, the way someone says something and the way it is interpreted is very important. In the reading, when the teacher asked the student, James, a question in which he answered with "i don't know" she took it as him not really caring about what she was asking. In reality, within the African-American community, James's response was telling the teacher to help motivate and help him answer the question. In hand, the reason why the teacher took it differently is because of the fact that she isn't from this community. When it comes down to teachers dealing with students from very different and a diverse spectrum of communities, it is important that we are knowledgeable on the different ways things are viewed and stated within these different communities and cultures.
Before reading, I didn't know what "lingua franca" meant, or had even heard of it. After reading Baker's article, I had a clearer idea. It's a word used to describe a "working" or "bridge" language. Baker examines the different forms of English as a lingua franca. We often look at English as being an essential language to know when it comes to several realms of education, business, and international interactions. But the basis of just knowing the English language doesn't mean that one truly understand where another one comes from culturally or linguistically. While a teacher can communicate with their student, and they get the idea that they mutually understand each other on a language basis, are they truly understanding one another on a deeper level? As Baker states in his article, "learners of English are not learning to join a single language community, but are 'shuttling between communities' between the local and global, in which variety of norms and repertoire of codes are to be expected" (572), it goes to show how L2 English language learners may feel when learning and adjusting to this new culture. It's important for us to be aware of how these learners may be viewing these codes on their local and global levels, and it's important for us to let them keep their cultures, codes and ideas.
As far as Marra's study, I find studies done in the workplace very interesting because second language learners as adults and in the workplace may have a particularly difficult time adjusting. I know my dad went through a similar difficult experience because the English he learned was different than that of the "standard" English here in the US.
Thoughts: Do you think there is a "standard" English that second language learners should be learning in order to interact "correctly" with their peers whether in an academic or work setting?
Before reading, I didn't know what "lingua franca" meant, or had even heard of it. After reading Baker's article, I had a clearer idea. It's a word used to describe a "working" or "bridge" language. Baker examines the different forms of English as a lingua franca. We often look at English as being an essential language to know when it comes to several realms of education, business, and international interactions. But the basis of just knowing the English language doesn't mean that one truly understand where another one comes from culturally or linguistically. While a teacher can communicate with their student, and they get the idea that they mutually understand each other on a language basis, are they truly understanding one another on a deeper level? As Baker states in his article, "learners of English are not learning to join a single language community, but are 'shuttling between communities' between the local and global, in which variety of norms and repertoire of codes are to be expected" (572), it goes to show how L2 English language learners may feel when learning and adjusting to this new culture. It's important for us to be aware of how these learners may be viewing these codes on their local and global levels, and it's important for us to let them keep their cultures, codes and ideas.
As far as Marra's study, I find studies done in the workplace very interesting because second language learners as adults and in the workplace may have a particularly difficult time adjusting. I know my dad went through a similar difficult experience because the English he learned was different than that of the "standard" English here in the US.
Thoughts: Do you think there is a "standard" English that second language learners should be learning in order to interact "correctly" with their peers whether in an academic or work setting?
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