Hi Everyone! Please view my language comparison poster by following this link:
http://www.slideshare.net/naa134/language-comparison-10357380
If you have trouble viewing it, please let me know! Thanks! :)
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
"Language in Social Contexts" Outline
Hello Everyone!
Please view Rob Van Vorst's and my SlideShare presentation of the O'Grady (2010) chapter from Unit 10 titled "Language in Social Contexts." Please follow this link to view it:
http://www.slideshare.net/naa134/ogradychapter14outline
Thanks for viewing! :)
Please view Rob Van Vorst's and my SlideShare presentation of the O'Grady (2010) chapter from Unit 10 titled "Language in Social Contexts." Please follow this link to view it:
http://www.slideshare.net/naa134/ogradychapter14outline
Thanks for viewing! :)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Unit 10 Topic 2
Activity 1
After viewing the video, I was appalled at how the deli workers acted toward migrant workers because they did not speak English. When I become a full-time teacher, I know I may encounter some of these same attitudes from other teachers, parents, and even students. As the O’Grady chapter outlined, there are various reasons as to why people speak using different dialects and mixed languages, and other members of our communities need to be educated about immigrants. I hear about the focus on illegal immigration a lot in my area, but I would also like if people can become aware about legal immigration as well. Perhaps parents and educators in the area need to attend seminars on how to be more accepting of people of other cultures because I have encountered many people who think that because a person does not know English that he or she is illegal (It would be helpful if the seminars were offered in our area!). If we are supposed to live as a community, then we need to start acting like one. If I encounter people who are prejudice, whether in my profession or in everyday life, I will try to inform them about differences in languages and cultures and how we must appreciate the positive impact various languages and cultures can provide. When communicating with parents of ELLs I will use visuals and translators to aid in communication because I want parents and students to know my classroom is a community-based environment.
Activity 2
After viewing the video, I was appalled at how the deli workers acted toward migrant workers because they did not speak English. When I become a full-time teacher, I know I may encounter some of these same attitudes from other teachers, parents, and even students. As the O’Grady chapter outlined, there are various reasons as to why people speak using different dialects and mixed languages, and other members of our communities need to be educated about immigrants. I hear about the focus on illegal immigration a lot in my area, but I would also like if people can become aware about legal immigration as well. Perhaps parents and educators in the area need to attend seminars on how to be more accepting of people of other cultures because I have encountered many people who think that because a person does not know English that he or she is illegal (It would be helpful if the seminars were offered in our area!). If we are supposed to live as a community, then we need to start acting like one. If I encounter people who are prejudice, whether in my profession or in everyday life, I will try to inform them about differences in languages and cultures and how we must appreciate the positive impact various languages and cultures can provide. When communicating with parents of ELLs I will use visuals and translators to aid in communication because I want parents and students to know my classroom is a community-based environment.
Activity 2
As an educator, using resources such as the PBS website will help me to educate my students who speak using various dialects. The information on myths and realities of dialects is especially useful; I think if students are informed that there is no right or wrong dialect, they will become confident in speaking English. The information can also be used to teach them about different dialects around the U.S. and what dialects are appropriate in certain situations.
Unit 10 Topic 1
Topic 1
It was interesting to hear some of the accents that are spoken around our country. One dialect that stands out in my mind is from California; a 21-year-old female student native to the area was telling a story about her brother, and she was using words and phrases that I associate with “Valley Girls” such as “totally”, “for sure”, and “like” (as in “we became, like, best friends”). We have learned in this unit about the various factors that affect one’s dialect and use of lexical items. I think in this case of the “Valley Girl” talk, it may be influenced by social factors and age. It seems that the younger generations (teenage to college age) of the population talks this way, as I do not recall hearing many adults talk in this manner. I know that social factors and age play a role in our area as well; I hear many students in junior high and high school using “like” as I mentioned above. I think sometimes we use certain words in phases of our life according to our age and who we are around at the time.
Because of the various immigration routes spanning from east to west from several hundred years ago, I believe that many of the numerous dialects we hear today stem from that time. If there is no isolation, then there are no limits on how the English language can change throughout time. As we have more people emigrate from various countries to the U.S., I believe the dialects and lexical items used in areas will be altered. Also, as a new generation is growing up, old features of English may disappear and new ones will surface. For example, in our area (coal region) a known lexical item “henna” is used (It does not mean the ink used for a henna tattoo. It actually is used similarly to the questions “Right?” or “Isn’t that so?” An example is: “You’re going to the mall tomorrow, henna?”). However, I realize from talking to various people in my area that it seems to be only used by the older generation now because it was a term from long ago in our coal region; I think over time we may hear this word less and less often.
I believe the IPA is beneficial to use to help students see how phonemes from each dialect are pronounced. For example, we cannot say that the letter “r” has the same sound in all areas of the United States. O’Grady (2010) talks about “r-lessness” in certain dialects of the U.S. (p. 492). I believe it is important to expose our students to a variety of dialects through listening and looking at the IPA, so they may become comfortable in communicating with and understanding people who speak differently than themselves.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Unit 9 Topic 2
3. He (hasn’t had) much luck catching fish in the past few weeks.
hasn’t had=has not had=present perfect tense=timeline shows it has happened before, up to, and including now (keyword=past few weeks)
He (has never been) a very successful fisherman, even though it is the only job he’s (ever had).
has never been=present perfect=timeline shows it has happened before, up to, and including now (keyword=never)
has ever had=present perfect=timeline shows it has happened before, up to, and including now (keyword=ever)
4. I do not believe that grammar can necessarily be learned through immersion. After watching the video, I recall the example that Betty Azar showed about the 18-year-old student that came to the U.S. when he was 8 years old. He went through 10 years of school, graduated high school, and then went on to college. She read a writing sample of his while showing it to the audience. The student had misspelled words and had poor grammar. She said, “Accuracy does not always just happen,” which I believe to be true. I have witnessed students getting passed along from grade to grade, even though they may not show accuracy in grammar and other subject areas as well. It is unfortunate to see students graduating high school that cannot compose a narrative. Because of their lack of skills, their future career opportunities may not happen. Later on in Betty Azar’s speech, she talked about how important it is for teachers to incorporate both communicative teaching and grammar teaching in order for L2 students to show accelerated gains in this area. Although I think it is important to provide students with hands-on activities and allow them to have meaningful conversations, it is just as important to give direct grammar instruction through mini-lessons on a daily basis, so that students do not fall behind their native speaking peers as they progress toward high school graduation.
hasn’t had=has not had=present perfect tense=timeline shows it has happened before, up to, and including now (keyword=past few weeks)
He (has never been) a very successful fisherman, even though it is the only job he’s (ever had).
has never been=present perfect=timeline shows it has happened before, up to, and including now (keyword=never)
has ever had=present perfect=timeline shows it has happened before, up to, and including now (keyword=ever)
4. I do not believe that grammar can necessarily be learned through immersion. After watching the video, I recall the example that Betty Azar showed about the 18-year-old student that came to the U.S. when he was 8 years old. He went through 10 years of school, graduated high school, and then went on to college. She read a writing sample of his while showing it to the audience. The student had misspelled words and had poor grammar. She said, “Accuracy does not always just happen,” which I believe to be true. I have witnessed students getting passed along from grade to grade, even though they may not show accuracy in grammar and other subject areas as well. It is unfortunate to see students graduating high school that cannot compose a narrative. Because of their lack of skills, their future career opportunities may not happen. Later on in Betty Azar’s speech, she talked about how important it is for teachers to incorporate both communicative teaching and grammar teaching in order for L2 students to show accelerated gains in this area. Although I think it is important to provide students with hands-on activities and allow them to have meaningful conversations, it is just as important to give direct grammar instruction through mini-lessons on a daily basis, so that students do not fall behind their native speaking peers as they progress toward high school graduation.
Unit 9 Topic 1
Original Fisherman Story
His brother bought land last winter, but sold it to the neighbor when the economy crashed. John loves fishing, but longs to be more successful. When he was feeling down, he painted his boat, “Troubled Waters,” blue and shined it up. John asked his brother what he thought of the new look, but his brother just laughed and said, “You’re always fishing for compliments.”
If John had had more energy, he might have argued with his brother, but instead, he began making more nets, with the hopes of increasing his catch the next day.
Revised Fisherman Story
His brother bought land last winter. He sold it to the neighbor because he lost money in the poor economy. John loves fishing, but wants to be more successful at it. When he was sad, he painted his boat blue and made it shiny. The boat was named “Troubled Waters.” John asked his brother what he thought of the boat after it was finished. His brother just laughed and said, “You always look for a compliment.”
John had no more energy, so he did not argue with his brother. Instead, he made more nets and hoped to catch more fish the next day.
2. After rewriting this story, I understand how confusing different tenses can be for ESL students. Certain idioms such as “economy crashed” and “fishing for compliments” need to be explained to ESL students, so they know what they mean if they encounter them while reading in the future. Certain vocabulary words such as “economy” and “successful” may need to be explained to students as well, so they can understand their meanings. Sentences and phrases containing more difficult tenses, such as “had had more energy”, can be difficult for the students to understand; they may think that there is an extra “had” by accident. The students can be exposed to more tenses in depth as their comprehension levels increase over time. From this exercise, I learned that it is important to give ELLs books and passages to read that are in the simple tense so that they do not become confused and can comprehend the text easily.
His brother bought land last winter, but sold it to the neighbor when the economy crashed. John loves fishing, but longs to be more successful. When he was feeling down, he painted his boat, “Troubled Waters,” blue and shined it up. John asked his brother what he thought of the new look, but his brother just laughed and said, “You’re always fishing for compliments.”
If John had had more energy, he might have argued with his brother, but instead, he began making more nets, with the hopes of increasing his catch the next day.
Revised Fisherman Story
His brother bought land last winter. He sold it to the neighbor because he lost money in the poor economy. John loves fishing, but wants to be more successful at it. When he was sad, he painted his boat blue and made it shiny. The boat was named “Troubled Waters.” John asked his brother what he thought of the boat after it was finished. His brother just laughed and said, “You always look for a compliment.”
John had no more energy, so he did not argue with his brother. Instead, he made more nets and hoped to catch more fish the next day.
2. After rewriting this story, I understand how confusing different tenses can be for ESL students. Certain idioms such as “economy crashed” and “fishing for compliments” need to be explained to ESL students, so they know what they mean if they encounter them while reading in the future. Certain vocabulary words such as “economy” and “successful” may need to be explained to students as well, so they can understand their meanings. Sentences and phrases containing more difficult tenses, such as “had had more energy”, can be difficult for the students to understand; they may think that there is an extra “had” by accident. The students can be exposed to more tenses in depth as their comprehension levels increase over time. From this exercise, I learned that it is important to give ELLs books and passages to read that are in the simple tense so that they do not become confused and can comprehend the text easily.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Pragmatics Application Questions
2) #2 Your homework: (Mr. Smith is Mohammed's Teacher)
Mr. Smith: Do you know what to do for homework?
Mohammed: Yes, I think so.
Mr. Smith: So you understand how to do it?
Mohammed: Yes, sir.
Mr. Smith: Ok, great, I look forward to seeing your answers tomorrow.
Mohammed: Yes, thank you.
Mr. Smith: Do you know what to do for homework?
Mohammed: Yes, I think so.
Mr. Smith: So you understand how to do it?
Mohammed: Yes, sir.
Mr. Smith: Ok, great, I look forward to seeing your answers tomorrow.
Mohammed: Yes, thank you.
After reading this conversation, one can tell there is miscommunication because of cultural differences. Although Mohammed may think he is being direct with Mr. Smith, I believe Mr. Smith does not understand the message that Mohammed is trying to convey. When Mohammed says, “Yes, I think so,” he probably means that he really does not understand the homework. In Mohammed’s culture, it is probably not the norm to say “no” if a person does not understand something. Mr. Smith thinks that Mohammed knows what he is supposed to do because he told him “yes”. The conversation closes when Mohammed says, “Yes, thank you.” Perhaps he thinks that Mr. Smith will excuse him from the homework or give him more time to do it since he believes that Mr. Smith knows he does not understand the homework. Mr. Smith needs to realize that because people from different cultures express themselves through varying degrees of directness, he cannot always assume his students mean “yes” when they reply by saying “Yes, I think so” or “Yes, maybe.”
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Grice's Conversational Maxims
There are four of Grice’s Conversational Maxims: Relevance, Quality, Quantity, and Manner. Here are some examples of situations I encountered where these maxims were violated:
1) The Maxim of Relevance: Last year, I asked my friend, “Would you like to go to the amusement park this weekend?” She replied, “Unfortunately, I have not been working many hours lately.” She did not respond to me in a relevant way be saying “no”; however, I knew by her tone of voice (disappointment) that she implied she really wanted to go but could not because of her lack of funds.
2) The Maxim of Quality: Almost every night I go to work at a local department store, and a co-worker greets me by saying, “How are you tonight?” I respond with, “Bright and cheery!” In turn, she replies, “Me, too! I couldn’t be happier if I were somewhere else!” We laugh after we exchange this greeting. We violate this maxim because of humor; we use sarcasm to cope with the fact that we are really exhausted by the time we arrive at work! The tone of our voices is light-hearted when we say these words, so we know we are just joking with each other.
3) The Maxim of Quantity: Usually while waiting on customers I ask, “How are you today?” Most people respond, “Fine, and you?” This introduction contains just enough words to provide a friendly interaction between customer and worker. However, sometimes this maxim is violated when a customer responds by talking beyond the point of polite conversation (i.e. telling me why they had a bad day at work, who just moved into their neighborhood, why they do not like certain family members, etc.) Perhaps from the customers’ point of view, they feel they are following the Maxim of Quality by telling me the truth. However, they give me much more information than is needed; maybe they need someone to vent their problems to, but they should realize that they are giving away too much personal information to a sales clerk they barely know!
4) The Maxim of Manner: I think about when my cousin test-drove a car, and I asked her, “Do you like it?” She replied, “It’s fast!” She violated the maxim because she was being ambiguous about how she felt. She may have assumed I knew what she was thinking, but I could have interpreted her response in two different ways; either she thought the car was too fast for her and did not like it, or she enjoyed that it was fast and liked it. Because of the slight tone of apprehensiveness I detected in her voice, I assumed she did not want a very fast car. Although I was right, it would have been important for her to be more direct in her answer.
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