January 28th
Chapter 2: Second Culture Acquisition
While
reading chapter two and understanding why second language acquisition is very
difficult to obtain, I agree that it is a challenge for everyone to have that
acquisition of another language. Additionally to the reading, I believe, besides
just learning another language, there are many other factors that contribute to
being able to be expert on a second language trying to be learned. It was very
interesting the quote about how people feel about “not ‘really belonging to the
host culture’”, when they have migrated to a new country and are living there.
This creates a challenge because learning a second language or learning a
second culture can be hard to obtain and can also make it harder to become
proficient. It was also very interesting about the attitude people have when
they are trying to learn another language. In the reading, it explained that
people who are positive about learning another language/culture and are willing
to understand the cultures perspective are more likely to have better
development and understanding of the second language and culture.
In
this chapter, it also talked about culture and mind and why it is a challenge
for people to have a better understanding of another culture or language. In
the text, it explained that when we are learning for the first time our own
native language, what we perceive, interact, and understand from the world
around us it helps us to better understand our culture, language, and the context
that we live in. We begin to develop a mental representation of the world
around us and to better understand the function of our social culture. As
children, we begin to place words with objects in our native language. But, once
we have established our world around us, learning another world, culture, and
language can become a challenge to make sense of it. The text gave many
examples about the difficulties that come when trying to learn another
language. The example that I believe that made sense of why people have a hard
time understanding another language it is socio context, or inner speech and
cultural appropriation. We, as second language learners, can learn another
language, study its culture, study its grammar structure, but the hardest understands
its social environment. A great example of this is idioms. Overall, learning
another language can be a challenge, but it can be done. However, the question is
would we be able to fully acquire a second culture/language acquisition?
Chapter 3:
Developing Nonnative Speaker Skills in Interpreting Conversational Implicatures
in English
In
chapter three, it discuss about the principle that people do when they are
taking part in a conversation called cooperative principle. In this principle,
there are guidelines that are established and expected to better understand a
conversation between people. Grice
paraphrases four basic maxims, “Be sufficiently information to meet your
interlocutor’s need,”, “Be truthful,” “Make what you say relevant,” and “Be
clear.” These guidelines are intended to better understand what a person is
trying to say because the person who is hearing the message can interpret it
meaning differently from what you are trying to say. The chapter also continues
to explain and relate this concept of the cooperative principle with if people
who have different background interpret messages differently. The text asked
very important questions regarding this concept like “but is it true? Do people
from different cultural background infer different message from the same
utterance in the same context?”
Additionally,
in this chapter there were also studies done to students to answer these
questions. It was very interesting the finding showed of students, with
different cultural background, to see and understand this idea if they their
background has any influence in understanding the messages. In one study, immigrant
students were given a test for the first time. In this finding, the students
did really poorly and had a really hard time understanding the test. Then, they
were place in an immersion group for a period of time. In this finding they
discovered, that once students were immerge in the group and took the test
after, their performance had increased drastically. They did way better than
the first time. Familiar studies were done to help better understand this
concept.
Culture and its Complexities and Exploring
Culture
In the article, it was very interesting
to have ready that defining culture is very difficult. It also mentioned that researchers, anthropologist, and other have not had a clear cut of what culture really is. I
would think that in this century there would be a clearer understanding of what
culture is. But instead it is seems to be a very complex subject being
discussed. A possibility of why this term so hard to define is because
individual have their own identity or culture of who they are and who they are
represented, but that is a lot of people in the world. Additionally, it also
changes through time. Culture, just like societies, changes trough time and
makes it harder to define what culture really is. Also in the article, it was
very interesting to have read about how everyone has similarities in their own
culture o community. For example, everyone speaks a language, everyone eats,
worship a God or many Gods, have memories, and so on. The question is what defines
us differently, what creates this idea of culture? The article mentions about individuals’
ideas, rules, and beliefs can be key elements that distinguish us from each
other in a community.
Additionally, how as future teacher can be present
this idea to students when it has not being well establish what Culture is. In
the article, it discuss that it give strategies to better make sense of the
world around us. Teachers and students should try to have an understanding and awareness
that everyone has their own cultural identity that everyone can be great
contributors to the classroom to better understand the world around us. As
future teachers, I believe that this is every important to represent who are
students are in the classroom. To be more accepting of other who are different
from our own culture. I agree with the article that we, as future teachers, can’t
ignore this concept, but embrace it in our classroom.
A continuum of this concept and making culture
part of the classroom, in the article “Exploring Culture”, it gives an
explanation about if students understand the concept of culture. I believe that
is it very important to integrate culture and create and awareness of it
meaning. We, as future teachers, have to work with students to better explore
this subject to better understand its meaning and relate it to our own lives. I
can really relate to this subject, because as future bilingual elementary
teacher, we have discussed the notion of identity and bringing that to the classroom.
We need to somehow incorporate culture in our curriculum to better understand
who we are and be a fundamental part in the classroom. Not only do we have to learn
about what culture is and define its meaning, but also embrace the concept in
the classroom and make it be part of our daily lives. We, as teacher, it is our
job to have this awareness in the classroom and create activities to better
help our students understand culture. We need to share our own personal
experience and bring this awareness to our students. Culture is all around us
and instead of hiding it, we should embrace it.
Finally, distinctions to help our students better understand the
differences between big C and little c in culture. In this article, it also
demonstrates the iceberg in previous article, but distinguishing between big C
and little c. Big C is a visible presentation to other. In the article it
describes as “objective or highbrow culture, or as the institution that people
have created”. And as for little c, it is the invisible that defines who we
are, such as our values, beliefs, culture, and attitude. I believe this is very
interesting and makes a clear understanding of what culture is and how it is
perceive in the world.
Overall, reading this articles and chapters
had made me have a clear understanding of what culture is and how people have difficulties
defining its true meaning. Culture is such a complex term to talk about. As future
teacher, we need to still create this awareness to our students. We can make
many activities in our curriculum to help our students better understand this
concept and let it be embrace in our classroom. It is our job and
responsibility to be accepting and allow this opportunity to our students to
figure out what culture means to them and embrace it in our daily lives.
