Entry One: Self Introduction
¡Hola! Hello! Bonjour! My name is Alexander Iglesias, and I am a junior at the University of Houston. I am currently majoring in Teaching & Learning with an EC-6 certification, in hopes of becoming a 5th grade teacher.
As seen in my video, I can fluently speak English and Spanish, and a little bit of French. Ortega mentions that majority of the world grows up in a household where one hears multiple languages. Lucky for me, I am part of that majority. In fact, my parents both spoke English and Spanish in my house but concentrated mostly in Spanish. Occasionally, my mom would add some French into my vocabulary, but this wasn't until later in life. Ortega defines this as bilingualism since I did in fact used both Spanish and English in my everyday life. Eventually, this became multilingualism since there was an additional language added.
Upon reading Ortega's introductory chapter, there were some points that caught my interest as a bilingual speaker myself. For example, Ortega mentions "how bilingual speakers tend to switch and alternate between their two (or more) languages, depending on a range of communicative needs and desires." (Ortega, 2013). Thinking back at how I use Spanish and English, I can see how I alternate languages based on how I want to portray something. For example, when it comes to math I feel more comfortable speaking Spanish solely on the fact that I learned how to count and add in Spanish first. In other words, math makes more sense to me in Spanish and I see how I switch to Spanish as soon as I see numbers. Another example of this is when I automatically speak English to sound more authoritative in trying to communicate something. I usually see myself do this when I'm speaking to someone who also speaks Spanish and English, and I want to be taken more seriously. I can't seem to explain why I do this, but it just comes naturally.
I've never really thought much about the fact that I speak three languages, but after reading the introduction I see that knowing a certain language is much more than it seems. I'm excited about this course as I feel like I am going to learn not only more about language in the classroom but also learn more about myself and my speaking abilities.
To see my entry one video, click here!
References:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Alexander! I really enjoyed watching your video. What was most interesting to me was that although your first language was Spanish, you are more comfortable in English because of work and school. This shows how our daily lives have an effect on the language we prefer to speak in. It’s fascinating to hear someone speak French because besides English and Spanish those are the only two languages I would hear frequently. According to Gass and Selinker, your L1 that you mentioned, Spanish, would also be considered your native language. Your L2 is English and French would be your targeted language in high school (Gass, 2013, p.7). If you ever were to travel to somewhere to learn a language then you would be partaking in foreign language learning.
ReplyDeleteReferences: Gass, S. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. Routledge.
Considering I grew up here in the United States where English is the common language, I have never thought of Spanish as my native language, but you’re absolutely right. Ortega considers the language that “a child learns from parents, siblings and caretakers during the critical years of development, from the womb up to about four years of age” as one’s mother tongue. (Ortega, 2013, p.5) In my case, this would be Spanish, and like you mention in your comment it does turn out to be my “native/mother language”.
DeleteReferences:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello, Alexander! I think it is really cool that you can speak three languages so fluently. According to Ortega, “multilingualism” is when a child learns more than two languages during childhood, so even though you speak three languages, it seems more as if you have English as your second language and French as a foreign language you learned (Ortega, 2013, p.4). It is still very impressive that you can speak three languages and have such a strong dedication to it. I also think it is very cool that you are able to speak French with your mom and her family, as this would definitely help in becoming more and more fluent in your third language.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dahlia! I totally agree with your statement that having my mother and my family in Quebec has been super helpful in learning my third language, although this is something I’ve definitely taken for granted. I hadn’t realized how crucial it was to have these opportunities in a naturalistic approach since “naturalistic learners learn their L2 through informal opportunities” (Ortega, 2013, p.6). In this case it would be the times I speak French with my mother, and the times I visit family up in Quebec. I would also say that I have had a mixture of both naturalistic and instructional learning considering I took classes in high school, helping me in being able to learn the language much better (Ortega, 2013, p.6). Thanks for your comment!
DeleteReferences:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hello Alexander! I find it interesting that you are able to speak French additionally to Spanish and English. As Ortega pointed out,” whether we grow up with one, two or several languages, in most cases we will learn additional languages later in life (Ortega p. 1).” I thought that it was interesting that you learned English and Spanish through a “mixture of both naturalistic and instructed experiences” and that you learned French in a naturalistic context, “without ever receiving any organized instruction on the workings of the language,” through your mother (Ortega p.6). Being part of the majority as mentioned by Ortega is exciting, multilingualism is something to be proud of, especially in a city as diverse as the one we call our home.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alexis! I appreciate you comment, and your observations on how I learned English and Spanish. You also mentioned that I learned French in a naturalistic context and although this is correct, the definition you stated doesn’t quite apply to me. I did in fact “receive organized instruction” and learned through instructional learning. Ortega defines instructional learning as “formal study in school or university, through private lessons and so on,” (Ortega, 2013, p. 6) which I did in fact partake in. In high school I did take four years of French in which I was taught grammar and more speech. Nonetheless, it is true that I learned most French in a naturalistic setting. Like Dahlia Chandrahasan mentions on the comment above, it is thanks to my family that I am able to learn in a naturalistic way as well.
DeleteReferences:
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
I agree Alexis! A person who is multilingual is very special. Gass and Selinker mention even being bilingual comes with many advantages such as communicative, cultural/economic, and cognitive (2013, p.28). Alexander has the opportunity to speak Spanish with his family from Mexico and El Salvador. And if he needed to French to his mother. This would give him a greater chance to understand cultural differences among people as well. Not to mention the economic advantages in the area of work he chooses to go in. According to Gass and Selinker, metalinguistic awareness is the ability to think in another language (2013, p.29). In Alexander’s case, it would be him thinking in Spanish to solve a math problem.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Gass, S. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. Routledge.
Hey, Maria! Thanks for your comment, and thank you for pointing out my metalinguistic awareness. There are many more instances in which I switch my way of thinking and speaking, but I have never known what to refer it as until now. Upon reading your comment, I have read what Gass and Selinker have to say about this phenomena and it has made me realize that I also partake on what is known as “code-switching.” Gass and Selinker refer to code switching as the use of more than one language in the course of a conversation. This is exactly what I do! Going back to my math example, whenever I am speaking about math or numbers to anyone, I tend to speak in Spanish. Sometimes, it’s on purpose and sometimes it’s by mistake. According to Gass and Selinker this could be because of a “lack of concept in one language and its presence in the other,” (Gass & Selinker, 2013, p.29) which is absolutely accurate. As a child I learned my basic counting and math operations solely in Spanish. It wasn’t until later that I was fully exposed to math in English. This also explains why I tend not to do it as much as I did when I was younger. It blows my mind that there explanations for the things that I do, but have never really thought of. Anyways, thanks again for your comment!
DeleteReferences:
Gass, S. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. Routledge.
You bring such interesting perspectives to this discussion, Alexander! I especially loved your take on Ortega's comments on multilingual students and how they use their languages different to convey different concepts (2013).
ReplyDeleteDo you think that, as teachers, it is realistic to integrate different languages into our teaching styles? Specifically, should we stick to just one or two, or use a variety? I like the variety of other languages, but seeing as I only have a working understanding of Japanese and Spanish, and limited knowledge of French, I doubt I can bring much to this conversation. I think, like those who have commented already, we can all agree that diversifying our culture can only help students. However, I am unsure of how to do so in the classroom.
What are your thoughts? Any ideas on how to cultivate a better love of learning and using other languages?
LOVED your video, Alexander.
ReplyDeleteCould you please visit my blog at the link below:
https://mstraciadams.blogspot.com/?m=1
Due to difficulties, I have to solicit my blog the old fashion way.
Side bar: I love your energy and I will be back to dissect and admire your posts in a scholarly manner.
Thank you,
Traci Adams