Reflecting on the semester, I am proud of the work I have been able to do and of the skills I have developed not only in academic language learning, but in realizing how I can best push myself and use diverse resources to progress. Being able to learn in a group and share experiences, and communicate about history and culture through discussion posts and class presentations, made me reflect more on my own experiences and studies as I considered new perspectives; I realized that we sometimes shared common challenges or strategies despite learning different concepts. I was exposed to more and more information about culture and the history of the Mandarin language through daily conversation with my partner, and the projects and posts I created helped me investigate various topics I wanted to understand better and study how language is related to national identity, and how the forms of Mandarin used today have been structured and shared across China. I have appreciated the holistic approach this class took towards combining the basic elements of grammar and syntax with the societal implications of communicating about and sharing language – I realize now that, while I understood many examples of their relationships before taking this course, I have a much broader and more expansive view of the way languages connect to society and culture. I did sometimes find it difficult to find information on small details like the origins of specific words – I remember searching for some time to find comparisons between Korean, Japanese, and Chinese words, for example – but this exposed me to more discussions and information. Comparing grammatical and phonetic concepts in Mandarin and English could mean that I was connecting some very different ideas (for example, inflectional morphemes), but I realize that this class pushed me to widen my approach to different questions and delve deeper into the elements of language structure and communication.
I found the readings on Hofstede’s scales and perceptions of different cultures, language extinction, and basic frameworks and structures for language (Crystal’s and Aitchison’s texts) most helpful. They highlighted the value of language and the ways in which linguistic communication should be combined with respectful and thoughtful approaches to interactions with new cultures in order to more effectively share ideas and build awareness of people and places around the globe. They also reminded me just how much language can tell us about different places and perceptions (one of the examples I found most striking was K. David Harrison’s explanation of identifying fish species that had been misclassified by taxonomy). The structural readings made me think critically about the ways English and Mandarin organized ideas and gave me a more analytical view of language comparison. I hope to learn more about grammatical structure – I feel that I received a good introduction this semester, but can understand more nuance as I continue to study – and use some of our readings as a guideline, in addition to continuing to practice vocabulary and pronunciation. The activities I did with my tutor provided ways for me to improve in each area of reading, speaking, and writing, so I will try to continue to find a range of materials to practice, from ads to short stories. I will read more materials on Chinese history and culture and discuss preparations with friends, and continue to learn through my experiences abroad.
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