The three reading assignments for this week have been extremely helpful in breaking down language learning barriers.
How to Investigate Language Structure was an essential piece. It made me aware of how simple aspects of language that we take for granted, such as word structure, sequence, and tone are all a major part of the learning process. Patterns of organization are the most eminent features of language learning. Without them, I find little consistency in a learning trajectory. How to Investigate Language Structure is especially efficient in explaining the distinctions in physical forms of sound as well as phonology.
How The Brain Handles Language was also a useful tool in shaping my language learning process. I never knew that cerebral localization was such a large component as to how you learn a language. Neurology and psychology are integral elements of our learning abilities because they affect speech production and language conceptualization. Transfer of information from one section of the brain to another is a crucial episode that occurs daily. It is most often exercised when learning a new language, as we are constantly matching what we already know about one language with our newly learned language. Although frustrating, as the article states, tongue slips do happen, but this is one result of using our minds to accomplish language learning.
How We Mean was a brilliant piece. It was probably the most helpful in helping me to navigate what it means to learn a new language. The largest piece of advice that I’ve taken from it is that I can’t restrict my view of language learning just to one language (that being English, my first language). It is natural to think that English is the foundation of all languages when the country makes so little initiative to encourage its citizens to speak other languages fluently. This aspect of learning and being open-minded about learning will help me to understand down the line, to continue to treat Gujarati as though it is the first language that I am learning. I am already finding that some words simply have no meaning in English. I am continually amazed!
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Jamaica you have noticed great points, I also found the patterns of organization of language more important and any language without a structure is much harder to learn. And I was amazed how brain can function in taking so many languages in different stages of our age. It seems that, learning a new language is not so much hard if we relate it to our own language and have a solid foundation.
Which words have no meaning in English? I'm confused.