Reflect on your language learning so far. How would you describe the relationship between understanding the target culture and target language? What do you need to improve your communicative competence? What other kinds of competence from the readings by H.D. Brown do you need to consider to make tangible advances in your linguistic abilities?
When learning a language it is very important to be able to understand the target culture as well. Learning about the culture along with the language allows one to appreciate the language and where it is derived from. Reflecting back to my seven years of Spanish class, I realize how each one of my Spanish teachers has tried to incorporate Spanish traditions and knowledge about different Spanish speaking countries. This process ultimately allows the learner to connect with the language that he or she is learning and become culturally competent. I especially would like to learn a lot about the Bangladeshi culture because it is where my ancestors are from and I have a special connection to the country that is quite different than if I were to learn another language.
According to the article, communicative competence is being able to convey and interpret messages and negotiate meanings. Being communicative competent is very important because I will be traveling to Bangladesh where I will have to use my Bengali to talk to medical professionals and patients. The main thing I need to do to improve my competency is practice more, especially with those who are native speakers and know the language very well. I have been talking to relatives in Bangladesh and a lot of Bangladeshis who live in Richmond, and all of this has greatly helped develop my abilities to communicate.
One of the main things I will have to work on is my organizational competency. Understanding the rules and systems that dictate the formation of a language is very important to be able to communicate in that specific language. I am a very organized person, so I hope to use this skill to better my understanding of the language. In addition, strategic competence may be a bit tough to manage because I am not too sure of all the nonverbal communication strategies for Bengali. Nonverbal communication is often learned through being in the culture, which I have not been surrounded by. When I travel to Bangladesh, nonverbal cues will definitely be difficult to understand, but I have gone over a lot of the nonverbal cues with my language partner. It is also important to be aware of there being nonverbal communication techniques because many times we do not really think about it. For instance, in Bangladesh people do not really understand the aspect of personal space, so a lot of times Bangladeshis will sit very close to one another. Also, eye contact and openly staring at others is something a lot of Bangladeshis do, so I need to not be offended or feel odd in those situations. Also, another nonverbal communication technique is through pointing. Bangladeshis do not point with their index finger, it is often considered rude. They typically point with their chin or their middle finger.
In order to fully comprehend and communicate in a language, it takes a lot of understanding of very minute and specific aspects of the language. I hope to grasp as much as I can in the Bengali language, and I am very excited and glad to have amazing guidance.
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