Upon reflection of my reading "Communicative Competence" I found myself also reflecting upon the MLC class itself. I came to the conclusion that one cannot effectively teach language without culture, and also that the opposite is true. Language and culture must go hand in hand for one to fully grasp either. Language defines the very nature of a culture, a language takes the ideas, the emotions, the history, and the values of a group of people, whether it be a nation or tribe, and translates them into a tangible means of expression. Subsequently without the aforementioned ideas values history and emotions, in other words without the culture, language is nothing. Culture is the proverbial soul of language. One may be able to communicate to another through words, but the same word in one language will not carry with it the same, if any, meaning in another language. There will always be mannerisms, references, and shortcuts within one language that cannot be found in any other, no matter how similar the languages may be. This is why when anyone studies a language, they should also couple that time studying the culture behind it. Otherwise, the words they are studying will remain exactly that to them, only words.

My culture presentation allowed me to more thoroughly study the history of Hebrew in order to understand the cultural relevance to the modern version of the language. Understanding the history of Hebrew also allows me to become more affluent in comprehending, and explaining Judaism and Israeli culture in general. Because of the religious history of Hebrew, I understand the meaning behind many words, because in many cases, the root of the word has some sort of religious reference or connotation. I also understand the reason why many words for simple things such as "market" or "excellent" are identical, or very similar to the words in Arabic that carry the same meaning. Modern Hebrew brings the history of the jewish tradition, the multicultural relevance which was drawn from it's nomadic beginnings, and the revolutionary adaptiveness of a language which has died and subsequently been revived in a more modern setting.

The Hebrew language is one of the oldest languages that are still commonly used today. The interesting thing about the Hebrew language is that is ties directly to the Jewish religion; in fact, Modern Hebrew had to evolve from it's historic counterpart in order to both incorporate the nuances of the modern world, and to effectively sequester some of the religious themes which were imbedded within the language. The Jews were a nomadic people in the ancient times, this is an explanation for the similarities between the Hebrew language and the various languages through the middle east, such as Arabic. Much of the pronunciation and script in the Hebrew language are audibly and visually similar to that of Arabic. Hebrew nearly died as a language but was revived in the 1800's by a man named Eleazar Ben Yehuda along with the Zionist movement. Since then Hebrew has consistently evolved from being a means of studying religious history into a modern, dynamic language.

As I became more familiar with my language I learned there are pros and cons to learning a language without learning how to read. Because I chose not to learn how to read I became much more sensitive to the pronunciation and forming of words physically than I would have otherwise. I was able to practice my vocabulary based on audible characteristics, and construct a stronger comfort level with interpersonal communication in my language than I would have had I decided to undertake reading as well. The downside to abstaining from the reading part of my language was that I did not have the ability to transliterate words myself. Which means I had to depend upon another person who knows the language if there was script involved. However, considering the give and take of my choice, I believe that i made the right decision in terms of practicality.

Modern Hebrew language is affected by many various cultural influences. Most Israeli's speak not only Hebrew, but also English, and Arabic. This is because of the significant influence that America has on Israel's politics, and the neighboring Arabic speaking countries. The Hebrew language incorporates many militaristic phrases and words because of the warlike nature of the Israeli people. Body language is much like that which can be found in America. One difference between American culture and Israeli culture is the assertiveness of Israelis. For instance, waiting for your turn in line is not usually done in Israel. It is not viewed as rude to "cut" in line, and in fact waiting for your place in line causes those around you to be viewed as naive.

Learning a language also includes understanding the culture surrounding the language. This helps to understand when it is appropriate to use certain forms, tones, and words in specific contexts. For instance speaking informally when addressing ones superiors ( a teacher or project overseer for example), can be viewed as disrespectful. There are factors of each culture that are necessary for the language learner to understand in order for them to effectively understand what to say and when to say it.

The Hebrew writing system is one of the most ancient written languages in the world. The earliest known writing in Hebrew can be traced back to the 11th century BC. Hebrew began to be replaced by Aramaic around 586 BC, and by 70 AD the use of the Hebrew language had nearly ceased. The revival of the Hebrew language began in the 19th century. The Hebrew writing system is called "Abjad." Hebrew is read from right to left, and numerous letters have a final form that differs from the original. My learning goals do not involve reading and writing, however it will be important for me to recognize letters and learn to pronounce them in order to improve my pronunciation of various words.

My experiences as a language learner, while they have been short lived, have been extremely fulfilling. My experience in Spanish has enabled me to travel to multiple Spanish speaking countries and relate to natives in a more profound way than I would have ever been able to knowing only English. The only thing I do not enjoy about languages is how quickly I lose my proficiency when there is absence of practice. I am a quick auditory learner. I benefit most from speaking languages out loud with others, because I commit what I hear and say to my memory much faster than what I see. I believe that once I become proficient in speaking I must challenge myself to commit more time and energy to visual learning styles. I look forward to furthering my experiences with foreign language and using it to experience new cultures.