OMER_learningplan.docx

I didn't realize you wanted this today too! 

Omer Genosar

4/25/16

SDLC 110

Hebrew

“I Can” Statements

• I can: Have a fairly fluent conversation in Hebrew.

• I can: Speak about my day and communicate my feelings properly.

• I can: Read Hebrew (without diacritics) at a faster rate than I earlier in the semester.

• I can: Talk about politics effectively (have the necessary vocabulary).

• I can: Understand spoken Hebrew slang words.

• I can: Properly communicate about texts I read.

• I can: Complete all the basic functions of a language speaker (greetings, questions, descriptions etc).

          I agreed with the scienceline article when it comes to bilingualism. When I think about it, executive function is definitely not the same thing as intelligence and it only represents one positive of bilingualism. On the negative side, a decreased vocabulary in both languages definitely seems both logically and personally accurate. For most of my life and even until today, I believe that my learning of English while I was still figuring out Hebrew severely hampered my growth in both. Up to today, whenever I try to talk in either Hebrew or English I come across many words that feel as if they had just escaped me. I say the phrase “that thing” so often that those who know me well, are very much used to the game of charades that they sometimes have to play with me in order to figure out what I am talking about. This phenomenon is exactly the reason that I am taking the self-directed language course, I have so many nouns and words missing from my vocabulary that should naturally be there but are for some reason missing. If I know 9/10 words in a sentence, how come I do not know the 10^th? Regardless, this may be an overly pessimistic viewpoint. Of course the advantages of bilingualism is very helpful in this global world and for critical thinking due to the positive affect it has on the executive function of the brain.

Omer Genosar

           To be honest I have avoided writing in Hebrew because I don’t believe it will be important to my future or my interest in the language. As for reading, I have made it one of my goals in my language plan to become a bit better at reading. It has been a great struggle for a long time for me to read without Hebrew diacritics. I grew up in Hebrew until the age of 7 and then attended a Hebrew elementary/middle school until the 6th grade. However, the transition to Hebrew without diacritics begins around 8th grade in my Hebrew Middle School and of course much younger than that in Israel. I never received the proper education to get myself to not rely on the vowel sound “crutches.” Learning to read in Hebrew without the diacritics means needing to know the words beforehand so as to understand what the letters mean with implied sounds. Because the words must basically be known beforehand, I have decided to focus more on the spoken aspect of the language than the written part. However, this did not mean that I wouldn’t attempt to read. In fact, most of my artifacts involve reading Hebrew that does not have the diacritics. I will continually try to strengthen my reading skills while sharpening my vocabulary.

Omer Genosar

          I am really not sure how many words I have learned in my target language, my best estimation is around forty or fifty maybe. Many of those words have to do with politics or just general nouns and adjectives that I was missing from my own vocabulary. I learned them through my learning plan in which I created a system in which I would keep looking up words that I describe as “gaps” in my sentences when I talk in Hebrew. I do not focus on writing those words down because it is their verbal sounds and situational positioning that I try to focus on. What I am trying to set up, is an efficient and realistic system for acquiring language based off of necessity. If I run through a word once but don’t come across it within the week/month/semester, then chances are I will not have a huge need to know it, but if another word keeps getting me stuck in my sentences then I give it special attention and make sure that it is fully learned. 

Hebrew is a very good language to include in the conversation of reviving languages. Hebrew itself was a dead language in terms of the spoken form, thankfully its Jewish roots kept the written aspect of the language alive. The work that Eliezer Ben-Yehuda did to revive the spoken language is amazing. He turned a group of people from many different backgrounds that spoke numerous languages into a fairly homogenous society through speech. Speech is one of the main pillars of society, it brings together people with a bond that is inseparable and is the foundation to most cultures. Whenever a language is lost, the culture or group it came from usually dies with it. Resurrecting or at least preserving languages is extremely important for the survival of a culture. Some words have meanings that are solely owned by one language. Of course a table is a table even if the sound is different, but what about a word like Mashuguna in Yiddish? It means a combination of silly, crazy, and chaos all in one, there is not another word like it yet when the language goes so do those words.

Omer Genosar       

            I absolutely LOVED the culture shock video, I related to it in many ways. I never thought of culture shock as a multi-step phenomenon in which it is expected to have an immediate high proceeded by a what-the-heck moment of home sickness and then ended with acclimation to the new environment. I related with the culture shock video because personally, I feel as if I am stuck between two different cultures and so if I am in Israel I get a certain culture shock (although minimal) but then after a month in Israel, when I come back to the states I get another culture shock just because I acclimate so quickly to Israeli culture and society. I’m sure that I am not the only one who gets these feelings and so I think it is important to note that culture shocks come even to a person who is fairly acclimated to more than one society. I wonder if study abroad students have a culture shock when they come back to their original home? 

Omer Genosar

           Learning about a language’s history is actually extremely helpful in learning the language. Knowing what is from the past and what is more recent allows us to put context to some words. This works the best for technology and that ideas and objects from the 20^th and 21^st Centuries tend to be in Hebrew but still in the English form. For example meecro (Hebrew) and microwave are the same word. On the flip side of that, much older words many times have roots that come from ancient Hebrew or Yiddish or other dialects. For example the word day in Arabic and Hebrew is very similar (yom) that means that the both share the same root. In fact the word yom is in the bible several times and is probably a very ancient word. But it does not take a genius to know that microwave is not said in the bible. What I am trying to say is that if a word kind of sounds like English, then meaning could be figured out just by knowing that it is a (relatively) recent word.

Omer Genosar

           To be honest I feel as though my situation is not that of an organic learner. The structure of Hebrew is really ingrained in me whenever I speak the language. It is very difficult to explain, but the best reasoning I could give is that because I was born as a toddler with Hebrew, the structure of sentences are very natural to me. I think that Hebrew is very much like many Latin based languages in which the adjective is after the noun unlike English. On the other hand, Hebrew is like English because there are not too many grammar rules and rules for forming words, yet a large amount of exceptions. Hebrew in many ways is closer to English than Arabic because Arabic contains many different rules but a limited number of exceptions, so a “script” could be written out to figure out how to grammatically write a sentence. In my case a reference grammar is not so useful because I am not focused on the sentences themselves but the missing pieces in the sentences. 

Learning Journal #2

I think that the linguistic aspects of Israeli culture are all very much in line with American/ Western culture except for a few distinct differences. First of all in regards to time, Israeli culture is very difficult to figure out. It is both monochromic and polychromic. To clarify, the general feeling in Israel tends to focus on being lax and seeing life through a polychromic lens. However, Israelis are able to adapt very quickly and situationally they become monochromic. This could be due to Israeli history and the struggle that the Jewish people have had to go through; all of the wars and conflicts that Israelis have dealt with have hardened them to become very pushy, especially when it comes to time sometimes. This extends into another linguistic aspect, which is their very direct communication and low power distance. Israelis are very forthright and direct, regardless of their standing with the other person, the low power distance is a very important cultural aspect that could not be stated enough for it influences most interactions.

I really loved hearing about all of the different cultures out there. I have learned so much about the Korean culture, and it is really a fascinating culture. Because of my peers, I feel as if a whole group of people and way of life has opened me in regards to the Korean people. From more general to Eastern societies of a hierarchical structure between families and their elders, to more Korean related specifics such as the insane popularity of dramas and looks. 

I also really loved hearing about the other cultures that students brought up. From Turkey's following of Ataturk to the Greek culture and then to Urdu and the stories that came with that presentation, I really was able to get a sense of each culture. If I ever go or talk about these different places, the presentation today will give me a lot of important information on cultural backgrounds that I will need. Imagine saying something bad about Ataturk in Turkey!

Omer Genosar

Final Reflection

            I have really grown as a language learner over this past semester and year. As I stated before, I am currently taking Arabic at the 100 level and Hebrew through this self-directed learning course. The difference between the two types of learning are night and day. For my Arabic class, I have been trying to learn hundreds of vocabulary words while putting together and understanding all of the grammar rules necessary. My learning has been broad and what is taught is honestly very spread out and not very concentrated. Meanwhile, for Hebrew I have been diligently working on one main goal: to expand my conversational speaking skills. I have put all of my energy into filling my speaking needs; this means that any times I have words that I do not know, I do not memorize them but instead just look them up until the next time I stumble across them. Speaking and having conversations has been my path to learning vocabulary. I feel as though, contrary to my initial beliefs, the vocab that I keep looking up is not as wide ranged as in Arabic class. Instead, the words I do not know and use often have two categories: political words and more complicated adjectives. The first category is easy to explain, I am interested in politics and I have found a need to be able to explain my political viewpoints/issues in a Hebrew conversation. The second part is a little harder to explain, and where I have found more difficulties. A good example of this is the word subjective; I used to say – it is only what you think (ze rak ma shehata choshev). If I now want to say that is subjective I would say – ze eeshee (personal) or soobyektivi (subjective). Of course the Hebrew word is noticeably based off the English word and has no real Hebrew root, but regardless of that, these are the type of words that I find myself needed to fill in my vocabulary. Knowing Hebrew beforehand is of course very useful in acquiring a language, but I believe that the step to get to the next level is just as difficult as the process that one learns in a 100 level language class. Regardless, I plan on continually honing my Hebrew skills hopefully for the rest of my life.

            My favorite learning activity when I was doing the PowerPoints. My first one was on McDonalds in Israel, the second on the Hebrew language’s history, and the third on the May holidays in Israel. All three were really fun for me because I was able to learn more about my culture and I enjoyed being able to connect more with my Israeli roots. Maybe if I was doing a different culture, such as Korean, I would be a bit more disengaged; however, overall I think the PowerPoints really opened my eyes other cultures as well as my own. Additionally, my favorite learning journals were the culture shock based one and the early one on Figuring Foreigners Out, I really enjoyed the viewpoints that both introduced (or more accurately, confirmed) to me. 

          Just to touch upon my progress of my learning plan as well, I think that I have a ways to go when it comes to finishing my overall goals of being fluent. I have made great gains when it comes to my reading and conversational skills and so I feel as though I have achieved most of my specific goals for the learning plan. I have increased confidence in my conversational skills in Hebrew and I feel much more secure with speaking. On the reading aspect of my learning plan, I have fallen a bit short of my initial goals, but I did succeed in familiarizing myself more and more with non-punctuated readings. I feel as though I have finally transitioned from needing the Hebrew diacritics to leaning on the a lot less and understanding words without them. Overall, I feel as though I reached my goals for the learning plan and I am very satisfied with the results.  

Omer Genosar

Reflection Paper #2

My Hebrew learning has definitely given me a chance to re-connect with my Israeli background. I would definitely look at the Hebrew language and Israeli culture and say that the two are symbiotic; this is mainly due to common sense and geographical reasons. Israel is the only country in the world with a majority Hebrew speakers. That means that as Israeli society develops and grows, so does the Hebrew language. Of course, one might think that Hebrew is not that connected with the State of Israel but with the Jewish people. Yes, Hebrew has been written in the different Judaic sacred texts for thousands of years (I would suggest looking at the Sarajevo Haggadah in the library first floor). I think because of the long use of Hebrew in Judaism, we tend to discount how modern Israel affects the language. In fact, the last (almost) 70 year history of Israel has probably brought upon a larger change in the spoken language than the previous thousand years. The main reason for this is that Hebrew only began to be spoken again at the turn of the 20^th Century. Basically what I am trying to say, is that the more spoken Hebrew I absorb and learn, the more of the Israeli culture I am embracing.

That being said, the more I reflect on my language learning the more I begin to see the impact that Israeli culture has. Most of the words that I am missing from my vocabulary are fairly new words (in terms of when they began being spoken) with some having older roots and some having younger roots. Another problem I see that keeps recurring is that when practicing conversations, my main problem is figuring out more complex words. An example of this is if I wanted to say International Studies or hierarchy; instead of saying international studies I can say worldly learning and for hierarchy I could say top to bottom and the meaning is relatively the same. But in order to take my language to another level, I need to know how to really say those words instead of substituting simpler words. This is one of my more important learning goals if I am to move up in my Hebrew speaking and be able to sound truly native to the language.

Before I began the class, I thought that I would focus on reading and writing. Since I have started class, I have focused much more on being able to speak what I think and do complex tasks such as analyzing and summarizing articles. I thought that these tasks would induce my reading skills, and while they have done that, I find that what has grown is my ability to turn my thoughts into words. This has probably been my main motivation for taking this class. Being able to discuss my thoughts and feelings with my family or another Israeli has been my main goal and I feel as though that goal is getting closer and closer to being achieved. In retrospect, spending a few weeks in Israel would do much more for my speaking skills than any class, but this class has really allowed me to hone in translating thoughts into words.

Omer Genosar

Reflection Paper #1

            My experience as a language learner has actually been quite extensive and a very complex story. My native language is Hebrew as I spent most of my early childhood in Israel with Israeli parents. When I moved to the United States, I struggled mightily as a young child but I eventually transitioned to the point where my English surpassed even my Hebrew due to me using it more. Then from middle school through parts of High School I had to learn Spanish and now in college I am learning Arabic as well as “rekindling” with Hebrew.

Personally, I have had more downs than ups when it came to language acquisition. I would say that the best part of learning a language is being able to use it and the joy and surprise that other speakers of that language have when they hear me converse (or attempt to). My difficulties with learning languages is that I have a very hard time memorizing information. Unfortunately, most language acquisition courses are built on vocabulary lists and memorizing grammar rules and facts. My inability to efficiently learn through memorization and my short attention span has led me to really struggle with retaining the vocabulary. Regardless of my struggles, I believe that with the right amount of effort and possibly a different way of learning material will allow me achieve my language goals. Of course this is more pertaining to Arabic, for Hebrew I am at a point that I have never experienced before. How do I increase efficiency and depth in a language? All the other languages I have learned through school have looked to get the basics down, the “shallow” part of the language. For the first time I am dealt with having to increase proficiency in a language. How will I be able to do it?

The answer seems to be through using alternative techniques to teach myself Hebrew. Instead of vocabulary lists and memorization, maybe I could try a more personalized learning. I think that looking at the FIRE model, I could piece together how to achieve a personalized goal. The FIRE model makes it easy for me to envision myself as an evaluative learner. What this means is that activities such as conversations and piecing different materials together will help me the best. I believe that the best way to expand my learning activities is to fill in the gaps of what I need to know slowly and piece together sentences and conversations. My plan is to throw out the vocab lists and to simply work on completing sentences. If I miss a word, instead of writing it down I can simply move on until I miss it again and again and by the fourth of fifth time, I will have acquired that word because it is a necessity to my speaking. I feel that this is not necessarily time efficient, but instead “word” efficient. I will begin to be comfortable with only the words that I need to focus on. Overall, expanding my learning activities to be dominated by conversation and speech and not vocabulary lists seems to best fit my goals. 

History of Modern Hebrew

Hebrew first presentation Hebrew - McDonalds