This semester I have learned a lot about the traditions and cultures inherent within my language. Before I came to the 105 course, I had known Hindi but not all of its connotations and contextual relevances. This semester I chose to learn more about the female aspects fo the Hindi language and it has increased my  understanding of the way in which Indians consider culture and norms.

This semester I believe the manner in which I have changed as a language learner has been from a cultural aspect. In that, prior to my experience with this course, I did not perceive the nuances of culture and tradition as a significant portion of my treatment of the language. Coming from the country of origin of my target language led me to take the cultural aspects for granted. Although they were extremely apparent to me, gender based norms, were not the focal point of how I viewed the linguistics of my language. This course has helped me to realize the complexity behind the tradition and culture which I grew up in. Aspects of the cultural nuances relating to how Indians perceive feminism from a geopolitical standpoint have changed the way in which I regard objects and ascription. While my understanding of English has always been stronger, than Hindi, this class has enabled me to formulate a pathway to reinvigorating my linguistics ties to my home country. An important aspect of my learning of Hindi outside of India, has been a sense of nationalism. Learning Hindi within India, caused me to lack a perceptive variation to understand the differences within my culture and my language. Within the environment of University of Richmond, points of difference between Hindi and English, have become especially relevant, due to the cultural divergences. 

Particularly as my approach was that of feminism from a linguistic standpoint, dealing with the role of females in India and America, was more significant. Had I approached the subject from India, my only experience of the differences perceived, would have been based off of tertiary association rather than primary ones. In that, my connection has been on a deeper more personalized level, and so the nuances have become perceptibly apparent. 

In terms of the classroom, I enjoyed working within a larger variety of language learners, who were engaged in other languages. Such an experience, was unique, as most cases classrooms are homogenous in language when teaching a particular language. By associating and learning with other languages, the larger over arching contextual aspects of my language became more apparent. I found that historical contexts became an important factor in every language. Especially, when learning about Crystal's theories regarding language structure and Brown's views on Communicative Competence, aspects of structure and history became increasingly significant. As well as activities that engaged the classroom with regards to bilingualism and the debates therein, overarching features of our languages were able to contribute to our perceptions of learning two languages.

Conclusively, In the future I would like to further my knowledge of the historical nuances to words and the cultural connotations therein. As Hindi has a deep and complex historical connection with Sanskrit, it might be important to learn basics of some Sanskrit to improve perceptual capabilities.

While Bilinguals may be more able to communicate and deal with issues in a wide variety of ways. I found through the reading that an important aspect of bilingualism refers to the confusion inherent in the language. Bilinguals tend to find it harder to wrestle with issues and so can be affected negatively during their development. I believe that there is a trade off between bilingualism and smooth development, and that the more languages a child is exposed to the harder it will be for him to be decisive.

This semester I have enhanced my vocabulary with the feminine aspects of the Hindi language. My main focus was to use political speeches to learn better words, as well as Skype interactions with Indians to enhance communication skills. Mostly my goals are to use informal communication between friends to enhance the way in which I engage with Hindi speakers and using speeches to increase my vocabulary. I believe I have been quite realistic by only wrestling with a specific portion of my target language.

Languages tend to die due to a wide variety of cultural and national reasons. When they do the civilization which shaped the language may not die out, but a large portion of its cultural significance is lost. Languages are key in shaping communicative traditions between individuals of the region, while these individuals would not cease to exist their national spirit and historical roots tend to become less apparent and eventually die out.

Knowing a languages's history tends to be key in understanding a language. WIth respect to English or Hindi, understanding the root nature of certain words becomes imperative to knowing the language. English tends to be better understood once latin meanings are learned, similarly Sanskrit forms the root for Hindi. WIthout a working knowledge of the historical roots of the language, it becomes difficult to understand the context of the language.

I found that the culture shock video resounded with many aspects of my life. Coming from India although their were linguistic barriers, it was interesting to see the manner in which culture and tradition extends from the language to the people in America. The level of independence and privacy was an aspect which took me by surprise, as Americans tended to live more solitary and independent lives as compared to Indians. 

I found the Korean presentations regarding the food phenomenon extremely interesting. I found that it helped give me information about the Korean culture in a wide variety of ways. It exposed the audience to the way Koreans have isolated themselves and the importance of a social meal. I thought that the manner in which it had contextual links to aspect of Korean society was especially relevant to our discussion on linguistics and culture.

Structure of my target language will be key to shaping the manner with which I approach the language. WIth respect to Hindi as it has gender nuances , it will be important to learn the language from an object orientation as well as a cultural viewpoint. Using a reference grammar might be useful, but rather a form of reference to the way in which Hindi formulates around objects would be more useful.

My target language is Hindi, which is based of linguistic paradigms that are deeply entrenched within the the cultural norms of the country. As Hindi has multifaceted aspects comprising of gender and tense based attribution to objects, learning it has been extremely complicated. So far my approach has been to engage with family and friends from India, as well as new acquaintances from Middle Eastern countries made in the University of Richmond. This format of engagement has been extremely helpful due to the opportune nature of my association with the country. Since I grew up in India, I have always been affiliated with Hindi and have become accustomed to it. However, I never knew the nuanced nature of the language and so approaching the feminine aspect of the language has been key to my furthering of knowledge. As I am at an intermediate level, the cultural aspects were more relevant to me a the nuances were becoming more apparent as the language became more complex. Dealing with aspects of how Indians have historically dealt with females and feminism throughout the past centuries, enables one to understand the deeper aspects of the linguistics related to the formulation of words. Particularly, what has been confusing is understanding the difference between cultural and traditional differences. While tradition tends to dictate a respect for females, with female Gods, seeking one's mother's blessings and ascribing a general respect for knowledge, which has female connotations. Conversely, cultural aspects show that Indians have historically been patriarchal with lack of education for females, disrespect to wive's and the practice of Sati. 

When dealing with the language what becomes apparent, is the manner with which this confusion applies to objects. Illustratively, while books which are considered sacred have female linguistics, money which has deep practical aspects has male ascriptions. This especially relates to the current paradigm, wherein the nature of females are changing. Culturally, the issue has led to a controversial argument into the role of females, through history. As Hindi has a complex and largely mythologically based history, gauging the role of females has become especially difficult. 

To understand how female and the feminine gender extends further within Hindi, I have chosen to observe political speeches. These speeches, in particular, are complex but also have cultural connotations both for the present and the future of India. With the changing role of gender within the current era, the manner in which this effects linguistics of languages that have gender based aspects, becomes especially interesting.

Culturally Hindi has some important aspects with the manner with which individuals behave with respect to elders. A key aspect relates to the form of respect given to certain words and even tone changes when speaking with respect. Although in English tone affects respect, in Hindi it is also affected by certain mannerisms. For example due to religious connotations, books are given religious respect, and so are treated differently. When making these considerations, the manner with which these objects are treated are significant as they shape the language due to the importance of these words.

AN important aspect of how the brain deals with languages relates to the manner with which it relates words and meanings to objects. Significantly as Hindi diverges from English in the manner in which we use gender and syntax to consider objects, the manner in which I will have to learn my language will be altered, to accommodate such nuances. Particularly, as the brain develops an understanding through meanings it will be important for me to understand the contextual value of certain objects or words to learn them.

As a bilingual learner of English and Hindi, i found several differences due to the varied nature of both the languages in question. As the aforementioned languages diverge not only in script but also in basic phonetics and grammar, they tend to not only represent different meanings but also different contexts. With regards to Hindi, due to the nature with which gender is treated, I found certain objects to have greater meaning. Although in English we tend to ascribe genders to objects which we perceive as significant, such as musical instruments, the English language does not provide for any gender to objects. What tends to arise is with regards to Hindi, objects are given intimate value and cultural as well as religious contexts are formed. For example, as books are considered sacred in Hindu texts, their value is increased by using feminine noun.

In terms of my learning style, I tend to gravitate towards the rational model. Largely, as I study social sciences, the rational model fits best with understanding aspects of political theory. When considering how such a style would apply to language based learning, I think I would be able to learn efficiently through a deeper understanding into the foundations, rather than delve into the applications of knowledge I don't fully understand. To amalgamate such a format into my learning activities, I believe that communicating with individuals from the region will enhance my knowledge base, but also inquiring into aspects of the language or the cultural contexts could prove helpful. Furthermore, I think that by watching movies and listening to speeches in the language can help as it could teach me about various concepts in that language, that I may then look up and understand.