Learning Language Journal

Right now, learning Hebrew is going well, although it definitely has some challenges. One of the biggest issues for me so far has been the alphabet. Unlike English, Hebrew uses an entirely different alphabet, with new letters and symbols that I am still getting used to recognizing and pronouncing. Even simple things, like remembering that the letter א (aleph) is often silent or that ב (bet) can make a b or v sound depending on the context, are hard. I have also noticed that some letters look very similar to each other. I am not too worried about the alphabet right away because my main goal is to improve my speaking skills.To help build my vocabulary, I have started using flashcards, simple stuff like fruits, colors, and basic phrases. For example, I have learned words like bitter, carrot, orange, and carrot. So then I can string together sentences like: The orange carrot is very bitter. One thing that has really stood out to me is how important context is when learning a new language.…

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Discussion 8

The topic of languages going extinct is actually perfect for my target language. Biblical Hebrew is a sleeping language ( kind of similar to Latin), AKA no one casually speaks it in everyday conversation, but it’s not lost or forgotten. It still exists in texts and traditions, and with the ancient it is mainly used in a biblical context. Biblical Hebrew originally stopped being spoken because of the displacement of the Jewish population during the revolts against the Roman Empire. However, Biblical Hebrew never completely died out. For a while, people still used it in writing, things like letters, religious texts, and even some newspapers. But it eventually stopped working with the modern, ever-changing world. Because of that, Biblical Hebrew came to be seen as more of a “sleeping” language.Hebrew shows that a language can actually come back. This is where Eliezer Ben-Yehuda comes in. He was a Jewish scholar, and his main point about Jewish nationalism was that a language was needed…

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Discussion Post #10

I would begin by investigating the different dialects within Spanish and specifically how they differ geographically between North America/Mexico, South and Central America, and Spain. I would get started using the book that Dr. Marsh-Soloway generously gave me on accent variation in order to give myself more of a background on the subject beyond what I have observed, and from there I would use my research grant to travel to a country in each of these regions and interview local native speakers about how they perceive the accents of speakers in other regions and countries. I would also give special attention to the concept of code switching and would investigate how this affects Latin American Spanish speakers in comparison with Spaniard Spanish speakers, and I would see if my hypothesis is accurate that Spaniard Spanish speakers at times receive preferential treatment due to their more privileged European identity. In terms of how the different structural components presented in…

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Discussion Post #9

If I receive a research grant to conduct a linguistic study of my target language and culture, I would love to look at the different dialects and how they are changing. In class, we talked about how the accent in Iowa is one of the most basic accents, and some areas are losing their accent, and it is turning into a basic “Iowa accent”. I know that dialects and accents are not the same thing, but I would like to see if there is a similar pattern as the accents in the USA. My first plan of action would be to visit all the different areas that have different dialects. I would talk to the people in the area and try to see the difference in the dialects. I would also like to see the different dialects connected to different cultures in Korea. For example, Seoul has a specific dialect in the city and that dialect is different from a dialect in the country. My next plan of action would be to talk to the younger people in each of the areas with different dialects, along with talking to the…

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