I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to study Hebrew as a self-directed learner this semester. Autonomous language learning has been the perfect setting for me to delve into improvement of my Hebrew proficiency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Since I have a unique situation in which I have studied Hebrew in an immersed setting for a few years in elementary school, but haven’t had to apply it since, I am able to express myself verbally much better than I can actually read or write in the language. For this reason, I primarily intended to focus on retention of new vocabulary by reading research and news articles online, and then writing summaries on the topics I covered. What I found, and have been complemented on in the past couple months, is that my vocabulary and speaking have benefited from these efforts as well.

What worked? As I noted above, I think that reading articles online was most beneficial to my learning. Since I chose to read about topics that interested me, I was motivated to keep reading and spend a substantial amount of time trying to grapple with harder articles. Also, I chose to focus primarily on politics and international relations because of its relevance to my studies and other courses. This also helped by providing context and ensuring a level of understanding that could transfer to my use in conversation and writing. I found the cultural components of MLC really supportive of my learning as well. Sometimes when you grow up familiar with a culture, its traditions, stereotypes, hand gestures, and assumptions, you tend to overlook them and not pay attention to how they’ve developed or what their significance may be. The articles we read for MLC 105 and the culture presentations that were built into MLC 110 were great eye openers for me. I found it really interesting to think about the cultural assumptions built both into the Hebrew language as well as Israeli culture. Using Diigo and the Ning cultivated a sense of importance to the research I was doing. I enjoyed being able to share neat clips or articles I found with others, as well as look back at my personal journey throughout Hebrew learning this semester. It documented for me some of the cultural finds and learning I experienced. These included dissecting the Zohan clip for its stereotypes, understanding the subliminal messages embedded in political cartoons, or reading into the lyrics of Israeli songs. I found that the more interactive I was with the process of learning, the better I retained the new vocabulary and its contexts.

What didn’t work? Part of my learning plan included the completion of a novel in Hebrew. While I did so, I found that I was least excited about this assignment. I believe this is because I did not stop often to look up the words I was not familiar with, and I was reading at a much slower pace, while trying to understand the nuances of the story. I think the more interactive things I worked on were more effective. Since even when I was living in Israel, I preferred to read books in English, I am still really proud of completing the book. Another thing that could have improved my work would have been a possible connection with a native speaker with whom I could converse. I think that this would have supported my application of new vocabulary and been good motivation on a regular basis. Maybe in the future this would be possible through Skype conversations.

I think the biggest accomplishment for me was being able to understand Hebrew within the cultural context of its evolution. Understanding that Hebrew in its original form is such an ancient language, helped me gauge the tremendous transformation that occurred when it was in transition to being applied as a modern language. So many sects of society that we take for granted just did not exist in biblical times. Thus, it was helpful to understand that many new words were introduced to the language since the time of the European Enlightenment, as well as many adopted words that were blended into modern Hebrew, especially from Arabic, English, German, and Yiddish. Furthermore, I’ve found that there is a lot of specialized vocabulary depending on areas of expertise, vocation, or the military, which was supportive of my research. Other accomplishments include regular reading in Hebrew and practice in my writing, which I haven’t done since the sixth grade.

Artifact 4

Artifact 3 Reflection of News Articles

Reflection of the Semester

The opportunity to work on my Hebrew written and comprehension skills as well as new and modern Israeli vocabulary has been invaluable to me. I have already gotten so many complements from family and recognition that it is clear that I have benefited from the academic structure of setting a learning plan and working towards goals of bettering my language skills and upgrading my vocabulary according to my academic and social interests. 

I think the institution of a learning plan early on was really beneficial to me. I like the organization and motivation that it has provided me in attaining certain levels of comprehension and it has inspired me to keep up not only with foreign policy news, which I study at UR, but specifically Israeli news, or foreign policy from Israeli perspectives.

I am extremely proud of reading an entire novel, getting to read my grandmother's biography in Hebrew, and reading academic and media related articles. While previously I would skim through such readings and try to get the bigger picture, focusing on looking up vocabulary and then applying it in writing has improved my comprehension and speed in reading only in just a few months. 

In addition, I would like to mention the benefits of participating in MLC 105 along with the independent study. Although I was not focusing on a new language all together, it was so nice to hear from others how they were tackling their study and get some of the cultural discussions based on the great articles we were reading. I learned a lot about the benefits of immersion, the significance of nonverbal communication, etc., which really made me more in tune to those aspects of Israeli culture, which I almost take for granted because it is so familiar. It was extremely supportive in my work towards creating a culture presentation and the cultural blog posts for MLC 110. I will also take away a lot of what I have learned from other people sharing about their cultures and look forward to applying some of the concepts we talked about when learning more Spanish and Arabic.

Thank you and Shalom

Please find attached the culture presentation Powerpoint I've given on Israeli institutions prior to statehood and their role and effect on language in modern day. [notes on what I spoke about are written within the powerpoint below each slide.]

This week I focused on preparation of new words for my cultural presentation, which included industry specific vocabulary for archaeological work and kibbutz life. These were really interesting in terms of their slang-like terminology that directly relates to those activities and way of life.

Also, in my informal interviews with the soldiers that accompanied my birthright trip, I was encouraged to friend a bunch of them on Facebook, as well as the students I went to elementary school with in Israel. This was a great idea! I got so much insight on what people in Israel are talking about, politically and socially. It was also a great source for learning some of the casual lingo that I am not familiar with. An example of this is in the attached conversation below related to the politics of "Remembrance Day" (similar to veterans day in Israel). I found this extremely interesting and informative regarding the tensions that occur among people my age regarding politics. 

[Context:]

Apparently, this wall that records all the names of people who have died in service was desecrated by extreme leftists that are against war, required military service, occupation of the territories, etc. 

While much of the research I have previously read emphasizes that learning languages is much more easily adapted by younger children, it does not surprise me that an adult can process a new language and adapt to using it as a native speaker does. However, I disagree that when the skill of a language is not used the process of learning the language can still improve. My main support for this assertion is my experience with learning Arabic. When living in Israel, I was required to study Arabic in day school for four years. While I only started in the fourth grade, I accelerated in the language learning even beyond my peers who had been learning it since the first grade. However, as soon as I moved back to the States and no longer saw or had the need to employ my knowledge of Arabic, I became less confident in it and slowly forgot vocabulary, writing, and eventually understanding words and topics that I was previously quite proficient in. I am embarrassed to say that I can no longer even recall the alphabet, although I once kept a daily journal in the language. I attribute the difference between my experience and the Georgetown study written about in this article to the fact that they used an artificial language of only 13 words. To me this seems quite simple in comparison to reality when it comes to language learning, even in a setting of immersion. I was impressed, however with the results and their connection to people who have experience traumatic brain injury and would be interested to read about case studies related to their recuperation using the immersion methods.

In reflection of the following article, "A Picture of Language," I learned a lot about the teaching and learning of grammar, a component of language learning that I generally leave behind. From my experiences with Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Spanish, I've found that I am strongly apt to picking up languages and communicating successfully with native speakers. However, grammar has never been a strong point. This article has emphasized the difficulties of the method of parsing, which offers practical skills in breaking down sentences to understand tenses, parts of speech, and the number and function of conjugations. While I agree that this is tedious and not supportive of flowing speech when working on learning a new language, I think it is necessary to spend a short amount of time breaking down how sentences work in the new language. For example, one of the students I work with as a language partner, has focused the main part of the semester on learning vocabulary, and is not going back and learning about sentence structures and conjugation. Now that he is done so, he has a better understanding for the progression of words within a sentence. I think that the use of diagrams, while I have never seen it applied, would support me in grammar learning because I am definitely a visual learner. I was surprised to find at the end of the article that so many of the people the author had interviewed are in agreement.

This week I have been working on doing research for my cultural project. 

In addition, I have been trying to identify famous celebrities and political figures that show up in the news a lot. This has been extremely helpful in understanding the news with the upcoming election year. 

Also, having done some research on the perceptions of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews at the start of the Israeli state, I am interested in possible stereotypes that still exist. The following political cartoon sheds light on this-

The guy driving in the car is asking the woman how to get to "askenazi"... there are stereotypes in that he is driving, she is walking, she seems to have been shopping at the street markets, while he is just lost in the poorer area of the neighborhood.

I've also downloaded the free Hebrew dictionary application for Apple. The app is great not only for translation use as a language partner, but great for learning some vocabulary that I do not regularly use in everyday Hebrew speaking. It also provides a quiz that tests your knowledge and recent new words you've learned, which has been great for repetition and review of their use and meaning.

The topic of family is extremely important in both Jewish and Israeli culture. The background of Jewish history of assimilation, diaspora, and persecution, makes being Jewish a very familial thing. This summer I will be doing research on the Former Soviet Union and immigration for religious freedom to the U.S. and Israel. From the conversations I've had these people were scared to be publicly Jewish, and thus religion was something that was only shared among family. I feel like this culture of familial importance and emphasis has spread to Israel. Since Israel is an immigrant nation, people arriving in Israel not only spoke different languages, but brought with them different ideals and and practices. While over time Hebrew and an Israeli culture dominate, Israelis still hold close to them the unique traditions of their families and pass them on throughout the generations. For me, as a child of mixed ethnicities (ashkenazi and sephardic), I can very much appreciate and mesh these differing values from my both my mother and father's families. 

I spent this week studying political cartoons and the meaning behind them. While those on Ha'aretz.com that I've been looking at are only in Hebrew, I found a lot in my searches that were in English. I believe part of the message in them is targeted to be persuasive to a wider audience and educational on political views in Israel.

Below is an interesting one:

While much of international media portrays Israel as overly aggressive against Hamas, and Hamas as unorganized and terroristic, this cartoon portrays the two as equally destructive to one another, both bleeding, both baring their teeth, and both hiding behind sunglasses and finally proud of their cause by wearing the drums.

The chapter on Sociocultural Factors had a number of interesting points on language learning and experiences outside of ones own cultural background. The first one that I could really relate my academic work to was the section on linguistic imperialism. In modern day, English is accepted as a universal language, however this is not a concept that was just born one day. Over years of imperialism and colonialism, English speaking nations have dominated the global arena not just militarily and economically, but through the spread of language, ideology, and values. These latter ones thus undermine the native culture and norms with the domination of Western ideals. I think this is extremely important to consider today as Westerners plan their travels and recognize the value of learning about the behaviors and culture of the country they are visiting rather than expecting to be accommodated in English by people who have adapted to Western culture. Being in Israel, all street signs are posted in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. I have never stopped to think how it must feel as an Arab or Israeli to have all three languages. On the one hand, this promotes tourism, however, on the other, it undermines the value of having a distinct and unique culture. This leads to the question of the Whorfian hypothesis of whether a language reflects a world view or whether it shapes one. I believe that there is truth to both, however, as an international studies major I can argue the latter better. I think the Cold War struggle of containment/liberation between communism and democracy was very much at the same time a struggle between different ways of life and understandings of the world. Much of the rhetoric used in the Cold War served to export these  ideologies by promising a better standard of living. You started seeing personal televisions, bathrooms, and later cell phones, valued in societies that were no where near as developed in infrastructure or economy to necessitate these commodities. I think that the topics above are a perfect representation of the "Stage 3 of Culture Shock" discussed in the chapter. The exciting euphoria of Stage 1 wears off once people realize that the language has thus also channeled a cultural discourse away from one's native cultural values and associations.

I found that this video, its themes, and the topics that were raised by both students and professionals applied to my experience both going on my study abroad through University of Richmond, as well as moving to Israel in elementary school, or going to Spain and Costa Rica for summer programs in high school.

Some of the things that really stood out to me were a lot of the "firsts" where you encounter something that you find so drastically different from natural daily life to which I was accustomed. I found that despite the language being the same in Australia, I had experienced just as many culture shocks in comparison to my experience in Spanish speaking nations when I was younger.

I found that while I lived in these new cultures, I very much adopted some of the colloquialisms and the nature of natives, however, on my return to the states, I slowly let these go. I find this to be an interesting aspect of sociology and psychology and understanding how we experience these situations. 

One of the great tips I thought was provided by one of the students was to keep busy, getting a job to meet new people and not dwell on what you miss from home, and also plan your travels and goals while being abroad. International Adviser, Kritika Onsanit followed up on this concept with recommending getting active within clubs and organizations that are offered by the University.

Finally, I feel like this would be a great video to watch prior to my experience abroad. I was off campus the semester prior to going to Australia so I do not know what orientations were like, but this was a great insight to the challenges of landing and making a home in a new culture.  

The topic of this culture post is that of attitudes of time in Israeli culture. I found this topic to be one of interest especially after having watched the "Culture Shock" video. I feel like in comparison to American expectations, Israeli attitudes towards time are more laid back and it is common for being timely to be taken less seriously.

Below this article dubs Israeli attitudes towards time as IST - Israeli Standard Time. 

http://www.tikkunolamisrael.org/israeli-standard-time-and-culture-shock-kick

It is almost comforting to know that in some places in the world being on time isn't taken so seriously. I find that my family, which is Israeli, is very much in sync with this laid back view of timeliness. 

Considering cultural competency in the study of language is imperative in order to successfully communicate with native speakers and feel comfortable with applying the language in countries in which it is spoken. This includes a variety of congruent behaviors, attitudes, values, and politics that are assumed within the culture of linguistics. This competency is important not just in the study of language and its general application, but also in certain areas of business where clear and concise communication is essential. This example is increasingly important with the age of globalism, increased interactions and international relations, and the compression of space, identity, the trade of ideas, services, and material goods. Having cultural competence supports successful trade and functionality within an organization or situation other than ones own. In our Business Communication course last semester, we spent a week studying the importance of conducting successful international business and being aware of cultural expectations. Especially because culture and language may influence the way people think about certain events or scenarios, or the way they view the world, it is especially helpful in understanding differing perspectives and coming to a place of common ground. One of the politicized events that I remember studying that relates to this subject is the topic of genital mutilation in certain nations. Genital mutilation has been actively protested by justice and human rights institutions, however certain cultures hold this as a traditional ceremony that has occurred throughout several generations and when outsiders attempt to change such customs, local culture is undermined. During our first weeks of class we have outlined things such as hand gestures, personal space, social behavior, etc. of our countries and languages. This information can be extended to political values, history, positions on healthcare, standards of living, and so many more aspects of daily life. 

I really enjoyed this assignment of designing a lesson plan to teach others. The topic I have chosen is Jewish holidays and related vocabulary and cultural concepts that is designed to teach the non-Jewish Hebrew student some of the key vocabulary and ideas that are prevalent in Israeli society and the context of Hebrew linguistics. Just like I have had to do some contextual research in order to understand the background of political cartoons or opinion articles on recognized figures that I am not familiar with, there are many figures, foods, and concepts that pertain to Jewish holidays that occur in popular culture of television series, the arts, music, etc. 

In honor of the recent celebration of Purim, I have outlined below how I would approach teaching about the holiday:

Using photos and a word bank of popular words can support telling the story that we commemorate in celebration of Purim. The story thus explains the shape of the hamantaschen and the reason for making tons of noise with groggers. Having a background knowledge on the holiday also explains the common history that Jews around the world had experienced for thousands of years.

Providing a video of the Purim story and an example of a masquerade party further supports this contextual learning.

Finally, having this background supports the student in learning the appropriate word bank that relates to the holiday themes, foods, and values.

This week I have:

Continued both my reading in the novel as well as summaries of news briefs on Ha'aretz.co.il

In evaluation of my learning plan, I have realized that I am not getting to study as much about environmental policy and opinions within Israel. This requires more research than I have been able to get to. I might try to shift my focus from reading the general news into this more specific topic in order to gather some specific vocabulary as well as knowledge on a topic that interests me. 

I think that the new vocabulary that I have gathered thus far I have been able to successfully apply in writing out sentences, in better understanding the news I am reading, and in increasing my proficiency and decreasing the amount of time it takes me to go through an article.

In the past weeks we have discussed our language's histories and influences over the years. It has been extremely interesting to hear about the backgrounds and cultural influences on other groups languages and I can only imagine how this would support the challenge of piecing together vocabulary and grammar to be applicable in applying the language in its native country.

In the case of Hebrew, it is definitely helpful to understand the linguistic, cultural, and historic background of the state's formation, the Jewish people prior to statehood, and the birth of the Hebrew language some 2,000 plus years ago. Knowledge of these histories support a better understanding of certain words and their application in context in modern day.

Furthermore, understanding that Hebrew in its original form is such an ancient language, helps gauge the tremendous transformation that occurred when it was in transition to being applied as a modern language. So many sects of society that we take for granted just did not exist in biblical times. Thus, it is helpful to understand that many new words were introduced to the language since the time of the European Enlightenment, as well as many adopted words that were blended into modern Hebrew, especially from Arabic, English, German, and Yiddish.

Finally, while there are not many dialects within Hebrew, there is a lot of slang that pertains to the culture and histories of different ethnic groups and immigrants of different nations that have sustained despite an overarching Israeli identity. Knowing the history of the Jewish peoples and the ethnicities that make up the pool of Israeli citizens is helpful in understanding this blend of cultures and the uniqueness of those who have maintained certain traditions and linguistics within their family circles. 

It has been interesting to see how the opinion news on Ha'aretz has been increasing its focus on potential war with Iran. While the U.S. news channels and the republican presidential panels have focused a lot on the importance of this issue and on the prevention of nuclear power in Iran, I have found that the Israeli news sources have progressed to a stage beyond that of where American concern has plateaued. This has elevated for me the importance of my work in trying to become fluent in working with news sources in Hebrew and being able to make such comparisons.

I also reviewed a new tab that I noticed on Ha'aretz called "Captain Internet." This was an extremely neat section including games, frequently visited sites for certain interests, and gadgets. I thought this was especially fitting considering Israel is known for its hi-tech innovations and this could be a successful way of drawing consumers to their site.

I have continued reading the novel in Hebrew and am getting quite twisted in the plot. I expect to introduce this twist in my third artifact in a verbal summary both in Hebrew as well as an English translation. 

I have prepared my second artifact for next week and created a story using the new words that I have learned from previous weeks.

For my cultural project I have decided to focus on the mandatory involvement of Israeli citizens in the IDF. In my research I would like to explore the affect of this law on nationalism, political activism, community, international perspective, and on culture and society as a whole. Since Israel is a westernized modern first world country, I think this topic is especially important in understanding some of the cultural differences that occur between this nation and countries in Europe or versus the U.S. I think visuals and specific examples will be most successful in conveying this aspect of Israeli culture to an unfamiliar audience.

Having visited back in Israel I am extremely interested in catching up with some of the military related terms that have become mainstream language used daily in Israeli culture. In order to grasp the bigger picture of this culture I plan to research written texts, video clips, photographs, etc. 

In order to gain a more personal perspective, I plan to interview one of the soldiers that accompanied my birthright trip and just recently was released from a paratrooper's unit and ask questions related to his experience of being Israeli prior and after serving in the IDF.