Reflection Paper #1
I think the most enjoyable part of being a language learner or learning a new language is the ability to be able to converse or communicate in a nuanced fashion with more people. Learning a new language gives you the ability to express certain feelings, emotions, ideas, etc. in a multi-faceted way as no single language is the same as another. There may exist certain words or vocabulary in one language that may not be conveyed or expressed in another language in a similar manner. On top of all this, being able to communicate with a larger pool of people and being able to connect with them which language allows us to do is truly remarkable. Rather than a dislike in learning a new language, I would argue that the hardest part is just the plain struggle of learning a new language. Whether it be embarrassment from being judged or the difficult learning curve, learning a new language provides challenges in multiple dimensions. Committing to learning a new language requires not only a newfound appreciation of the language and its respective culture but dedication and years worth of practice. I believe that I am both an auditory/visual learner and tend to split between these two pretty evenly. As the FIRE model suggests, being immersed in an environment of high language frequency is where I feel I grew the most as a language learner. I’ve had the privilege of constantly being surrounded by a diverse group of friends with different language backgrounds. Over time, I noticed that the more I was exposed or immersed in these settings, I would pick up the occasional word or two and even start to see myself understanding short sentences. In terms of activities that best suit my language learning style, I believe that practice, as unoriginal as it sounds, is how I learn the best. An example that I can provide was when I was in Korea this past summer. Being put in an environment where I had no option but to utilize and improve my Korean language skills allowed my speaking, listening, and even writing skills to drastically improve. Furthermore, I think absorbing pieces of entertainment, literature, or even culture as a secondary measure is a reliable method of developing my language skills. Dedicating or even just setting allotted time blocks to solely focus on a language is one method I can think of in expanding my language skills. Whether this be watching a movie or tv show in that respective language, or communicating with another person who has attained a level of fluency in that language are both viable options. To narrow down even further, I can create realistic, attainable goals for myself that I can hold myself accountable for. Perhaps I can work on something as small as being able to introduce myself in a different language and set more medium to long term goals such as being able to order food off a menu once I get to a certain level of comfortability.
I think the most enjoyable part of being a language learner or learning a new language is the ability to be able to converse or communicate in a nuanced fashion with more people. Learning a new language gives you the ability to express certain feelings, emotions, ideas, etc. in a multi-faceted way as no single language is the same as another. There may exist certain words or vocabulary in one language that may not be conveyed or expressed in another language in a similar manner. On top of all this, being able to communicate with a larger pool of people and being able to connect with them which language allows us to do is truly remarkable. Rather than a dislike in learning a new language, I would argue that the hardest part is just the plain struggle of learning a new language. Whether it be embarrassment from being judged or the difficult learning curve, learning a new language provides challenges in multiple dimensions. Committing to learning a new language requires not only a newfound appreciation of the language and its respective culture but dedication and years worth of practice. I believe that I am both an auditory/visual learner and tend to split between these two pretty evenly. As the FIRE model suggests, being immersed in an environment of high language frequency is where I feel I grew the most as a language learner. I’ve had the privilege of constantly being surrounded by a diverse group of friends with different language backgrounds. Over time, I noticed that the more I was exposed or immersed in these settings, I would pick up the occasional word or two and even start to see myself understanding short sentences. In terms of activities that best suit my language learning style, I believe that practice, as unoriginal as it sounds, is how I learn the best. An example that I can provide was when I was in Korea this past summer. Being put in an environment where I had no option but to utilize and improve my Korean language skills allowed my speaking, listening, and even writing skills to drastically improve. Furthermore, I think absorbing pieces of entertainment, literature, or even culture as a secondary measure is a reliable method of developing my language skills. Dedicating or even just setting allotted time blocks to solely focus on a language is one method I can think of in expanding my language skills. Whether this be watching a movie or tv show in that respective language, or communicating with another person who has attained a level of fluency in that language are both viable options. To narrow down even further, I can create realistic, attainable goals for myself that I can hold myself accountable for. Perhaps I can work on something as small as being able to introduce myself in a different language and set more medium to long term goals such as being able to order food off a menu once I get to a certain level of comfortability.
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