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.
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