Learning Journal #1

[Devin Chen]

Growing up, I’ve always learned that the brain is composed of two parts, left and right, each handling their particular functions. The left brain is responsible for the logic, mathematics, research-oriented and analytical thinking, whereas the right brain is more visual and intuitive, specializing in creative thinking and the like. However, in reality, the brain is much more intricate and divided into further breakdowns that stores memory, determine personality, individual preferences, and learning style. The production of speech requires an extensive neurological planning and execution. For speech production, the “thought” generation is done in Wernicke’s area and sent to Broca’s area for encoding. For speech comprehension, the process is also done to Wernicke’s area. Reflecting on my own process of learning English, I started off with processing meaning by translating it to Mandarin in my head and translate my response to English when I reply. But as I get more accustomed to English, my brain start processing primarily in English but sometimes also Chinese. I believe this will be more beneficial while learning Korean because of the extra ability to interpret meaning of polysemic words in both languages. These readings recalled the Ted talk by Benny Lewis, both that article and the talk suggested that there is great advantage in breaking down a big word into meaningful, understandable words that convey the same meaning. This reading also brings to mind the theory that your brain is more susceptible to language learning when you're younger because of the flexibility and relative thinness of the neurons. However, as Benny Lewis has suggested in his TED talk, it is a common excuse for adults to refrain from learning a language and should be avoided, it is merely a matter of dedication and utilizing effective methods, such as daily interactions with the target language.