The content of this post is to summarize the results of the self evaluation in Bhasa Indonesia that was done using LiguaFolio Checklists and Levels of Competence document. In general, the self-evaluation placed my interpretive and interpersonal skills at a higher level that my presentational skills. I believe this uneven development in language skill to be a direct result of having learned Bhasa Indonesia as a “survival language”. That is to say that I spoke in Bhasa Indonesia only when speaking to somebody with whom I could only communicate with in Bhasa Indonesia. The content of these conversations was usually related to my immediate surrounding and needs. This includes conversations such as exchanging information about myself and asking for directions and prices. In order to correct this uneven development I put forth the following four points about my skill as an Intermediate level Indonesian speaker. As I summarize points about my starting position I will simultaneously list the learning goals and the 8 tasks that I will be doing this semester in order to accomplish the stated goals.
First, I observe that I picked up Bhasa Indonesia in an informal setting. This is apparent in the LinguaFolio Checklist. On the checklist I answered that I can express my agreement or disagreement with someone but cannot express neutrality. Similarly, I answered that I can introduce myself but cannot use an appropriate introduction to begin a presentation. Therefore, I decided that I would focus on conversational skills with a formal tone this semester. In order to accomplish this goal I have designed the task “Interpersonal Formal Communication” in which I respectfully decline a senior's offer.
Second, I notice that I am far more comfortable communicating in Bhasa Indonesia when there is a conversation. That is to say that I can understand more when I am given a chance to say, “Please speak slowly” or “Can you repeat that.” Thus, my second goal for this semester is a commitment to learning how to interpret Bhasa Indonesia outside of conversation. Given that on the cultural side I hope to focus on the sport of surfing, I decided that the two best tasks to learn interpretive skills outside of conversation were demonstrating that I can understand complex directions given to me in Bhasa Indonesia and translating a surf radio announcement into English.
Third, I realized that when it comes to presentational skills, I lack the basic ability to describe. On the checklist, I indicated that I cannot either describe the characteristics of my family members or talk about abstract ideas. My third goal this semester is to begin to describe objects, people and ideas. In order to do this, I will need to learn and demonstrate my learning of adjectives and adverbs. Given that on the cultural side my focus is surfing and education, I decided that the two best tasks to learn presentational speaking are describing a sea creature/my daily routine, and teaching a physics class by giving a mock presentation.
Lastly, I concede that my written skills are poor due to a lack of formal education. Therefore, in the last three tasks I will either be reading or writing in Bhasa Indonesia. These tasks are also designed with a focus on culture and the goals stated above. Firstly, I will learn to write formal e-mails and fill out formal forms in Bhasa Indonesia. This will obviously also help in achieving the goal of learning the language in a formal setting. Secondly, I will read and compare the tone of two newspaper articles. Thirdly, I will produce a written translation of a reading from my history class. These two last tasks will also help me with gaining a working knowledge about describing abstract ideas.
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