SDLC%20105%20Reflection%20Paper%201.docx
When it comes to language-learning, my experience with Mandarin Chinese has been my most substantive one and is most fresh in my mind. Beyond this, however, I also took four years of Spanish in high school, including an Independent Study module in my two semesters. In both of these languages, I enjoyed the cross-cultural understandings and the process of studying daily the most. This was especially the case with Mandarin, where I not only had to remember how to write a character and the stroke order, but also how to pronounce each one tonally and form a sentence. Any proficiency in these regards requires a daily routine and fair bit of commitment. Memorization is a natural part of learning any language, but I realized in these pursuits that it need not be boring. There are plenty of interactive games and flash cards available that can help make the process more bearable.
One of the things I disliked the most in my language-learning processes was the sheer inability to accurately express myself or convey an intended meaning. To draw this back to the Sapir-Wharf Hypothesis, this in a sense shapes your identity in another language and can be limiting (even with circumlocution or the like). In fact, in retrospect I believe this frustration with being unable to express myself was at least in part what pushed me to study harder in Mandarin, though I recognize the unusualness of this motivation and that it is not a viable solution for everyone. In my pursuits learning Malay, I will inevitably have to face this same reality and figure out a more productive way of viewing and dealing with it.
While this is not my first time attempting to individually study a language, it is my first exposure to true independence in this endeavor in everything from topics of study to my core and guiding curriculum/learning plan. I learned from the surveys that I took that I am more of a Visual learner (45%), but also have a strong Auditory learner capacity (40%). This visual capacity has certainly helped me in my past language learning, however I believe it can at times be more conducive to rote memorization rather than actual understanding, so I would like to place less emphasis on it from that standpoint and more on other categories. One of my primary motivations in learning Malay is to hold a conversation with a Malaysian person (to put it very broadly). While I would like to be able to read a newspaper in the target language, I am reserving that for when I become more advanced and proficient in the language after building a strong foundation in it. This is made easier by the fact that Malay is Romanized and to a large extent phoneticized, so reading will undoubtedly be easier than in Chinese, e.g.
In terms of specific language learning activities, I tend to benefit from more hands-on, drill style exercises that force me to come out of my comfort zone and improvise. The fascinating thing about languages is that you are seldom learning one individual word, piece of grammar, etc. in a vacuum; instead, you can cross-apply new insights and continue to build upon your understandings until you can comfortably handle complex or unexpected situations or scenarios. The individuality of SDLAP means on one hand I can handpick which activities will work best for me (with the help of my language partner), but it also means that I will not have classmates to go over certain concepts or practice. This is indeed where the language partner comes in, but I will need to find ways to comfortably tackle these situations outside of the two-hours a week timeframe alone.
One type of language learning activity I would like to try is cutting as much English out as I possibly can. I realized the benefits of this method when I was taking Mandarin in Dalian, China with the Critical Language Scholarship and my teacher was unable to speak English. Instead of readily translating everything that we did not understand, my teacher had to explain the definition or meaning of words, concepts, etc. in the target language, which ultimately made me think in it more clearly and function in it more capably. I recognize the constraints of doing this when first learning a language from scratch, but methods like using pictures can still be very useful.
I should foremost expand my learning activities by not being afraid to try new resources wherever available. One of the most rewarding aspects of SDLAP through the global studio is the sheer number of resources available to us or, in the absence of resources, alternative options and support. In moving forward this semester, I want to explore how others at UR have gone about studying a new language independently and which methods worked best for them. I need to be more comfortable with the reality that, however great or appealing one resource may be, it is ultimately up to the individual in how effective it is and that each person will naturally vary. Seeing others progress in the past (through blog posts on the Ning and other avenues) as well as actively working with my SDLC 105 class this semester will help me realize what works best for me and situate me in a stronger position for self-directed language study not just this (or next) semester, but after I graduate as well.
Comments
Hi Bryan! Your language learning history is so interesting! I think your past experiences are instrumental in your progress in your current target language, Malay. I have also studied Spanish for a couple of years and found that the immersive environment enhanced my language learning especially in conversing with others. The academic model definitely helped more for deeper topics, though.