Blogs

SDLAP – Sindhi

Week 1

• Work on the learning plan with my language partner

Week 2

• Learn basic greetings in Sindhi and introducing myself
• Have a basic cultural conversation with my language partner to get a deeper understanding of Sindh and the prevalence of the language.

Week 3

• Learn numbers from 1 to 20 in Sindhi and understand the use of counting money. Also learn basic colors in Sindhi.
• Basic cultural talk to understand the different sects of Sindhis.

Week 4

• Learn food related vocabulary including fruits, vegetables etc.
• Basic cultural talk discussing popular Sindhi dishes and what are eaten during what time period.

Week 5

• Learn the days of the week, and understanding tenses.
• Basic cultural talk on a traditional Sindhi wedding.

Week 6

• Learn family related vocabulary and construct short sentences related to family.
• Basic cultural talk about formality and informality in Sindhi culture.

Week 7

• Listen to short stories on YouTube with my language partner and try to understand the meaning of the words.
• Have a basic cultural conversation with my language partner on concentration of Sindhis in different parts of the world.

Week 8

• Review my progress in Sindhi and see my memory of simple words post Spring Break.
• Conversation with my language partner about Spring Break in Sindhi.

Week 9

• Listen to short stories on YouTube with my language partner and try to understand the meaning of the words.
• Have a cultural conversation with my language partner to understand the differences between Sindhis in Pakistan and Sindhis in India. 

Week 10

• Building my vocabulary by writing down simple objects, animals, professions etc. in the target language.
• Conversation with my language partner in Sindhi and fixing my grammatical errors.

Week 11

• Deciding a topic for my final presentation and working on that. Using online resources to research on the chosen topic
• Cultural conversation with my language partner on stereotypes about Sindhis.

Week 12

• Narrating a Sindhi story I watched on YouTube to my language partner and translating it back into English.
• Conversation with my language partner on understanding the history of the language.

Week 13

• Review of the semester and planning of my monologue and dialogue for the final exam.

This semester I am learning Sindhi. Sindhi is one of the many languages spoken in India. I am a Sindhi and want to integrate myself into my culture by learning the language, which is slowly dying. Growing up, my family barely spoke in Sindhi and used more of Hindi to talk, which made it hard for me to learn the language. Through the SDLAP I plan to be able to have a basic conversation with my grandfather because he is the one who motivates me to learn my language.

In my learning plan I made sure to not only include learning of words and phrases but also to understand certain cultural aspects of Sindhis and Sindh. Sindh is located in Pakistan and I have never been there and because of the political tension between India and Pakistan I don’t know if I will ever get a chance to go to Pakistan. So learning about the culture through this program is one of my major goals for the semester.

I also want to be able to tell stories so that I can narrate my life in Ricmond to grandfather in India. I plan to achieve this goal by reading short stories made for children so that I can get a hang of that. By the end of the semester I also plan to be able to talk about my family and introduce the different members in my family.

This is based on the reading "How the brain handles Languages" 

The human brain is divided into 2 great lobes-the right cerebral hemisphere and the left cerebral hemisphere. Information is transmitted from  one hemisphere to the

Other. The hemispheres control movement.

It is said that in right handed people, it is the left hemisphere that is dominant in  language and vice versa but not necessarily so.

The learning of languages helps the brain to stay in shape by allowing certain parts of the brain to grow. Learning a new language and putting in great efforts to learn show a definite growth in the cerebral cortex which is involved in language learning.                               

Sometimes it is very easy to forget the neurological planning that goes into the production and comprehension of language—be it spoken or written. It involves several steps that take part in the brain. This is called Neurolinguistic Processing. The analysis of slips of the tongue also tells us how the brain works and functions and about the neurological process that underlie speech.

Learning foreign languages definitely has a miraculous effect on the brain.

I have always had a deep desire to learn various languages because every time I hear something that seems foreign to me, I get excited and try to find out the meaning of that sentence or phrase. Language is an extremely integral part of my life. I can communicate with and understand people around me through language. When I was a baby I had no knowledge of any English. I spent a lot of my time around my maid who took care of me. She only spoke Tamil, which is a local language in India. By just listening to her speak most of the time; I was able to pick up a few words of Tamil. Before I went to school the only language I could relate with, was Tamil. This was my first experience with language and I always think of this story and wonder where I am in life today with no memory of any Tamil words.

            According to the Learning Style survey and the Multiple Intelligence Test, it was found that I am a kinesthetic learner. I couldn’t disagree with the results of these surveys because I know that when I am made to study something by going through books or notes it bothers me. I get restless and bored easily. If I am told to perform an activity that helps me learn the subject I can enjoy my learning experience. I thoroughly enjoy games like charades and Pictionary because I can perform what I learn. I can use my body to enact a word or sentence while playing charades and use my drawing skills while playing Pictionary.

            The FIRE model helped me understand what kind of a learner I am. While reading the different aspects of a learner I found myself to be evaluative. I like learning where I can listen to others opinions and have a discussion on topics. I like group activities and projects because I think that the more I interact with people, the more I will learn. I dislike memorizing and lecture based classes. I love practical learning. During my time at school I would enjoy working in the Chemistry lab because I actually got to see, smell, ear and feel different reactions taking place. I could use all my senses while learning the concepts of Chemistry. When I learnt Chemistry theoretically, I was not a big fan of the subject. I disliked writing equations and memorizing them.

            I have taken the Self Directed Language Program to learn Sindhi. Sindhi is my mother tongue but unfortunately I have very little knowledge of the language. My great grandparents moved from Sindh (Pakistan) to India during the partition of India in 1947. During this movement most Sindhi’s who did shift to India went and settled down all over the country and thus there is no single state in India where Sindhi’s are located. I grew up in South India around people who spoke local languages like Kannada and Tamil thus limiting my resources to learn Sindhi. I am at a stage in my life where I have a keen interest in learning the language of my origin.

            Self-Directed learning can seem challenging but what I like about it is that I get to choose my methods and strategies for learning the language. I hope to learn Sindhi by a number of resources. I want to use visuals and audio so that I can retain what I learn instead of simply memorizing. I hope to speak basic Sindhi by practical learning rather than theoretical learning.