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It was really interesting to read about how the brain processes different information and carries out different tasks. Although most of us aware of the complexity of communication, and especially the difficulty of learning new languages, we never really consider how work goes into breaking down and comprehending even the simplest sentences. Different parts of the brain work together to carry out the motor actions involved in speaking and convey and context. The Broca’s area is responsible for the ability to speak and the Wernicke’s is responsible for the ability to understand speech.

When we are having a conversation, the brain is always multitasking — it works to convey emotions, read facial expressions, predict and process the answers we receive. The text uses the word “soup” as an example. If our brains were simply processing one letter at a time, we would not be able to make the lip round sound that is required to say the word.

What I found was most interesting, and also helpful for my own learning activities is the importance of context when learning languages. I have never been a big fan of flashcards, and high school language classes where we primarily focused on vocabulary have always been a bit difficult for me. When I learn new words, I like to put them in sentences to contextualize them and it helps me remember the meanings and certain phrases better. This is what I have also been focusing on with my language partner. I have learning how to say common phrases, greetings, and simple sentences. I feel like this has not only helped to actually better remember the new vocabulary, it has also helped me better understand the new culture. By putting the new words that I am learning into context, I have been able to learn more about Korean culture and society. For example, during my last tutoring session with my language partner, we were talking about how a lot of the Asian languages, including Korean and Bengali, have honorary pronouns for the elders; which is not the case in English.

As complex our brain is, our brain is divided into two hemispheres with each having its dominant role. For most right-handed people and some left-handed people, the left hemisphere is dominant for language. In addition, different areas of the cortex correlates to different kinds of linguistic abilities. For example, Broca's area affects the ability to speak and Wernicke's area affects the ability to comprehend speech. We process meaning by having sentences to enable us to make sense of the words that we speak. The interaction between sentence structures and words conveys "sense of sense" which helps us find the meaning of the words. 

The readings provided some good strategies to advance in my new language. In order to improve my vocabulary, simply memorizing words and definitions will not work. I have to know how the native speakers use those words and how the words fit in my sentences. Comprehending how a word works within different contexts would be a key point in improving my vocabulary. On top of that, many words have so many meanings. To fully understand how one word could be used in various ways, cultural aspect is incredibly important in learning a new language. 

An important consideration for understanding which parts of the brain are responsible for the production and comprehension of speech is that communication is a complex process that requires many parts to function in harmony. According to the localization theory, there are single areas of the brain that correspond with behavioral functions, but these specific functions must work together for speech to be produced, communicated, and understood. More specifically, the front part of the parietal lobe is connected with speech and the upper part of the temporal lobe (Heschl’s gyri) is a part involved with auditory reception. In addition, Broca’s area (lower back part of the frontal lobe) is primarily responsible for the encoding of speech (Crystal 175). It is evident that there are numerous parts of the brain contributing one single communication process all at the same time.

The complex process that covers the production and comprehension of language is referred to as neurolinguistics processing. There are five major interrelated steps in the process that break down the process of communicating and accurately receiving meaning. First, a message is conceptualized and an initial intention to communicate is formed. Second, the conceptualization of an idea or thought is encoded into a language structure. Then, the encoded language structure is transformed into a code that can be spoken to transfer the message. Next, motor functions send signals to activate various parts of the vocal tract for speaking. Finally, proprioceptive feedback is constantly being generated during this process to internally monitor the communication process (Crystal 176). 

Neurolinguistics processing can offer a few general models to help us better understand the relationship between the functions of physical parts of the brain and the process steps. The three models discussed by Crystal include speech production, speech comprehension, and reading aloud.  For example, during speech production, thought is generated in Wernicke’s area and encoding is constructed in Broca’s area. Then, motor programming allows for the encoded message to be communicated verbally through vocal organs (Crystal 177).

Focusing more closely on the part of the process where meaning is analyzed, structuralist ideas suggest that language is “a network of systematic relationships between units of meaning” (Crystal 192). Phonology represents the system of sound units to produce meaning aloud and graphology represents the system of graphic units used to convey written meaning. Further, the units referred to by this concept are in fact words. Through the word choices that we make, we convey different meanings.

As it pertains to my own studies, these articles remind me that it is important to be activating multiple senses and parts of the brain while learning to communicate in a new language. The process for conceptualizing thoughts, encoding those thoughts, and transferring the meaning using written and verbal communication requires many skills and individual part functions. In order to successfully train my brain to communicate meaning in a new way, I would like to equally focus on speaking, writing, and auditory processing language skills. To fully consider myself able to communicate in another language, I will practice my abilities to speak with a proper accent, recognize new speech sounds, and learn to read an unfamiliar character alphabet. As mentioned in Crystal’s articles, the process involves motor functions of the organs (vocals/hands), as well as the brain. In learning my new language, I will seek to activate these motor functions through immediate verbal communication and quickly memorizing the new alphabet script, so that all areas of my brain and body will begin to adapt to the communication forms of Maltese.  

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Learning Journal #1

Kelly Breakall

9-9-2018

Language, the Brain, and Meaning: a brief overview as they apply to my Hindi goals

     Throughout history, there has been various methods to try to determine “localization of function” in the brain, which means that specific brain areas perform specific tasks. This was explored through phrenology in the 19^th century, whose proponents believed that bumps on our skulls were clues to cognitive character traits like timeliness and ability to love! Thankfully, science has progressed since those times to understand that the key to understanding localization of brain functioning is inside the brain. J We use various types of brain scans and medical case studies to determine functional areas of the brain, and we have discovered that language is pervasive throughout almost the whole brain (or at least throughout the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain that deals with upper level cognition)!

     Like I mentioned before, we learn a lot of about brain function through medical case studies, and especially through unfortunate incidents of brain trauma. In general, if brain trauma occurs, the brain can adapt and relocate cognitive processes to other parts of the brain that would not normally handle those tasks. That may be why certain traumas, such as strokes, can remove a person’s ability to talk (and perform other tasks), but only temporarily, as the brain adapts. However, a couple of regions that are especially pertinent to language and cannot be substituted with other parts (or for each other), are Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas. Damage to these will cause inability to understand and speak language, respectively.

     In a healthy individual, the brain processes language through a complex system of collecting sensory stimuli through the senses (hearing someone talk, for example), routing it through the thalamus to the most appropriate brain region (the auditory cortex), evaluating it through different regions for emotional content, determining an appropriate response, taking steps to enact that response (such as alerting the cerebellum that it must open the mouth and engage the abdominal muscles), and engaging in constant interoceptive feedback (feeling the mouth open, feeling the sound against our own ears, being aware of our own body movements to make sure we use our body language to convey what we mean along with our words) and social feedback (making sure the other person is responding in a manner appropriate to what we uttered). Amazingly, this entire process happens almost constantly in our lives, and with very little conscious effort on our parts!

     Of course, this biological process does not explain how we extract meaning from the strange sounds or the scribbles on paper that we witness. That is a much more complicated question and one that philosophers, linguistics, and psychologists grapple with to this day. Do words intrinsically have their meanings tied to them, as Plato hypothesized in ancient times, or is there no connection between words and their meanings except what humans ascribe to them? Most modern scholars agree that reality is closer to the latter. But then, of course, is the question of where to draw the lines between words. Where does jogging change into running, and how does a chair differ from a seat? Different languages draw those divisions of meaning in very different places (as any language learner trying to learn a new kinship terminology system knows!). In everyday life we often do not have concrete definitions of words, but rather use them as they become useful to us, almost as if there is a continuum of meanings in language which we interpret through context. In fact, we often understand words as how they relate to other words, such as when we use synonyms or antonyms to elaborate on what we want to say. Semantics is a wonderfully complex and confusing thing to study.

     The readings today make me reflect a little on what language processing and communication means to me as a learner of Hindi. First, it makes me remember that language is a complex cognitive task for our brains, and furthermore that it is largely a pursuit of memory that leads us to be able to communicate with others. While I do feel like languages are a game sometimes, I also need to use my knowledge about how memories are encoded, retained, and retrieved, and treat that part of language-learning with more responsibility. Second, it reminds me that linguistic meaning is so tied up in context, and context is so tied up in culture, that I really need to treat cultural understanding as almost equally important as knowing the right words and grammar! For one example, I have noticed that my Indian friends do not understand dry humor/sarcasm (such as jokingly saying “It’s so cold outside today!” when it is 100F), and so I need to remember to speak straight in Hindi unless I get signs otherwise. I might know all the right words and grammar rules, but I need to use language that translates through cultures in order to communicate successfully!

People’s brain was divided into two halves, or hemispheres. Within each half, particular regions control certain functions. The two side of people’s brains look very much alike, but there is a huge difference in how they process information. I heard of a theory that people are either left-brained or right-brained, meaning that one side of their brain is dominant. People who are mostly analytical and methodical are said to be left-brained. And people who tend to be more creative and artistic are thought to be right-brained.

What will happen to brain if people are learning a second language? Understanding language is one of the most hardest things people’s brain does. According to some researches, learning a second language is one of the most effective and practical ways to increase intelligence, and buffer brains against aging. It is hard to believe that raising children in a bilingual home was frowned upon. Some studies suggest that children who are multilingual experience brain benefits surprisingly early. They receive a boost in overall cognitive development, do better on standardized tests, and have better self-esteem and sense of achievement. 

Moreover, in our daily conversations, brain plays the most crucial role as well, such as speech production and speech comprehension. There are several areas of brain involved in daily conversations. Both the left and right hemisphere are instrumental in this effort. To be more specific, in D. Crystal’s articles, I learnt that the Wernicke’s area and Broca’s area are responsible for speech production and speech comprehension. My mother language is Chinese, in order to conceptualize and process the meaning of other foreign languages, I think I always translate them to Chinese first and then I read to write. No matter what language I learn, Japanese, English or Korean, it seems easier to learn if I translate them to Chinese first. However, sometimes it is not the case. For example, I have been in Japan for about two months the summer. Everyday I did anything in Japanese, watching films, chatting and writing. When the program finished and I was back to China, I started to realized that when my families talked to me in Chinese, I sometimes replied to them by Japanese unconsciously, but this did not last long. So I guess if you learn a language in a deep degree, you brain might skip the step hat translates it to your mother tongue. 

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Reflecting back on the articles on semantics, I have found the process of understanding and producing speech to be incredibly complex especially in a societal versus "real world" context. Many of the words that we use, no matter what language, hold many various meanings in which meaning becomes very relative. Words presented by themselves hold no meaning unless put in a sentence that determines its meaning. Meaning is also distinguished by sense and reference where the meanings of words differ within a language and outside of a language. Knowing the difference between sense and reference is particularly important when explaining what a word means. An explanation based on reference could be interpreted many different ways such as quality or concept whereas an explanation of sense portrays a more objective presentation of a word in which the person can then apply and sharpen the definition.

In the process in which we have learned what meaning means in a language, our brains have already simultaneously understood, delivered, connected, and produced the result of reading, writing, or speaking. For speaking in particular, many parts of the brain are involved in its production and comprehension of these is the area in the upper back part of the temporal lobe or Wernicke's area which is important for comprehension of speech and where the initial thought to communicate is formed. It is sent to Broca's area which encodes the message which then is passed to a motor area which controls the articulatory organs and thus produces speech. 

As the readings state, everyone processes meaning and meanings of words influenced by their language and its societal norms and culture as well as their physical environment. Personally, I process meaning from a westernized, English perspective as well as a Korean perspective. This combination and unity of perspectives definitely shape my perception of meaning by heightening certain parts of it due to similar culture aspects or dampening other parts to be less important or negative. Living in America as a Korean I interpret materialism and work to be very positive things as both signify success in both cultures. However, relationship wise, America emphasizes equality and individualism and portrays them to very positive while in Korea there is a social hierarchy among your friends, family and co-workers where respect for elders and humility are considered positive aspects. These two cultures provide me a unique perspective for meaning.

Due to these differences, it would be helpful in learning the cultural context and meanings of the words to best be able to use it as well as using it to better remember from the contrast of its meaning to my own interpretation.

My background knowledge on the relationship between our brain and language learning was very basic to none- I simply assumed the right hemisphere of the brain was responsible for listening and the left hemisphere was responsible for everything else. I knew there were parts of the brain that were responsible for certain roles, but I did not know which was used for what. But after reading the chapters on how the brain handles language learning, I learned that there were specifics parts of the brain which were responsible for specific aspects, such as Wernicke’s area and Broca’s area. Wernicke’s area, for example, was the most important part for comprehending speech, and Broca’s area was important for encoding. The chapter also mentioned that the area in front of the fissure of Rolando was responsible for motor functioning, which was related to the study of speaking and writing. Although we are not able to sense the process happening in our brains, the brain uses these certain parts of the brain to process the aspects of language learning, showing us how complex our brain and language learning really is.

Since my first language was Korean, I had to translate english words to Korean in order to fully conceptualize and process the meaning and eventually to write and read english. What I did was I used my knowledge of Korean as a basis and translated the english words to fully understand in order to use english in my everyday life. Even while I was learning Japanese, I used Korean as the basis for conceptualizing and processing Japanese. However, as I became more comfortable with english, I used english to process Japanese. I surprised myself as I was doing this unconsciously, and is still amazed that the brain had the ability to do so.

The readings taught me that while some words in some languages could be similar to other words in other languages, all languages are slightly different and their words have different meanings. This motivated me to actually learn new languages in the future, and while I could use Korean or english to process other languages and use them for my understanding, each language would still be different.

If you take apart the brain, it is hard to distinguish one part from the other. Looking at the cerebrum, cerebellum, or brain stem separately, almost everything in each structure looks completely uniform and the same. Yet every part of each of these structures is responsible for the very way we function in our daily lives. This, of course, includes something as complex and important as language.

The concept of cerebral localization is a very important one and the most fascinating to me. Despite everything looking the same in the cerebrum to the naked human eye, if just a certain specific part of the it is damaged, the entirety of a certain system of functioning in your brain runs the risk of falling apart. In the case of language ability, this includes Broca’s area (responsible for the ability to speak) and Wernicke’s area (responsible for ability to comprehend speech), and other locations as stated in the reading. The articles also go into hemisphere dominance for language. I am right-handed so, according to the article, my left hemisphere is most likely dominant for language. It is interesting reading that left-handed individuals also have a high occurrence of left hemisphere dominance for language when that challenges the general way the body is connected to the brain, or that they even have mixed dominance. Reading the articles and being reminded of these areas inspires me to read about which of Brodmann’s 52 areas of the brain contribute to the various aspects of our language comprehension and production. Perhaps it will help me in my language journey!

The articles also spoke in length about what meaning is and how we gather it. They emphasized the importance of reading or listening to sentences in a language rather than just opening up a vocabulary book or dictionary and reading words without any context. Sentences give context to words and allow their meanings to be understood. An example of this, as the articles bring up, is collocations, certain terms or phrases each language uses to describe something that does not mean the literal word. These are very important to truly becoming a native of a language, rather than using awkward robotic words that have incorrect context in a language. I found the example of smoking using the same verb for drinking in Japanese really helpful! I experienced this myself when I was taking Japanese.

What the readings showed me, mostly the second and third ones, is how important immersion is in gathering meaning. Me simply writing out vocabulary over and over again will not get me to memorize the word well enough or using the language smoothly. I may very easily not use the word correctly because I won’t understand the collocations of a language if I do not simply just hear what native speakers use. This really inspires me to try and listen to music in Turkish in my free time, as well as try and watch some Turkish shows if I ever get the chance to. The foreign translated TV service our University has seems really cool and useful and definitely a means for me to do this as well!

I was surprised to discover how hardworking and incredible our brains are when it comes to everything we do even language learning. Damage to certain areas of the cortex like Broca's area and Wernicke's area can hurt one's ability to speak or understand speech. The main role of the area in front of the fissure of Rolando concerns with motor functioning, which relates to the study of speaking and writing. Wernicke's area, the upper back area of the temporal lobe, is known for handling the comprehension of speech, while Broca's area plays an important role in the encoding of speech. How one learns a language is much more complex than we think. We tend to take the brain for granted.

Because different languages have different ways to talk about the world, it is important to expand our view by learning another language. This allows us to realize that others view the world differently. By learning more than one language, we are then able to conceptualize or process meaning from more perspectives and possibilities. Learning about this motivates me more to continue learning Japanese and Korean. Sometimes, I used to think about whether if it is meaningless to study a language that is not very practical to use in your everyday life. Now, I want to be fluent one day. To reach that level, I wonder how one can retain what one has learned and be able to fluently speak a language that hasn't been used in a while. I sometimes worry about forgetting everything I've learned.

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.

            I have been a learner of the French language on-and-off since 7^th grade. In the 8^th grade, our French II class went on a week-long field trip to Quebec City to learn about French-Canadian culture and history. This was my first exposure to native French speakers, and our teacher encouraged us to utilize our fledgling French skills in our interactions with native speakers in restaurants and shops. Due to my self-consciousness about the novice level of my French skills and my noticeably foreign accent, I was often responded to and often continued conversations in English. Nonetheless, this experience made me all the more interested in continuing learning French, in order to return to a Francophone country at some point in the future and be able to engage in more culturally immersive – and more personally enriching - activities. I continued my French study throughout most of high school, but the higher-level French teacher at my high school, due to his lack of respect for students and overall nasty attitude, dissuaded me from continuing my studies there. Thus I took a break from French instruction from senior year until sophomore year of college, when I tested into French 221 (by the skin of my teeth) to complete the COMM2 requirement.

            I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in 221, and while it took some time to dust off my once-dormant French language skills, I was delighted at how quickly the results of my prior French language coursework returned. Reacting well to the immersive aspect of daily instruction and exposure to written and spoken French, I found this course to be the most productive as far as grasping of difficult grammatical and structural concepts. The almost exclusive use of French by Dr. Raymond and my peers in the classroom provided me with many examples for pronunciation and listening comprehension. As I am predominantly an audio-visual learner, I feel that my accent while speaking French is one of my strong suits related to the language. My primary complaint, which is common throughout all the French study I have undertaken, is the relative time spent listening to French spoken by non-native speakers – often at a much slower pace and with individually enunciated words – in comparison to French spoken by native speakers, with its rapid sentence delivery, slurring together of sounds, and use of conventional slang. I have attempted to ameliorate this perceived lack of exposure to native-spoken French by listening to French-language music and watching French films; naturally it will require immersing myself in a Francophone country for some time to feel comfortable conducting conversations exclusively in French.

            I have found my study of French to have had a positive effect on my (admittedly novice) comprehension of other romance languages as well. My grandmother emigrated to the United States from Brazil in the 1960s, and throughout my young life I spent large amounts of time around family and friends who are native speakers of Portuguese. Before I began to learn French, the Portuguese language (beyond simple greetings, expressions, and names) was baffling to me. Because my mother spoke the language in a strictly conversational manner and was illiterate in Portuguese, she decided that it’d be best not to learn it from her. However, after learning French for an extended period and reaching a point somewhere between conversational and fluent, I have found myself able to understand a lot more of what is being said by my Portuguese-speaking family. This is likely the result of simply being immersed in it my whole life in addition to studying a romance language; nonetheless, it gives credence to the idea that languages are connected and that once one gains proficiency in a second language, continuing towards the goal of being a polyglot becomes much more realistic

            Although Bahasa Indonesia is a language family largely devoid of shared influences to English and French, the fact that the languages all share the same alphabet is an advantage for me, as the hurdle of learning a new alphabet seems like a huge challenge to gaining comfortability in a new language.

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            The only language I ever really learned was Latin.  I took Latin for four years in high school, and I did very well, and could almost speak it.  A dead language does not provide many other speakers to talk to, of course, but after learning as much as I could, I realized that I could understand the Romance languages more easily.  I was by no means fluent in any of these, but could struggle my way through Spanish for a few simple interactions.  The vocabularies’ similarities made me appreciate the connections between languages, but more importantly appreciate the form and structure of inflected languages.  The rules of conjugation and declension strike me as very conducive to learning, and the thrill of discovering and “getting” the rules to a language, and being able to gracefully identify and adapt words to flow in their pattern, became one of the greatest academic and personal joys I have ever experienced.

            On the other hand, I did not enjoy memorizing vocabulary.  Naturally, without a strong vocabulary base, I could not say anything meaningful, but acquiring a useful set was somewhat tedious.  The most frustrating part to memorization was knowing all the exceptions to rules, but I took relief in knowing that I had learned the exceptions to English language rules, so I should be able to do the same with Latin and now Greek.

            I am very much a visual learner, and cannot memorize a word easily unless I hear it repeated many times in context or see it written down once or twice.  AS cliché as it might sound, I learn bet using flashcards, although I almost never use them (I’ve gone through maybe 100 cards since grade school).  Quizzing with cards is very useful when I do do it, but I like to try to “reverse-engineer” a word’s meaning by scouring it for a meaningful shared root in English.  I like to figure things out myself, although I have come to wrong etymological conclusions more than once.  Seeing the word helps it stick more in my head, because although I am far from having a photographic memory, I memorize the shapes of letters and the shape of a written word as a whole, and associate the word and its meaning with the picture in my head.       Secondarily, I like to learn with my hands, kinesthetically, but I really don’t know specifically form that kind of learning will take, but I know that if I am introduced to a specific object, and can hold it in my hands, then its name can stick in my head more firmly.

            We might work on Greek by stepping through books and movies with subtitles.  I think I might even benefit from reading children’s books with pictures, so that I can associate a visual and grammatical experience with each other.  While it might seem childlike, I think it could be the most useful way to learn.  I learned English as a child this way, and I wound up fluent, so why change what we know works?  Since I know no Greek, I think this would be most effective, since I cannot build higher knowledge from any previous base of simpler concepts.

            I really am looking forward to learning Greek this semester, and while I know I will not become fluent at the end of that time, and probably not even proficient, I enjoy the adventure of throwing myself into an almost completely unexplored (for me) topic, and fighting my way to join others in understanding.  After reading a bit about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, I’m also excited to discover what unseen colors, overlooked nuances, and unfelt emotions I will become privy to during my pursuit of a new language.

My first contact with a foreign language was towards the end of 1^st grade, when my parents found out we would be moving to California for two years and signed me up for English classes. For those two years, I learned English through interactions with classmates and teachers, and with some help from an Australian – Greek tutor. I’ve been speaking English ever since. I started learning French in 4^th grade at a language school in Greece. I continued my French studies until the end of 9^th grade when I got my last French certificate. In 11^th and 12^th grade I took IB Spanish at school, which put me at the same level in Spanish that I was in French. Although Spanish is significantly easier as a language than French, I partly attribute my success in the former to my previous experience with Greek, English, and French.

Throughout my years as a language learner, I drew several conclusions about my learning habits and preferences. One of the first things I noticed was that I am, as the Learning Styles quiz also suggested, a mix of a visual and a tactile learner. I understand information better by writing it out, color coding, visualizing, sitting in the front of the room, but I remember it better if I act it out, walk while reading, or arrange it in thematic groups. A few keys habits/needs I’ve noticed in terms of my learning processes are the following: 1) I cannot memorize information that is typed out or written by someone else – it needs to be my own writing. I am not sure if that is because of my hand writing or the way in which I organize information. In the same vein, I tend to understand and retain information better if it is written in blue ben (if color-coded, the basis color would be blue). 2) No matter how good someone is at explaining concepts, I may understand them I the moment they are being explained to me, but if I don’t go back and rework them o my own, I will rarely remember them. I have the same issue when I don’t understand the reasoning/logical continuation leading to an idea or a result. I have a hard time remembering a fact if the why behind it has not been explained to me in a logical manner. 3) I love trees and charts! If there is a way in which I can depict information in a tree, showing the relations between key ideas, then I will do it, because that is the easiest way for me to understand and remember all the information associated with it. Same for charts; pros and cons are a prime example; I would much rather write them as bullet points in two columns than in a paragraph or sentence(s).

For language learning specifically, I have noticed both with Spanish and English that I learn much faster by being forced to speak (i.e. being thrown into a country that only speaks that language) or by interacting with native speakers; asking them questions, having to paraphrase what I want to say in very simple terms, even including pantomime, because I have no other way of communicating my thought to them. Then what usually happen s is they figure out what I’m trying to say and say it in that language. When this happens, whatever it is I was trying to covey, I will not easily forget later on because much time and attention were spent on it, and I tried to figure it out myself (going back to the learning styles).

Another strategy that I find works really well for me when learning a language (in addition to the ones mentioned before) is listening to songs in that language, looking up the word-for-word translation of the lyrics, and reading along while the song is playing. That way I have the general sense of what the song is about, and more or less what each word means, so when I have to recall said words I will remember them in the context of the song and will hence be much more likely to remember what they meant.

Overall, I enjoy a variety of learning and retaining strategies, general ones but also ones specific to language learning, which I believe I have identified and am hopefully utilizing the correct way.

From my perspective, learning languages is not only just about learning their grammars and vocabularies but also about their unique cultures such as music, traditions, food, etc. According to my own experience, if the lecture is the only way to study a language, the study life would be boring and pale soon.

I have been a language learner for more than twelve years and I have never stopped. When I was in my primary school, I had my first foreign language class, which is English. Learning a language sounds like no fun for a little child. Thus, our teachers used music and cartoons to help us accept English easily. I can still remember that the first English song I learnt was the ABC alphabet song (not sure if the name is right). This song helped me memorize the 26 English characters faster and created a lot of fun time for all the students because at every beginning of the English course, our teacher would ask the whole class to sing it together and she also complimented the one who sang the best. This inspired my enthusiasm to learn English because I really want to be praised! Later, when we had learnt all the characters and some vocabs, our teacher started to prepare new songs for us to sing. The most memorable one for me must be Edelweiss. Our teacher let the whole class saw the film, Sound of Music first and then let us listen to the original soundtrack recording. We learnt Do-Re-Mi and Edelweiss at the class. I, as the representative of the whole class, sang Edelweiss at School’s New Year Party. I felt so honored and pride for myself. I guess that was one of the reasons that English became my favorite subject later. I really appreciate the teacher although she only taught me at my fourth grade. Her wise and amusing teaching method helped me have a really good start at my language learning life.

Because English was one of the main subjects in China, just like math and Chinese literature, all the schools attached a lot of importance to it. This led to students were given a bunch of assignments every single day and were asked to go to cram schools. They did help me master the grammar system easier but I felt I could not just did this type of boring and repetitive practice. In order to maintain my enthusiasm toward English learning, I started to find something entertaining by my own. Therefore, I began to watch various American TV series, such as horrors, romantics, detectives etc. I still remember The Vampire Diaries used to be favorite. I tried to mimic their tones and pronunciations and I discovered my speaking English was improved in a short time.

Knowing what kind of leaning method is the best for me, when I study other languages, they work the same. As for Japanese, I started to learn it last year in U of R from zero. While learning the grammar and vocabs systematically with Prof. Suzuki, I watched Japanese films and cartoons that I thought interesting and tried to listen to some Japanese music as well. Moreover, I caught the chance to take part in the summer study abroad program in order to experience the culture and learn Japanese easily. I’ve been there for about two months, living in a local family’s home. Every day I ate with them, watched the World Cup with them and shared our own experiences. I thought this is a valuable experience for me. Knowing the Japanese well and how the local people live seems like have nothing to do with my own Japanese learning, but I know it matters a lot. Thus, I decided to continue my Japanese learning this year, trying to challenge a higher level of courses.

According to the Fire Model, from my first language learning experience at primary school I am a typical Evaluative learner. I prefer to learn in a personally pleasing environment and I enjoy recognition is given by teachers. I am also a visual learner which is surprised to me because I thought I am an auditory learner, but it is true that I like write something down during the lecturing time and always be distracted easily. And my strength in studying language is musical and social. It is true. I enjoy working on my tones and intonation compared to study grammar. I like singing along with music and I think I will try to incorporate sounds into my lesson. For example, I think I will listen to some K-pop music and maybe also watch some Korean TV series to help study easier.

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            I have studied several languages, so I will comment on various aspects of each.

            My first exposure to a foreign language was Latin in middle school. Seeing as I was homeschooled, and Latin is not exactly a popular course to offer outside of private schools, I simply had a textbook, a notebook, and my brain to help me. Needless to say, languages, even dead ones, need some social interaction for learning to take place! I did not make it very far in Latin simply because I did not have purpose or motivation.

            Off and on from middle school through college I studied Spanish. I always learned through classes, and really loved the camaraderie of the classroom experience. I also frequently practiced my Spanish with native speakers. What I disliked most about this method of studying Spanish is the same thing which pushed me to the greatest level of proficiency I have in any foreign language: the rigidity of the syllabus. Although annoying, I have to admit that having external motivation and requirements is helpful.

            Starting in high school I became a total language nerd, and chose Arabic as my linguistic passion of choice. Once I learned the script, I used to frequently read the Arabic-English dictionary for fun. I loved being able to write in what felt like "code language" that only certain people could understand. Sometimes I would even write in Spanish in the Arabic script, to make myself feel like a top-secret spy! I spent hours each week with Arabic immigrants, teaching them basic English while I grasped at basic Arabic. I would probe them over and over, "Ana ekol... Heya tekol... Howa...??...." ["I eat, she eats, he ??"] trying to understand the underlying grammar rules before I found them in my textbooks. I can only describe what I was doing as play – practicing the language simply because I loved it and without ulterior motive.    

            I spent a few weeks each attempting Japanese, Korean, French, and, for a brief few moments, Zulu, but without proper support and motivation I gave up quickly. Motivation is important!

            To reflect on my language learning style, I learn best in a supportive environment with a very patient language partner. It is important to me that I can immerse myself, even becoming as a child, in the language and culture. I like learning "street language," possibly because I've gotten laughed at plenty by native speakers for speaking "properly" in their language! I dislike being forced to learn concepts which I do not find useful, and I dislike producing work, such as papers or speeches, which do not have practical purpose for existing.

            I tend to approach grammar by simultaneously memorizing overall ideas and specific words, especially verb tenses, before I learn the rules that govern them. I enjoy exploring "what if" and "why" questions, or what I call playing with the language. I do enjoy open-ended questions in language exams. After all, language as an academic discipline is uniquely real, practical, and messy. According to the FIRE model, my preferences would indicate I am closest to the Rational thinker.

            According to the surveys I completed, I am an auditory learner and my top three intelligences are Music, Self, and Nature. I do enjoy learning texts through music – I will dedicate hours to imitating the lyrics to a song if I like the music. I also enjoy spending time by myself to study grammar and practice talking to myself in the language. One specific resource which I have found helpful for picking up the functional basics of a language is Pimsleur audio courses. Furthermore, although the surveys didn't demonstrate this, I am also a very visual learner and find it helpful to write down and then read what I am learning.

            I think to expand my learning activities for Hindi, I should push myself past my fear and shyness to practice with more Hindi speakers. Thankfully, I know plenty of them! I also plan to use online platforms, such as Mango and Duolingo, which I have not yet used seriously. I plan to meet with Atul, my language partner, twice a week and learn as much as possible from interacting with him. I also plan to continue to read my Hindi textbooks and practice what I learn from them. Most importantly, to learn Hindi I plan to have scheduled study and practice sessions, with clear and precise goals.

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Rote memorization and reading textbooks are helpful when I learn about accounting or economics, but for languages, it was best for me to learn with my ears and eyes. I always have thought that people were either a visual, auditory, and tactical learner, but instead of one or the other, people can be a mix of all three. My results from the Learning Styles quiz demonstrated that I was 45% visual, 30% auditory, and 25% tactical, and from the FIRE model it seems like I am more of a mix of factual and evaluative. From my experiences, knowing one’s learning style and implementing effective activities that suit it speeds up the language learning process and prevents burnout.

I have had the experience of learning Spanish, Japanese, and Korean, and I have realized that the most important factor of how successful one would be when learning a language, especially independently, is how interested and passionate one is in that language. I was forced to learn Spanish from fourth grade until ninth grade. I did not want to learn it, and I had no interest in it. Until my freshman year in high school, I dreaded attending my Spanish class. I did not understand it. It was a mess. After I was done with Spanish, I realized that I wanted to learn Japanese, but it was unfortunately unavailable at my school. So, during tenth grade, I decided that I was going to learn it on my own.

It was challenging. The 3 writing systems in the language were already overwhelming. I couldn’t move ahead to learning more grammar and vocab since I wasn’t even able to read or write. For about a year and a half, I learned by listening. I watched Japanese YouTubers and Japan travel videos almost every day. The summer after senior year, I planned to travel there with a few friends after visiting Korea. To prepare, I downloaded an app called Memrise, which extremely helped me recognize and ultimately memorize Hiragana and Katakana. I was actually able to read some words. Then for my freshman year at the University of Richmond, I registered for Japanese 101 and 102. Here, I discovered that not only was I a visual learner, but also an auditory learner. I learned the language much faster and more easily when I didn’t take notes in class and instead focused on what the professor was saying. Immersing myself into the language by listening to it as much as possible helped me improve my Japanese.

Even for Korean, I aim to call and text my parents as much as possible in order to practice my speaking and writing skills. I also watch Korean dramas and variety shows so I constantly listen to Korean, learning new vocabulary while also being entertained. On YouTube, I watch Korean YouTubers and read the comment section, helping me practice my reading ability. Attending school on the other side of the country far from home makes it very difficult to practice Korean especially since I have no reason to speak it here. However, I am constantly attempting to at least maintain my Korean speaking, reading, and writing ability. Although it is challenging to juggle learning two languages at once, seeing my progress and realizing how much I improved gives me satisfaction and pride.

My family is from Bangladesh but I grew up in the United States. As a child, my parents always spoke to me only in Bengali because they wanted me to be fluent in Bengali. My parents believed that I would be able to learn English on my own through conversations with my friends, television, and especially in school. Therefore I simultaneously learned English and Bengali when I was growing up. Before I started kindergarten, my mom started teaching me how to read and write in both English and Bengali; and at this point because I was already conversational in Bengali and was comfortable speaking the language, we would also started using English at home. Once I started elementary school, I primary learned English through my schoolwork and I learned Bengali at home.

In middle school, my family moved back to Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, I took Bengali and English classes at school, and that’s how I learned most of the grammar in Bengali. Even though I was learning two languages, and obviously had my own learning style, because I have always been fluent in both Bengali and English, I never really thought of either as having to learn a new language. In high school, I had to take Spanish classes to fulfill my second language requirement (we had moved back to the States at this point). I have very basic Spanish language knowledge from two years of high school Spanish classes. And I think learning Spanish at a later stage in my life helped me to better understand how I learn languages and what kind of language learning activities I like and are effective for me.

I really enjoy reading in my target language. I like reading out loud — this helps me picture what I am reading and contextualize the scene from the book. Even when I am simply learning new words and trying to expand my vocabulary, I like putting the words in sentences and try to come up with a storyline that I can say aloud and remember the proper use of the word.

According to the surveys I took, I am an auditory learner. This makes sense because I always have to say things out loud, or repeat new information over and over again in my head, to remember things better. When learning languages, I also like conversations with a native speaker. I prefer to talk through any obstacles I might be facing. Instead of reading about the right use of words or grammar, I prefer someone explaining why certain grammar rules apply. By the end of this semester I want to be able to have basic conversational knowledge of Korean (even if I don’t know the proper grammar). In order to expand my learning activities, I should start having more conversations with my language partner, or a native speaker, and stop focusing on perfecting my grammar. I also believe I will also benefit from just watching videos in Korean since hearing conversations has always helped me to more easily understand and learn a language.