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The initial part of this reading really caught my attention, for years i have told myself that i was a math and science person, and the other side of my brain, the creative/language part was not my strong side.  I am a business major, i love math, loved all of my science courses in high school, and even the one i took in college.  Languages always proved to be a struggle for me, I had to work that much harder and pay that much more attention in order to not fall behind in the course.  The descrtiptions/ correlations between our brains/ dominant hand with what our strengths are (language, creativity etc etc) is really interesting and something i appreciated learning about. 

The next section immediately following the brain breakdown, tong slips- the story of my life.  I am always messing up words, and now know why i do that, its not that im dumb, rather this happens often when word are found "within the same grammatical construction of rhythm unit" (178). 

Words convey meanings, how the same word is spoken dictates how we understand the statement, influxes  and various emphasis on syllables can change the importance of spoken words.  Words not only change importance of language meaning can also change based on hand movements, eye contact and much more.  There are different views on meanings and how words are conveyed, learning this was interesting as well. 

How we learn vocabularies, learn meaning, define words, grow our vocabularies, study grammar, classify words (nouns, verbs..) all gave a lot of depth and great meaning to the basics of language i have taken for granted.  I have not given much thought to why i know things, how to organize a sentence when speaking in english etc.  When i learned french, i did struggle with these concepts much more, and reading and learning about how important the fundamentals are, i truly wish i could go back and take french again!

This greater understanding/ reading into the fundamentals of languages are great, and i cant wait to learn more.

I have never studied Farsi before, which of course sets my language skills as Beginning 0 in the novice level...if even that since as of now I don't know much.  I hope to complete the Beginning 2 level of novice this semester, meaning that I will be able to: find specific predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, menus, schedules, and simple personal letters; understand phrases and commonly-used vocabulary related to areas of personal relevance; handle very short social exchanges; use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms a variety of things such as my family and other people, living conditions, my educational background, and my present or most recent job; and write short, simple notes and messages. 

I am also in the process of creating more specific tasks an a learning calendar.  So far, I believe that getting used to learning and using a new alphabet is going to be one of the hardest tasks.  With language, I tend to have a pretty good memory for things such as vocabulary and grammar so hopefully once I become accustomed to speaking a different type of language, it will not be as difficult to pick these things up. 

This past week I began reviewing the vocabulary that I learned in Rosetta Stone.  This includes recognizing the word visually and trying to repeat it verbally.  I am also trying to fulfill my goal of being able to write in Farsi as well so I began trying to copy the words.  In order to build muscle memory for the new alphabet I have to learn, I created a spreadsheet with practice for myself.  This spreadsheet has all of the letters of the Persian alphabet with multiple copies of each letter so that I can practice tracing them (Kind of like being in kindergarten again). 

I also assesd my current ability in Farsi. I wasn't exactly shocked when the chart told me that I was a complete beginner (Aka "Beginning 0).  By the end of this semester I hope to consider myself a "Beginning 2.  Some of the requirements I would need to fulfill to meet this level would be

-describing my family,background and employment

-reading a menu, schedule, personal letter

-writing a simple letter

These are not all of the requirements but I hope to at least be able to do these.  In order to do this I will need to know the vocabulary involved and understand basic grammar and word placement in simple sentences.  I currently have a tentative Learning Plan which should get me to where I want to be.  The focus is mainly on me learning the correct vocabulary so that I can begin using those words in sentences and becoming familiar with Persian grammar. 

One of the points in the reading for this class that really resonated with me was the importance of understanding word placement and inflection on those words.  My experience with Spanish allowed me to realize how important it is to understand cultural rules of inflection based on the context of the sentence.  Hopefully, I will pick up on this a little bit throughout the semester by working with my language partner.

My current level of competence in Turkish is below Beginning 0.  This is a completely new language for me so all of my interpretative, internpersonal and presentational skills are currently below 0.  By the end of the semester I can be at beginning 0 but I would like to be at beginning 1.  I am more focused on speaking and listening rather than writing.  My goals are:

1. Introductions

2. Descriptions

3. Colors

4. Numbers

5. Food

For my loftier goals I would like to be able to order food at a restaurant, ask for directions and be able to hold a small conversation.  

My current level of competence in Hindi seems to be at Novice Beginning 2.  By the end of the semester, it is my goal to be at the Intermediate Developing 1 category in all areas.  My basic goals for this semester will be to:

1.  Review and solidify knowledge of tenses already learned, especially in speaking/being able to quicky form sentences aloud.

• Present, present progressive, past progressive, present habitual, past habitual, simple past
• I want to focus on speaking because I find it much easier to read or write sentences in the different tenses and much more difficult to produce them aloud myself.

2.  Special verb forms

• "I can..."
• "I like..."
• "I should.."
• "I want..."
• "I need..."

3.  VOCABULARY

• Describing appearances
• Describing feelings
• Health
• Places
• Count to at least 30
• Focus on verbs

As you can see, this used to be color keyed.

Bangla Spring semester Syllabus

Red days are grammar days/Mondays

Green days are listening days/wednesdays

Blue days are reading days/every other Friday

Black days are catch up and writing/spelling days/every other Friday

Mon.              Jan 10                        above, below, beside, under postpositions

Wed.             Jan 12                        conversation topic for 15 minutes, hospital vocab and body vocab review. 5 min.  sisimpur

Fri.       Jan 14                conversation topic:   normal life.  reading Radice 116.  Then role play reading. Practice writing new vocab and health related and body parts.  

Mon.             Jan 17                        conversation topic: chotobelai. Verb conjugation.  Review before class Bengali a Comprehensive grammar  pg.  142-171

Wed.             Jan 19               conversation topic:  daily routine with o’clocks.  sisimpur teeth brushing. 

Fri.             Jan 21               conversation topic: review vocab, practice spelling, and catch up.

Mon.             Jan 24                         review impersonal construction. Bengali a Comprehensive grammar  pg. 485-499

Wed.   Jan 26                converstion topic and listening

Fri.      Jan  28 talk about family. Radice 140.

   Mon.  Jan   31              review comparisons and equals: Bengali a Comprehensive grammar  pg. 179-189

Wed.    Feb. 2                converstion topic and listening

Fri.       Feb. 4                review vocab, practice spelling, and catch up.

Mon.   Feb. 7                Verbal nouns and double verbs like “to want something” or “should do something” Bengali a Comprehensive grammar  pg. 374-385

Wed.  Feb. 9            converstion topic and listening

Fri.      Feb. 11                        Radice 152

Mon.            Feb. 14                        review “anyone, someone, anywhere, somewhere etc

Wed.     Feb. 16            converstion topic and listening

Fri.       Feb. 18            review vocab, practice spelling, and catch up.

Mon.   Feb. 21             conditional construction: Bengali a Comprehensive grammar  pg.  403-410. intermediate Bangla pg 272

Wed.   Feb. 23            converstion topic and listening

Fri.    Feb. 25                        Radice 163.

Mon.   Feb. 28            PAP: Bengali a Comprehensive grammar  pg.  411-422. intermediate Bangla pg 12, 45, 70

Wed.   Mar. 2            converstion topic and listening

Fri.             Mar. 4                        review vocab, practice spelling, and catch up.

MARCH 7-11

Lomba cha biroti =)

Mon.    Mar. 14              review Bangla particle moto intermediate Bangla pg 117

Wed.    Mar. 16                        converstion topic and listening

Fri.            Mar. 18                        Radice 187

Mon.     Mar. 21            review bangla particle “to”: Bengali a Comprehensive grammar pg. 281-295. intermediate Bangla pg 272-273

Wed.            Mar.  23            converstion topic and listening

Fri.             Mar. 25                        review vocab, practice spelling, and catch up.

Mon.   Mar. 28            review bole intermediate Bangla pg 45

Wed.            Mar. 30                        converstion topic and listening

Fri.            Apr. 1                        Radice 242 start

Mon.            Apr. 4                        je, she; jara, tara; jemon themon. Bengali a Comprehensive grammar  pg. 510-541

Wed.            Apr. 6                        converstion topic: listening

Fri.             Apr. 8                        review vocab, practice spelling, and catch up.

Mon.            Apr. 11                        passive

Wed.             Apr. 13                        converstion topic: listening

Fri.             Apr. 15                        Radice 242 finish

Mon.             Apr. 18                        review grammar

Wed.    Apr. 20                        converstion topic and listening

Fri.       Apr. 22                        review vocab, practice spelling, and catch up.

According to the levels of competence document, I believe I am between Beginning 2 and Developing 1.  My goal this semester would be to move up to the next level.  Practically though my goals are: 1.  Be able to functionally use of all the grammar I already know. 2.  Significantly improve my vocabulary.  3.  Improve my reading speed. 

The reading part will be accomplished by sheer practice.  Also as my vocabulary improves so will my reading speed as I start to recognize more words.  To accomplish goals 1 and 2 though, I need to be speaking a lot and consistently trying to add words to my vocabulary. 

From my evaluation of the levels of competence I am a beginning novice in all parts of the Hebrew language. From interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational Hebrew, I honestly know nothing. The only word I know in Hebrew is Shalom, which I think means hello. Based off the fact that I know zero Hebrew, I have set my goals to be primarily speaking oriented.

1. I want to be able to say dates like January 20, 2011 and be able to count to 30 or 40.

2. I want to engage in introductory communication like “Hello how are you today?” “I am great how are you?”

3. I want to know how to say 10 animals, like cat, dog, lion, bear, etc.

4. Knowing the Hebrew alphabet could be helpful and some adjectives would be beneficial to learn. Some adjectives I really want to learn are happy, tall, big, small, fat, skinny, beautiful, cold, essentially things that are used on an everyday basis in English.

5. The only non-speaking part of Hebrew I want to learn is the ability to order off a menu, like Chicken pasta.

I believe these goals are fully reasonable for me to be able to learn throughout the semester as the Hebrew language is not the easiest language to speak nor understand.

Current Level of Competence: Novice Beginning 0

Desired Level of Competence: I hope to reach the Novice Beginning 2 stage in the Speaking and Listening sections without improving the Reading/Writing sections.

Goals in sequential order:

1. Be able to hear, identify, and create the basic sounds of the alphabet

2. Greeting, introductions, description, family

3. Basic Questions and Answers (simple sentence structure)

3. Numbers

4. Food

5. Colors

6. Animals

I am much further along in my Thai language abilities than these goals, but I hope to refresh Thai as I learn these basic aspects of the Bengali language to ensure that I retain both languages.

I come from a Spanish-speaking family and began learning Spanish in school in 6th grade.  I have really enjoyed being able to communicate with my family in Spanish and practice my pronunciation with them.  One of my favorite ways to learn Spanish has been to trick myself into learning it.  Instead of always working on grammar or pronounciation I will listen to Spanish podcasts or read Spanish versions of books or news articles.  While doing this I passively absorb idiomatic expressions, nuanced pronunciations of words from different regions, and a better understanding of grammar and sentence structure.  I have also focused on written excercises to help my grammar.  These become tedious after a while but I know they help me learn actively. 

In order to learn Farsi I am going to try to imerse myself in the written and spoken elements of the language.  I can do this through podcasts, and news articles.  While I do not expect to understand things right away, I do hope that I will develop an ear for certain words and pronunciations and also begin to identify written words on sight (outside of a visual context that Rosetta Stone provides).  Understanding sentence formation in new languages is one of my biggest goals.  Knowing vocabulary doesn't help me very much if I don't know how to use it correctly in a sentence.  I hope to be able to work with my language partner on this.

In the FIRE Model I am an F2, I2, R3 and E5. 

F2- I think I value practical knowledge because I view it as applicable.  While learning things I want know that I have some use for it.

I2-  I like to have a clear idea of what I will be learning and how each element fits into the next section or topic.  In planning I am able to see the need to focus on seemingly insignificant details that will help me later.

R3- I really like hypothetical situations where I get to take what I have learned and apply it to another situation or question. An example of this is in the Rosetta Stone program where it gave me four pictures.  All but one of them had a description written in Farsi above the picture.  I had to look at the fourth picture, which incorporated elements of the other three, formulate a sentence in Farsi and then say it into the microphone.  It was actually kind of fun to be able to do that 30 minutes into learning a new language.

E5-  I like smaller groups or classes because it allows us as a group to communicate with each other.  Especially while learning a language, having someone else to bounce ideas or questions off of is crucial. 

One thing I hope to do going forward is find some source of gramatical exercises. It may be too early for those exercises to really be effective but I would like to understand how grammar works in Farsi, especially because Rosetta Stone presents information within the context of full sentences.

My decision to take this class was one i came upon out of convenince. Being in my senior year this class fulfilled a graduation requirement so i decided to enroll. I have always found that I enjoy learning about a variety of topics that seem interesting to me. I very often find myself researching on the internet trying to read up on a random topic. Thi is why I decided to choose Hebrew as the language I wanted to learn. This is a language that is very unike those that I have previously tried to learn. I took classes in French as well as spanish and found them to be very comparable to the english language in many ways. This is something that is not true about Hebrew. I believe Hebrew is very different from most modern western languages. Also I think studying Hebrew provides an opportunity to learn more about Jewish culture, which is something I have never really known much about.

In reviewing the FIRE model of learning I was able to determine that I am a Rational learner. I believe I often stuggled in my other language classes because they are very structured and intsructor run, which is not the best way for me to learn. I am more of a hands on learner and I believe the best way to learn is not by someone else telling you what to do, but rather by learning the way that you find best for yourself. I think having strict organization can hinder creative learning. I believe this class will be an eye opening experience for me in terms of my writing style, as well as a benefit for my general knowledge.

My language experiences were fine, in high school and one semester of college I studied french.  I thought that the language was beautiful and i really enjoyed learning to speak french.  I did not like memorizing the many forms of verb conjugations that exist because it seemed more like memorization than learning.  Overall i had a good experience but when I completed my general education requirement i decided that i would rather pursue topics other than french. 

When it comes to learning i learn best through listening and writing.  I must take good notes in class that when it comes time for tests, i then re write the notes.  I also tend to take notes on all assigned readings to further understand all of the text and information.  At times i feel like i learn a lot when a peer asks me for study help and i can "teach them" the knowledge that i understand.  I feel that i can expand my learning activities through studying more with peers and perhaps through listenting more.  When it came to language learning writing was really what helped me, and i feel as tho that would continue to help me with any further language learning. 

What did you enjoy? What did you dislike? Think about the FIRE model .  What kind of learner are you?  What kinds of language learning activities suit your learning style?  How do you think you should expand your learning activities?

I have two previous experiences as a language learner. First, I learned French in a traditional university classroom setting. Although I did well in the classes, I did not feel as though I was grasping the language with enough confidence to hold a conversation with a fluent French speaker. I did not like how the formal nature of the classes focused more on complex grammar structures than simple speaking and listening skills. I did enjoy how the class met seven times per week. The constant practice allowed me to make some strides. However, I enjoyed my experiences learning the Thai language much better because I was directly immersed in Thai culture and constantly worked on my conversational skills. I learned the basics of the Thai alphabet, but I used this knowledge to help me with pronunciation and transliteration not reading or writing. The speed at which I was able to gain conversational proficiency and learn new vocabulary was very exciting for me.

In regard to the FIRE model, I see myself as a "Rational" Learner. Because my learning usually starts with the big picture, it is important for me to not get ahead of myself in this language learning process. It is going to be necessary for me to set specific goals and pay close attention to details. Rather than attempt to take a leap with Bengali to reach the level of my Thai language skills, I must slowly gather knowledge and practice both Bengali and Thai to strengthen my abilities. The activities that will be most useful for me are meetings with my peer-tutor and any program that closely simulates an actual Bengali conversation.

I have always loved language.  Throughout high school, I studied French and also learned to realize my fascination with English grammar.  As a freshman at Richmond, I began to study Spanish, deciding to become a French major and LAIS minor.  I have always thought about studying another language, but have been wary to choose one since I haven't found something to fit into my schedule.  This class really appeals to me because I believe that my genuine love for and curiosity of languages will allow me to be disciplined in my studies, while being able to learn at my own pace and in my own time. 

I decided to study Farsi because it is definitely unlike the other languages I have studied.  I am interested in learning a new alphabet and a language with a different structure than a Romance or Germanic language.  Additionally, as an IS major, I am considering working for the US state department and Farsi is a language that is in high demand, meaning that with knowledge of this language it may be easier for me to find employment.

I reviewed the FIRE model, but actually had a hard time determining one specific learning method that I follow.  I know for sure that I am an not a Factual learner.  I am probably mostly an Evaluative learner, but there are also Insightful and Rational aspects to my learning.  I find that I can't just memorize facts or vocabulary, but that I need to use words or ideas in order to really understand them.  For this I find that writing out sentences using vocab or new tenses is the easiest way for me to learn them.  Writing is definitely a skill that I use a lot to learn because I like to rewrite my notes and read them over.  I also find that reading helps me to learn a language, even if the level of writing is a little more advanced than I am at speaking.  Of course, immersion is the best way for me to learn.  For this reason I believe that meeting with my language partner will really improve my skills. 

I believe that I learn best through creating a framework of base knowledge for the language and then working off that.  As a language learner I prefer talking with people rather than reading.  Doing the activity is much easier for me and I retain the information better.  In previous classes it was difficult reading and writing since I was more concerned with being able to speak the language.   

However, with a base framework established, I value information gained through speaking that can help me add to my language base.  In high school I studied abroad in Spain and having this framework was vital to building my language skills.  Having a base for a language and then being immersed in the language and culture was very helpful for me.   Organizing what I have learned from these experience helps me bring structure to the language so I can better understand it.  I find myself grouping common phrases and vocabulary together.  Furthermore, consistently challenging myself also helps since I have to continuously add to my base level of knowledge. 

Under the FIRE model I also dislike situations in which I am told how to do a certain task.  I would much rather come to the same conclusion but be able to do it my way.  Finally, I appreciate recognition for helping others and good work.  Being able to learn on my own time and how I want to will be much better for me. 

In my final semester as college student I am taking Hebrew because I enjoy the opportunity to speak a rare language. I have already fulfilled my language requirement through Intensive Spanish and have enjoyed learning foreign languages. Although Hebrew may not be relevant to the business world it is nonetheless an opportunity I cannot pass up. As a language learner I enjoy learning important words, like conversational language and how to say types of food and animals. In a beginning language course I do not expect myself to be able to right a full paragraph on anything in Hebrew. I simply like the ability to be friendly and eat when visiting a foreign culture. What I really do not like about language learning is the verb conjugation and the writing. I have already mentioned that writing something in Hebrew is not necessary for me as a beginner. Verb conjugation is often unnecessarily difficult and prevents one from learning the important meaning of the verb. For instance in Spanish take the word gustar, meaning to like. I do not need to know gusto, gustaba, gustes, gustieron, etc. are forms of gustar in different tenses, but instead that it means to like. 

After reviewing the Fire model , I would have to say that I am the factual type of learner. I value practical knowledge and want my own work to be a reflection of precise answers. I can easily memorize things and enjoy taking tests that measure those skills that have clearly defined by a syllabus or course description. With that being said I know that this language course does not necessarily match up with my factual learning style, as we set our own goals and rarely ever take a test. The desire to learn and how much we learn during this semester is entirely on my part. I am confident that my learning skills can still work in this class by using note cards and using Rosetta Stone activities to learn. I believe that these two activities, coupled with the two 50 minute sessions a week with a Hebrew tutor will enable me to accomplish the goals I have set forth. As far as expanding my learning activities, I think I have expanded them far enough by utilizing a program such as Rosetta Stone, that I never used before. I hope that by the end of April I will be able to speak of everything I need to know in Hebrew. 

My original excitement for this class, however, petered out within the next few months.  Although my teacher was good and forced me to learn a lot of Spanish, I still didn’t see the point.  Also the class was more boring than I had anticipated.  In the next four years with her, I learned just enough to get by and still get decent grades, but I never learned to speak.

Then I went to Japan.  This experience completely changed the way I approached languages.  I went there to volunteer at an international school, and suddenly my eyes were opened to a new way of looking at languages: a tool to be able to interact with others and survive.  I also learned that it was better to try and mess up than to try to say something perfectly and not say anything.  For the next 11 months in Japan, I studied hard and by the end was able to have 45-minute conversations with people on basic topics.

Then I returned to the US and came to the University of Richmond.  I decided that I wanted to take Spanish again because of its usefulness in America.  Because my head was still full of Japanese and I hadn't learned that much in 4 years of high school, I placed into the advanced 100 level Spanish.  Luckily I had an amazing teacher who taught the class by forcing us to speak through little plays and answering questions.  Three semesters later I am now in my second 300 level course and planning on being a Spanish minor.

This last summer I went to Bangladesh through the Critical Language Scholarship.  I had gone there previously for a week actually from Japan, and am interested in going back in the future.  This was that first time I had ever devoted so much time to learning a language, and I really enjoyed it.

I have learned that for me to learn a language I have to be motivated by its usefulness.  I have also learned that I enjoy the process of learning a language.  My strong points tend to be grammar and pronunciation, and my weak points are vocabulary and speaking.  In the FIRE model, I think I most closely identify with the insightful person.  I enjoy doing roleplays and being able to speak in class.  If I am not forced to speak, I do not learn. 

Here is me singing Duman's Aman Aman, it's quite possibly my favorite song.