Blog 9- Jargon

To me the topic of jargon is a fun one to talk about. Jargon, as the book describes it on page 470, is the use of "specific slang terms".When you come to think about it, jargon is everywhere! We all have our own and many times we even have several "sets" of jargon. As college students, we may even have one for each class and subject.

For example, my course of study is accounting and it definately has its own slang. Terms such as capitalizing, present value, footing, double-entry, notes receivable, etc. are not used much outside of the finance world. Some of these words are used in other areas, but can have entirely different meanings.

For all of us, we can agree that linguistics surely has its own set of technical terms such as phonemes, morphemes, lexicon, etc. It would be hard to know what these meant if hearing them outside of the field or before learning what they meant. Therefore, we can all understand how important it is for us to understand the vocabulary of whatever it is we are doing. Perhaps that is why they say that accounting is the language of business.

An article I found that summarizes some similar ideas is found at http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/1914-/language/jargon.htm. It also contains some points on slang in general.

As a side note, I want to say on my last post that class has been entertaining with you guys. Also, thanks for your comments and for sharing other interesting topics for research. Keep up the good work in your future studies!

Blog 8- Language Acquisition in Children

I decided to find a video that talked about how children acquire language. This was in part related to the video that we saw last class. In the video we saw several theories that linguists have presented for explaining how children acquire language. Two proposed theories were that of imitation and analogy.

In this video, Steven Pinker provides some eveidence for why the theory of imitation is not valid. For example, he explains that children add rules to form words that have never been heard by them before. This called my attention because I thought that language was learned by imitation, yet things that kids say everyday are evidence that that is false. I just never paid enough attention to it until now. For example, when kids saw "I throwed the ball", they are applying a rule of grammar that they know to a word that they already know. Hence, they are inventing the word to follow the rules of grammar, not copying it from their parents.

In general, realizing the fact that children simplify language and make it follow rules they already know has helped me appreciate the human brain more. I am convinced that the brain is "pre-wired", as Chomsky says, to acquire language. They are just some aspects of language that seem to flow from children without someone there to be forcing the waters.

Truly remarkable.

Blog 7- Endangered Languages

This article that I found summarized what we talked about in class in a simple way. I found it to be a good overview of the main ideas presented about endangered languages. Some of the facts about how languages disappear I found to be very true. For example, I have seen how culture can influence or discourage someone from speaking a certain language. When I was in high school, I saw the progression of several students that had come to the US from their birth countries with their native tongues.

Upon first arriving they were scared to be made fun of if heard speaking their own language. After a few months and years, their dress and most importantly their way of speaking had changed. Even when speaking to other natives, they prefered English. I can only imagine that their children will likely speak the original language less and less fluently until the language is taken out of use by later generations. This was a sad reality that was depicted in the film as well as in the article.

Another point that made me feel sad was that although linguists may try very hard to preserve the language, they will never be able to fully preserve it. The vocabulary and some other aspects may be kept on paper, but other parts that are not as concrete may be lost forever. Also, it is unfortunate that linguists with the best intentions may lack the money or technology that is needed to do the job as well as they would like. Time is the most important resource that is scarce, and not so much for the linguists, but mostly for the aging populations of the language. Each day those individuals lose some capacity to communicate one of their most prized possessions...their language.  

Blog 6- Pragmatics

As we covered in class, pragmatics is the study of how context and situation affect meaning. This is something that called my attention because it affects everyone. Anyone who uses language well, understands how this works even if they have never heard of the word pragmatics. This is also true regardless of if they have ever thought about the idea or not. That is what was intriguing to me.

I am amazed at how linguists try to break down and explain aspects of language that seem so inherent to our being. It is amazing how they can go backward after they have already learned something without trying to and then give it an explanation. For example, pragmatics usually comes natural to us, yet we still are learning about it years after we have subconciously mastered it. Similar to idioms, I feel that in certain cicumstances, it may be difficult for second language learners (to some extent) to get good at understanding how pragmatics works in the new language.

Pragmatics, I feel are easier to understand if you are submerged in the situation, as opposed to trying to envision it from written words. Our interpretation of the same situation may differ if we try to envision because we may be missing important information. On the other hand, when we are living or seeing the circumstances in front of us, it may be easier to undertand the aspects of the conversation. I also find it interesting how this aspect of language can relate to areas outside of language such as phsychology.

Blog 5- Useful website in learning a new language

Hi Class. This time I thought it would be nice to do something diferent, so I decided to look for a useful website for those who may be learning a new language or just want to try something new. The website I found is http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/. Here you can choose from several languages and access all kinds of cool things. For example, you can do interactive puzzles, listen to pronounciations of the language, or learn new slang words in every area of life. This can provide some extra practice.

What I found interesting is that it also teaches you some idioms of the foreign language, which was interesting to me, being that I just did my idiom project. I learned that in French the idiom for "I could eat a horse" actually means "I could eat a bull". It is funny how the translation is different in other languages. I like the website because it shows that learning a new language has to be a multi-fasceted approach. It is not just a process of reading and memorizing as in history class. Not only does it show you the text, but you can also choose to listen to the spoken language with a native accent.

I do want to learn more about this website because it could help me to keep what I have learned of French and to acquire more of the language. Also, I could use this website to show someone else who may be struggling with a foreign language. Perhaps if more people would use this kind of approach, their language studies would seem less boring and monotonous and this would help reactivate the interest in the suject. For sure, interest in the subject is important. There is no doubt that if you like to do something you will learn it better and be more enthusiastic about it. Anyone who tries to learn something new could use some extra tips, so hopefully this is useful to some of you.

Blog 4- Motherese

I found this very short article at this website http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/motherese-or-parentese. It was enlightening for me because it briefly explained what "Motherese" is. Before, I did not know what it was by name. The article also explained the characteristics that are part of this kind of speech, that is directed toward babies. It can also be refered to as infant-directed speech or parentese.

This kind of speech interestingly enough can actually help babies learn to speak better due to the exaggerations that are done by adults in the pronounciations. My original thought was that squeaky baby talk encouraged babies not to learn to speak properly because of its simplistic nature.

Now that I understand what motherese is and how specifically it helps babies, I do agree with the fact that it can help them acquire language better. This is comparable to how any adult learning another language would need to hear a breakdown of the pronounciation to "get" the word.

Definately, I want to investigate more on the topic because the beginning stages of language acquisition have become even more intriguing to me. This would fall under that category. Also, there is a new baby in the family and we all talk to him like that. Now I can feel that I am actually helping his language learning rather than stunting it. This topic affects everyone who has children or is close to babies and small children. Afterall, most of the time it is like an instict we have to speak to babies in this squeaky and exaggerated speech.  Here is a video of what it entails: excuse the humor.

Blog 3- Learning a foreign language: five most common mistakes

Here is the URL to the article : http://www.lexisnexis.com.libproxy.gc.maricopa.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/
You will have to type in "mistakes in learning a language" in the news search bar. The article will be number 11 on the list.

As its title implies, the article BRIEFLY explains five common mistakes that are made by those learning a foreign language.

This article was of interest to me because I like to learn about other cultures, a big part of which includes language. Although I only speak English and Spanish fluently, I have taken two years of French in high school. I loved it and did really well, so I wanted to see if I was putting in practice any of the advice that was found in the article.

What I found to be most interesting was that all the mistakes were related in some way to being too rigid in the learning process. For example the mistakes were: not listening enough, lack of curiosity, rigid thinking, only using one method to learn the language, and fear of speaking the language. I find that I agree with the article very much being that I had a lot of curiosity for French, thought about new ways to communicate my ideas with the knowledge I acquired, used several methods to learn it, and spoke it every opportunity I had. I think that this is what led me to do well in my language studies.

I definitely want to learn more about this topic and I think I may do my research project on a topic related to this one. I feel that it would be very helpful to me because in the near future I plan on continuing to learn French and this will help me to acquire the language better and more confidently.

This information could have a great effect on those who may be struggling in a foreign language. By putting some of these suggestions in action and avoiding the mistakes mentioned in the article, the student could potentially improve and internalize the language more easily. Hopefully, this can help put the fun and adventure back into learning another language. After all, what fun is learning a second or third language if you are not enthusiastic about it?

Blog 2- Kanzi the Chimp

 For this blog, I decided to look up Kanzi the chimp. This subject caught my attention in the video Unlocking Language that we saw in class. I was intrigued by the fact that chimps can learn sign language and a limited vocabulary. Also, I was amazed that they can also respond to English. In this video, the most interesting thing I observed was that the chimp could understand whole sentences, not just words.

 

I cannot agree or disagree with this video, but I do agree with linguists who have found that there is no creativity in animal communication. That idea can be extended to include animals who are taught English or other languages. This is comparable to how a dog understands certain commands such as  "Get the ball". I am sure that Kanzi was extensively trained to do these activities, in difference to humans who can learn them naturally. If he were asked to make up a new sentence, he would probably not be able to.  

 

My interest in the topic of how human speech is distinguished from animal communication has been piqued. I have always known that animals are not made to talk like humans; however, I am amazed that they can understand us to this extent. I will probaly continue to be interested in these types of experiments and learn more about the results. I am convinced that they will strengthen the belief that humans and their language are fundamentally unique.

 

 The world can also see through these studies that animals are awe-inspiring creatures with a more limited communication, natural only to them. It also can affect the way that society views humans and animals. They can possibly better comprehend that each has their own set of distinct characteristics, language or communication being one of many.   

 

 

 

 

Blog 1- Common differences in British and American English

I found this video about some common differences in words in British and American English and I thought  they were interesting. Here is the link..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwbpY4eNOgE.  It relates to language in an interesting way, which is why I chose it. Even though the two countries speak the same language, you could say they speak two languages based on the differences in pronunciation of certain words and in some words altogether.

What I found most interesting is that these words are some of the most common everyday objects, yet they are still different in the same language somehere else. Personally, I thought that words such as "pants" or "movie" were universal to all English. I was obviously wrong. I agree with the video because I have seen the same phenomenon occur with Spanish in Puerto Rico and in Mexico. It did make me want to learn more about the topic; it made me wonder if  some of the common words I use in English could potentially offend someone from Britain.

If I were to travel there, I would have to become a bit more familiar with their common words! The same would be true for other international travelers.

Introduction

Hi Class. My name is Bianca Soto and this is my second year at GCC. I am a full-time student, working toward finishing my Asoociate's degree in Accounting. I am creative and love art and music. I also am part of a band that plays Spanish music, although just for fun. I speak, read, and write Spanish, and have had two years of French in highschool. My grandparents are from Puerto Rico and I was born in Massachusetts. I am taking this class as a requirement for my honors scholarship and degree. I will see you all in class!