3.4 Activities and Applications
From theory to practice…
- Don’t expect your language learning progress to be linear. The typical language learning experience is more like a spiral than a straight line, with lots of starts and stops. One often has the feeling of standing still or even moving 1 step forward and 2 steps back, particularly in the stages of advanced novice (CEFR level A2) and intermediate (B1 to B2). It can happen at the upper levels as well. This is normal, that progress comes through fits and starts. Often you are learning without realizing it, building up your store of language until it reaches a point where what you’ve accumulated starts to come together.
- Textbook language is not real. In real-life use, be prepared to encounter language differences from what’s in language textbooks. This is one of the advantages of exploring L2 use through online exchanges, getting a taste of authentic language use in context.
- Language in everyday use is culturally determined. This means that how we carry out routine tasks such as exchanging greetings, asking for a favor, or expressing thanks can vary significantly from culture to culture. In these “speech acts” being grammatically correct is not nearly as important as being culturally appropriate.
- Explore language learning on the Internet. As described in this chapter, there are rich opportunities for language study, both learning and maintaining, on the Internet. Some may work for you better than others – there are many different tools and services, which use quite different approaches.
For discussion and reflection…
- Language and human behavior
After watching the TED talks by Chen and Tran...
How do you judge the validity of the claims in the videos that the structure of a language (such as the presence or absence of a particular verb tense) can influence human behavior? When you are using a second language, do you feel you see the world differently? - Words
After watching the TED talks by Curzan and Shargaa and listening to (or reading the transcript of) the conversation with John McWhorter...
Do words matter? Is it a problem if someone uses a word incorrectly in a non-standard way? Are there particular contexts in which word usage is important? What’s your view on the use of “awesome” and “thug”, as discussed by Shargaa and McWhorter? - Language learning and multilingualism
After watching the TED talks by Doner and Lonsdale and reading the piece by Foer: What have been for you the most effective approaches to language learning? What mechanisms have you found for maintaining your second language abilities? How would you judge the approaches advocated in these videos? If you have tried learning Chinese, what is your assessment of the “Chineasy” approach? - English as a world language
After watching the Ryan and Walker TED talks and reading the articles by Pullum and McWhorter...
Are we moving towards one language = English? What are the advantages and disadvantages if that were to be the case? Why English and not another language, particularly Chinese? What’s your take on McWhorter’s statement that “…if the Chinese rule the world, they will likely do so in English”? Is it a problem (culturally), that, as Pullum discusses, higher education in a number of non-English speaking countries is moving towards English as the language of instruction? - Endangered languages and technology
After watching the TED talks by Davis and Plotkin…
Is it important to preserve the world’s languages? Isn’t it crucially important for individual advancement in any country to speak English? Does it matter in that case that a native language disappears?
