Word of the Week: nuuni gande ca ‘it’s perfect’
(I finally discovered some colloquial expressions in my should-have-read-sooner
grammar book. This expression literally
means ‘this thing is the twenty,’ like saying it’s ‘swell’ or ‘the bomb.’)
Speaking: The
chapters in Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition (Leaver et
al, 2005) and Lessons from Good Language Learners (Griffiths, 2008) on “Speaking” address strategies
that are important for most language-learning endeavors. However, as I stated in my ISP in Week 1, I
do not expect to have developed conversational skills in Isthmus Zapotec
through my learning strategy. I knew
when I embarked upon learning this language that my chances of engaging in a
conversion with a native IZ speaker would be slim. However, as I have spent considerable time
learning to read the language and recite IZ poetry, I have felt a little guilty
about not knowing some of the most basic expressions and exchanges in this
language. I was curious how to say
“thank you” in IZ one day, but could not find any form of the word ‘thanks’ in
my IZ dictionary. (I can say “I love
you,” Naa nadxie’ lii!) A
little embarrassing, I do not even know how to say “hello” and “goodbye.” In case someone asks me for something ‘basic,’
I memorized counting to ten. I have been
relying on my memorized poetry as my ‘rehearsed material’ needed for a
potential interaction with a native speaker, but a “hello” would be a nice
opener.
Strategies for speaking:
When learning a language in which one anticipates contact with
native speakers, it is important to prepare in advance for face-to-face
interactions (Griffiths,
2008). One should learn useful
vocabulary and expressions commonly used in communicative situations, including
word families or categories of vocabulary (i.e. travel, sports, shopping). It is also important to have strategies for
learning and using functional grammar in order to ask question, make a request,
and provide information. The most common
types of oral communication are functional transactions, informal
conversations, interviews (formal conversations), and formal presentations
(Leaver et al, 2005). As a beginning level
speaker, functional transactions may be the easiest to learn since they are the
most predictable form of communication.
This could include knowing how to order food in a restaurant, make a
purchase in a market, or use a taxi service.
Greetings could be a part of any transaction, or a part of any form of
communication for that matter. A
beginner language-learner should seek out interactions with native speakers, so
planning for an informal conversation would lessen the anxiety of making a fool
of one’s self or of having nothing to say.
Important strategies would include learning to simplify the language,
memorizing something that you can anticipate talking about (i.e. school,
family, work), learning how to ask questions to keep a conversation going and
the other person talking, and learning how to ignore mistakes that do not
appear to interfere with meaning (Leaver et al, 2005). The strategies recommended for formal conversations
and presentations are for the more advanced learner; although advice such as
prepare in advance, be ready, and over practice is good for all speakers in any
language.
Writing: A
beginning language learner may have the opportunity to interact with a native
speaker through informal written communication.
In such a case, writing strategies should be utilized. If the learner is using handwritten
correspondence, it is important to learn the stylistic differences between his
own writing and that of the native writer (Leaver et al, 2005). Penmanship can affect meaning and legibility
for the reader. (For me, a European ‘1’
looks like the number ‘7.’ When I
address mail to friends in Europe, I try to
write the number ‘1’ their way so their postman can read it.) A pen-pal or
‘e-pal’ can be a great resource for a learner to observe the colloquial use of
the language. Written communication
could also provide the learner with more opportunity to receive corrective
feedback from the native speaker. A
learner may find examples of casual writing as a model through diary-like
novels. Reading weblogs in the target
language may be another good source of authentic casual written language. For language learners who plan on continuing
their studies in the target language, it would be important for them to
strengthen their formal or academic writing skills. Typically, communicative language-learning
courses do not teach writing for the sake of writing. A good strategy for learning how to use
formal writing without the help of a teacher is to look at authentic text. Even native speakers use this strategy for
themselves. I have done this when new on
a job in the situation of having to produce a professional correspondence. I have referenced files for letters or
notices written by more experience employees and used these as a model for my
own writing. As a college student, I observe
the structure of academic journals and the style of writing as examples of what
a research paper should look like.
According to Griffiths
(2008), the most important writing strategy is reading; we learn to write by
reading. When reading in the target
language, learners can pick up new vocabulary and see it used in context. They can observe the use of grammar and form,
and notice the structure of certain genres of writing. Reading
about a relevant topic before writing can also help provide the learner with
ideas to write about.
No comments:
Post a Comment