Communication and Culture: The Benefits of Beginning Foreign Language Study Early
As global awareness increases, American interest in the
study of languages other than English increases apace. Unlike early
programs which did not teach “languages…primarily to learn oral/aural
communication, but to learn for the sake of being ‘scholarly’ or, in some
instances, for gaining a reading proficiency in the foreign language”
(Brown 18), the twentieth century began to focus on communicative
goals, and a variety of new theories and methods for teaching were
put forth. A common goal has emerged, and modern programs push
students towards fluency. Therefore, more research is being conducted
into the best possible ways to create competent communicators. The
Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines
communicative competence as “the ability not only to apply the
grammatical rules of a language in order to form grammatically correct
sentences but also to know when and where to use these sentences and
to whom” (Richards, Platt, and Platt 65). As scholars search for the
best ways to achieve communicative competence, they emphasize the
importance of beginning language study early.
The critical period hypothesis first put forth by Lenneberg
in the late 1960’s holds “that there is a limited developmental period
during which it is possible to acquire a language…to normal, nativelike
levels” (Birdsong, 1). At the most generous estimate, this critical period
is thought to extend from the age of 2 only until puberty, and some
estimates posit a much narrower window (for more information on the
possible causes of the critical period, see Birdsong, 7-9). According to
Krashen, Long, and Scarcella, although “adults and older children in
general initially acquire the second language faster than young children
(oldest-is-better for rate of acquisition), …child second language
acquirers will usually be superior in terms of ultimate attainment
(younger-is-better in the long run)” (574). This eventual attainment
includes superior pronunciation skills (Fledge 101) when compared with
learners who began their study later in life.
Although “starting age determines the levels of
[communicative] accuracy achieved, particularly in pronunciation” (Ellis
qtd. in Nunan 41), beginning young has an additional advantage. The
young learner has many years of schooling left in which to explore this
new language, and “the number of years’ exposure contributes greatly to
the overall communicative fluency of the learners” (Ellis qtd. in Nunan
41). Although the pace of the young learner may be slower than that
of the older learner, “when language learning begins earlier, it can go
on longer and provide more practice and experience, leading ultimately
to greater fluency and effectiveness” (Curtain and Pesola, Languages and
Children 3) than is generally achieved when study begins after puberty.
God’s punishment for Cain for having murdered his own brother was ostracizing him. Cain was fearful that someone would soon kill him. God responded that anyone who killed Cain would have an even worse fate, and he put a mark on
Throughout the novel East of Eden, Steinbeck uses many biblical references to illustrate clearly the conflict between the opposing forces of good and evil. Much of the plot of East of Eden is centered upon the two sets of brothers representing Cain and Abel. Both pairs are similar to Cain and Abel in the way they go about winning their fathers’ favors. All four give gifts to their fathers, and the fathers dismiss the gifts of Charles and Caleb, the Cain representations (Marks, Jay Lester. p.121). Caleb and Charles Trask are obviously the more malignant brothers. They are also the more loving towards their father. Steinbeck’s purpose in this is to illustrate the need of the Cain character in the story. Abel, Adam and Aron, is the opposite of his brother and naturally good and pure. The purpose of Adam and Aron in East of Eden is to clarify the belief that purity must know wickedness (Marks, Jay Lester. p.122). Steinbeck illustrates the need for both good and bad with the actions and beliefs of these supposed “good” characters. The representations of Abel, Adam and Aron are both described as unloving. Adam has not treated his children fairly and his treatment is caused by his innate goodness. Aron grows as an ignorant selfish person because he is naturally good (Fonterose, Joseph. p. 3382). Steinbeck uses Cain to illustrate the choice man has. In the case of Charles, Cain dies an unhappy man who did not live a worthwhile life, Caleb on the other hand, chose to realize his dark past, but chose to continue living his life with hope (Marks, Jay Lester. p. 122-123).
story from ancient literature-it is an allusion of the well-known story of Cain and Abel in the Bible.
President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas ("Death of a PRESIDENT." New York Times Upfront).
John F Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States Of America. He's considered one the best Presidents ever. He did many things in his presidency before was assassinated in November 1963. He proposed the Civil Rights Act, and he commanded the U.S like no one has ever seen before. John F Kennedy's death changed America forever. It caused conspiracies, sadness, and many other things. Even today his legacy of a U.S president is one of the best, even though he couldn't have it for so long. He impacted American Society in a huge way.
The year of 1963 would be the year that would forever be remembered as the time when President John Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. On a warm Friday afternoon in downtown Dallas, perched on the top floor of the Texas School Book Depositary, Lee Harvey Oswald set aim on one of the more popular presidents of all time. This event impacted the history of the United States, and is one of the most talked about killings of all time.
Children are vastly influenced by their elementary education. The fundamentals and basics of a child’s education begins with language, more specifically, reading and writing. These children are the future cognitively, socially, and physically and they should be provided with the most effective educational techniques available. While children are young, they should be provided with those techniques by starting at the beginning: foreign language. Children should learn a foreign language at the elementary school level.
This shows that for Cain's sin of killing Abel, he receives a just punishment not only to him but also to his "offspring."
Take a look around in any instruction manual, what do you notice besides the instructions? The fact that it is printed in at least two different languages, sometimes even more. The United States is often referred to as the melting pot of many cultures. Therefore, the people speak many different languages. The use of these languages is a way of communicating amongst these cultures. As a result, it is becoming necessary to learn more than one language in order to properly communicate. The communication barrier can be eased through the learning of a second language by English speaking Americans. This method is referred to as second language acquisition. Second language acquisition (SLA) is the acquiring of a language that is not the native language
One of the factors that influences identity is the culture a human being was raised in. There are many different types of cultures on Earth, and each culture has its own set of norms. These set of norms puts pressure of the human being to act in a certain way. This, as a result, influences
Being unique and different from one to each other is exclusive. For instance, there are a number of countries in the world with more than million human populations with their own traits, tradition, cultures, and perspectives. However, these aspects of exclusiveness may lead to a problem. For instance, there are upcoming issues regarding to the gap between numerous countries to be solved in the age of globalization, an age of massive emergence of invention and information. Hence, they also struggle to live and survive in the world that continually improves. With a wide variation of human population, something is needed to sync with the rapid pace of world’s development as well as to connect each other; a language.
Marketing is a fundamental aspect of all businesses, whether they are set out to make a profit, or charitable organisations - they will have to carry out marketing research of some description. It has been described as being, “the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.” (Chartered Institute of Marketing) This essay will explore the role of marketing in a marketing oriented business and different aspects of the external environment that a smartphone company should be aware of. The points raised throughout will be supported using relevant journals, textbooks and newspaper articles.
In this subsection, different approaches to teaching culture within the foreign language teaching practice and different views of the term “culture” are going to be presented as a mean to explore the close relationship between culture and language and determine what is understood as culture in this study.
Although I am Chinese, I am writing this essay in English. In fact, I spend most of my time communicating with others, expressing myself, and learning new knowledge in English. Regardless of my race, I, similar to many people across the world, use English as a primary language in my daily life. Most will agree that English is the international language of the world. To this day, English has been the most widely spread language around the globe. It is the official language of over 50 countries and the third most spoken language worldwide (Lewis, 2010). However, despite the contributions English has made to the merging of a global village, the spreading of English will lead to the displacement of local languages and cultural identities. It threatens