Everyone went through different experiences in his/her life, some are good and others are not, some are easy and some are tough. Whatever that kind of experience it would remain in our memories for either; short, long or very long time, it depends on how much change occurred to us. The more effect the more it will attend our memory. I remember my first time watching an American movie with Arabic subtitles, I was listening carefully and trying to identify the words meaning with the help of the Arabic translation. I kept repeating the same method over and over with every English movie until I started middle school student. It was my first time studying English in an educational setting. I started to study English by memorizing grammatical verb tenses. Most classes were taught in Arabic except my English classes that were three times weekly. I remember I was taught much vocabulary in the form of lists of isolated words and long elaborate explanations of the intricacies of grammar were given. Grammar provided the rules for putting words together, and instruction often focuses on the form and inflection of words. Reading of difficult classical texts was begun early and little attention was paid to the content texts, which were treated as exercises in grammatical analysis. Often the only drills were exercises in translation of disconnected sentences from English into Arabic …show more content…
I still regret that English conversation skill and correct pronunciation were ignored in favor of the other language acquisition skills during the beginning period of learning English. Had my pronunciation and conversation been more emphasized, I would be a much better English speaker regardless of Critical Period Hypothesis for language
When I first came to this country, I wasn’t thinking about the language, how to learn it, use it, write, how I’m going to speak with people who are next to you and you want to talk to them. My first experience was in Veterans School, it was my first year in school here in United States, and I was in eight grades. The first day of school you were suppose to go with your parent, especially if you were new in the school, like me. What happened was that I didn’t bring my dad whit me, a woman was asking me a lot of questions and I was completely loss, I didn’t have any idea of what she was telling me and I was scare. One funny thing, I started cry because I fell like frustrate, I didn’t know no one from there. Someone seat next to me, and ask me in Spanish what was wrong and I just say in my mind thanks God for send me this person, then I answered her that I didn’t know Engl...
However, in 9th grade, I began taking Spanish courses, and have done so more or less constantly for the past 4 years. Consistent with the view that adult language learning is very different (much more based in explicit memorization) than that of children, I am much more able to explicitly cite and explain rules of grammar, and to list memorized vocabulary and other words such as pronouns, than I am in French.
When I first entered this class, I already knew that it wasn’t going to be easy just because I 'm not good with putting things into words and explaining myself with proper grammar. I can honestly say English 101 has really inspired me to be a better writer. This class affected me in a lot of ways it showed me that writing takes time and you can 't expect a paper to be great without any revising or editing. That has always been a mistake of mine, I would tend to free write a lot it seemed to be the only way I could get my thoughts processed on a paper. I would forget periods, commas and misspell words without even noticing. I never cared much for punctuation, but once I got into this class I knew it was much needed. The topics we wrote on were not just any random topics which in a way made it more interesting to write about things that are actually important and things our generation should be informed about.
Coming here at a young age, I was fortunate enough to learn how to speak, read, and write fluent English. I was taught various methods of learning English,
As I look back on my English 101 experience, I have come to the conclusion that I have learned many new things that have improved my abilities as a writer. I have learned some new techniques that have improved my ways of approaching an essay. I learned all about the rhetorical appeals and how to apply them in my writing and how to look for them in a essay written by a author. I have also learned how to argue both sides of a argument, and how to look for reliable sources and to properly quote and site the author of the essay. I feel as if I have become a better writer and my improved writing skills are shown within each essay.
I am sitting in my bed, thinking about my process of writing as I am trying to go through it. It seems the more I think about it, the less I understand it. When I am writing, I don’t think. Which I know, sounds bad. But, I spend every single moment of every single day over thinking, over analyzing, and over assuming every aspect of my life. When I’m writing, I’m free from that for just a little bit. Until of course, my hands stop typing or the pencil (no pens- never pens) stops moving, then I’m right back on the carousel that is my brain. Heidi Estrem says, “...writers use writing to generate knowledge that they didn’t have before.” (Writing is a Knowledge-Making Activity 18). I believe my ability to write without an exact destination
After Lenneberg's (1967) advanced analyses and interpretation of critical period in regards to first language acquisition, many researchers began to relate and study age issue in second language acquisition. In this area of study, Johnson and Newport (1989) is among the most prominent and leading studies which tries to seek evidence to test the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) in second language (L2) acquisition. This study aims to find identifying answers to the question of age-related effects on the proficiency for languages learned prior the puberty.
As writers, many students write to the expectations of their professors and not to their fullest potential. Throughout English 101 I had been writing only to please my professor or to fill the basic requirement to pass English. I always felt that my writing ability was never enough for my professors throughout the previous years. They always wanted clear and concise essays, which for some reason was unreachable by me. However, starting college and taking English 101 helped me with my weaknesses and changed my technique of writing essays. My experience in English 101 taught me to write to my fullest potential and to write what I felt; rather then writing what was required.
College English Classes are a stepping stone for all students who want to peruse a college degree, and they are very effective for students who will be having to take higher English Courses. When I first started college, I took the English 101 Course, and then, I took the English 102 Course. After attending both of these classes, they helped me grow as a writer, and prepared me for the future English Courses that I will be taking.
Language Acquisition, National Order Hypothesis, Input Hypothesis, Monitoring Hypothesis, and the Affective Filter Hypothesis. According to Krashen’s, language learning refers to a conscious effort to learn a new language while language acquisition is acquired through a subconscious level. The best example I have for understanding the language learning versus the language acquisition is through my personal experience. Before I entered elementary school, my first language acquisition was speaking Spanish because I was surrounded by family members and friends who communicated in Spanish only, and then when I entered the elementary school, I learned and acquired the English language through my social school environment and academic classes in English. I acquired the Spanish language subconsciously because it was a requirement for communicating with members of my family as well as my friends and the acquirement of the English language happened while communicating socially with friends at the school environment and finally I learned the English language through the educational academic classes taken while attending school through a conscious
Wilder Penfield and Lamar Roberts first introduced the idea that there is a “critical period” for learning language in 1959. This critical period is a biologically determined period referring to a period of time when learning/acquiring a language is relatively easy and typically meets with a high degree of success. German linguist Eric Lenneberg further highlights Roberts and Penfield’s findings and postulated the Critical Period Hypothesis in 1967. According to the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH), certain biological events related to language development can only happen in the critical period. During this time, the brain possesses a degree of flexibility (ability and ease of learning a language) and becomes lateralized (assignment of language functions becomes concrete – either in the left or right hemisphere) (Marinova-Todd, S; Marshall, D & Snow, C. 2000 9-10). This critical period lasts from childhood through the onset of puberty (usually at around 12 years of age). Once this period is over, it is more difficult to learn a language because language functions in the brain have become concrete. This hypothesis can be seen with the case of Genie, a woman who was isolated from human interaction and language up to the age of 13. By the time she was rescued, she was well after the critical period for language acquisition, and as such, she did not have a full command of the English language. Had she been rescued before the age of 13, she may have had more linguistic capability. However, this accounts for firs...
The critical period hypothesis for language acquisition was popularized by neurologist Eric Lenneberg. The hypothesis suggests that if an individual is not exposed to language during a specific period in their childhood then they will have great difficulties acquiring language later in life (Redmond, 1993). I believe the two “wild children” cases of Genie and Victor provides evidence to support the critical period hypothesis. Genie’s case supports the hypothesis because although she developed a vocabulary and despite all of her intense therapy sessions, she still was not able to create meaningful and grammatically correct sentences (Garmon, 1994). Genie’s inability to create real sentences may indicate that she endured the extreme deprivation during her critical period and it prevented her from acquiring language. Victor’s case also supports the critical period hypothesis. The professionals in the documentary The Secret of The Wild Child stated: “While Victor knew how to read simple words, he never learned how to talk” (Garmon, 1994). This quote implicates that similar to Genie, Victor developed a vocabulary,
Experiencing those days where people would laugh at other for the broken English; the grammar and pronunciation are the toughest parts of the language. People with English as a second language always stumble upon difficulties; however, the determination of learning a new language do not decrease easily as the motivation is still surrounding one’s mind. Today, English has become an international communication; even the teaching and learning of the language has already spread throughout the world. English is known as one of the most common use language and has been offering classes everywhere for years especially around Asia; additionally, the world common language has now become the number one language uses in every fields of career that is being offer everywhere. Non-American students should be required to take English class as a second language in school
Looking through my past submissions and pieces of work throughout this past semester, I have made many realizations in regards to my progress as an English student. Through re-reading my writing, and reviewing the feedback I have received on my writing, I can recognize my growth as an English student. In addition to realizing my growth, I am also able to see a lot of areas that still need work. This past semester I have faced many challenges, I have pushed myself to go outside of my comfort zone, and I have excelled in several areas. After analyzing my past works from this semester, I have identified many re-occurring strengths and weaknesses from each unit, as well as challenges and goal assessments for myself in the future.
During my time as a student I have been able to develop the way I learn and interact with others to a degree that has also helped me to mature into a better person. I have come to believe that this maturity will help me to develop into a better thinker as well, one that has the patience to listen and take consideration of what others have to say. I consider the act of learning a two way avenue that has to be taken seriously. It is one that involves the teacher, and the protégé. It has been, and will continue to be, my absolute goal as a student to become a diligent protégé and acquire all of learning my teachers have set in front of me. The way each of them have helped me to think about how my actions, and the way I choose to study my lessons and develop as a student, has made a tremendous impact on my life. This impact is one that I will carry into the future as I myself advance in my professional studies.