Miss Sarada:
Sidra is doing a wonderful job for you guys.From 'comment counts' to providing links.So what are you waiting for?Comments=marks.
Here are some questions for you to think of to comment on.
1.Who is a 'native speaker'of a language?
2.Can 'near native like'proficiency in a language be acquired?How?Quote research and give examples.
3.Discuss the Nativist,cognitivist and behaviouristic theories in relation to language learning.
4.Why do languages change?
5.What is the role of language in society?
6.Is there a link between culture and language?Explain.
Note:Please bring relevant research to class on Tuesday.Need to see the hard copy.The above together with other topics will be discussed further in class.
I see our friend Hadi is promoting his country...heh,heh.How much of Hadi's culture do you know?Are there any similiarities between the different Malaysian cultures and where Hadi comes from?Is it important you get to know his culture?Why?
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1.Who is a 'native speaker'of a language?
ReplyDelete2.Can 'near native like'proficiency in a language be acquired?How?Quote research and give examples.
3.Discuss the Nativist,cognitivist and behaviouristic theories in relation to language learning.
4.Why do languages change?
5.What is the role of language in society?
6.Is there a link between culture and language?Explain.
1.a native speaker is a person who speaks and learn a certain language since birth. For example,i am a native speaker of the bahasa melayu because i learn and speak that language since i was born.
a native speaker usually associated with generations of people who originally develop and speak that certain language,e.g bahasa melayu-the native speaker of that language is 'orang melayu'.
2.Can 'near native like'proficiency in a language be acquired?How?Quote research and give examples.
'PROFICIENCY'-"The state or quality of being proficient; competence."
3.3.Discuss the Nativist,cognitivist and behaviouristic theories in relation to language learning.
the behaviouristic theory of learning was proposed by B.F.Skinner.it is one of the oldest theory that existed and still be used in language learning,even for today.i had learnt this theory in my foundation year.so this is a good 'recap' for me.
this theory focused on pairing the appropriate stimuli and rewards based in a student's need.BF Skinner believed that human behaviour could be predicted and control.
children are born into this word with 'tabula rasa'- a clean slate bearing no preconceived nation about the world,just like a piece of white cloth. therefore, language learning is a process of habit formation,
LANGUAGE=FORM OF BEHAVIOUR.
he believes that learners are affected by the environment,and slowly conditioned trough reinforcement(rewards).a language learner use a system of learning,Skinner later proposed the 'learning model '
learning model is a step by step system where a language learners learn the language.
the first process is STIMULUS,or input.
after the input is given,the child RESPONSE,or give feedback. depending on the feedback weather it is correct or not,a REINFOECEMENT,or a reward will be given. reinforcement encourages the children and give motivation. later the child will REPEAT(REPETITIONS) the stimuli given.
after all of the 4 process take place successfully, a HABIT FORMATION takes place.
in cognitive theory of language learning,it emphasizes more on learners and the learning process.
in cognitive learning model,the focus is on learners mental process..
where the social cognitive model investigate the roles of interaction between group process in language learning.
well guys,i'll continue 2morrow ya?
its kinda late now.n im sooo..sleepy..
a native speaker means someone who has learnt to speak a particular language since birth and is brought up in an environment where people use that language widely..my first language is tamil but i was wondering if im a native speaker of tamil because i was not brought up in a literally indian environment..here in malaysia,we do not only have people of our race around us each time... we mingle about with everyone.. so does that mean that i am still a native speaker of tamil?well its a different case if i was born and grew up in india because there people converse in tamil widely..maybe then im considered to be a native speaker of tamil..what can i call as my native language then??
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteA native speaker is one who acquires a language since childhood and that language is the same that is used by the majority of the community, meaning native speaker of English is someone whose first language is English and this person is from an English-speaking country ie Britian / US etc, A Chinese speaking person is a Native Speaker if he is from China and another example is the Malay in Malaysia because Malay is our first language.
ReplyDeleteSo by definition, the Chinese and Indian communities as well as Lain-Lain of Malaysia (including myself, a Chindian who does not follow my parents' mother tongue) are not a Native Speaker of any language because only Malay is recognized as the mother tongue of this country.
Now this begets the question; what about Singapore where English, Malay, Mandarin & Tamil are recognized as the official languages? And more questions...
1. Does 'language of the community' means that language is also the country's Standard Language? Eg Are English speakers of S'pore native speakers of English simply because English is recognised as the official language and is used by majority of population esp for official purposes?
I believe not because the country's unique melting pot of races (like Malaysia) means that the language has been influenced by the other languages and it is actually not the language spoken by majority in community just because it is recognised for official use. Eg English pronounciation in S'pore is unique and influenced by Malay Baku pronounciation which separates them from native speakers of English. I refer to article; http://www.bt.com.bn/en/home_news/2008/10/16/native_speaker_norm_for_english_not_always_right
2. Singaporean Chinese are transplants from China. In their syllabus however, Beijing Mandarin is used as a guideline for the official Mandarin in Singapore. So can they be recognised as native speaker of Mandarin?
G.Vijaya
ReplyDelete1. Who is a 'native speaker'of a language?
Native speaker is whose first language is their mother tongue and they learned that particular language since childhood. In addition, they use it naturally whereby they convey their information in their own way.
2. Can 'near native like'proficiency in a language be acquired? How? Quote research and give examples.
Nothing is impossible in this world due to the fact that whatever the mind of man conceive and believe it can achieve. If we want to acquire “near native like’ proficiency in a language first we should be patient and it cannot be done overnight but slowly and gradually with unshakable and unfettered self confidence we can achieve it.
In order to acquire a language and speak like a native,we must have the passion for it. Only then,we will have the mindset to practice and speak the language just as the proverb “ practice makes perfect”
3. Discuss the Nativist, cognitivist and behaviorist theories in relation to language learning.
Language development deals with how a child develops his or her language skills during their growth period. Language development has been an issue debated among language experts over a long period of time. Experts have opposing views on how a child acquires or learns language. There are four main theories of language development and they all have different thoughts on the acquisition of language. First, Behaviorists (Skinner) believe that language is learned While Nativists (Chomsky) believe that language is innate and unique to humans. On the other hand, Cognitive theorists (Piaget) believe language is not innate but a product of cognitive development. Finally, social interactionists (Vygotsky) believe that language acquisition is a result of both biological and environmental factors. All of these theories have their own way of interpreting language development, and to some extent, they all seem to be highly convincing. However, out of the four theories, the social interactionist view appeals to me the most; so my theory of language development is definitely the social interactionist view. In nutsel, I believe that both biological and environmental factors are necessary in order for a child to learn language correctly.
4) Why do languages change?
Well, there's been many theories about why languages change. This has intrigued people since time immemorial and it seems that almost everybody has an idea. One early example is children incorrectly learning the language of their parents, doesn't work either. Let's take an extreme case in the form of immigrants. What is observed is that children of immigrants almost always learn the language of their friends at school regardless of the parents' dialect or original language. (And yes, the children become multilingual, but that's another story...) In fact, children of British immigrants in the United States nearly always speak with one of the many regional American accents. So in this case, the parents' linguistic contribution becomes less important than the social group the child is in. Which leads to language change.
Moreover, as science is becoming a more dominant force in society, scientific explanations to language change were proposed.
Furthermore,the simplification of sounds basically states that certain sounds are easier to pronounce than others, so the natural tendency of the speakers is to modify the hard-to-say sounds to easier ones.for example sms language.
5. What is the role of language in society?
Language is the verbal expression of society. A societie’s language contains everything its speakers can think about and every way they have of thinking about things. For example, the Latin language has no word for the female friend of a man (the feminine form of amicus is amica, which means mistress, not friend) because the Roman culture could not imagine a male and a female being equals, which they considered necessary for friendship.
Another example is that Eskimos have many different terms for snow...there are nuances that make each one different
6. Is there a link between culture and language? Explain.
Yes, there is a link between language and culture because language and culture are interrelated to one another.In addition,it should be handled hand to hand. Language and culture is synonymous. Knowledge of ones language is a direct reflection of ones racial and cultural pride. Reverence to ones culture and language, reflects our propriety and thence our respectability
Let say for example if we have ample knowledge about certain culture it will lead us to learn a particular language. Moreover, from those days till now Yankee notions or American ideas penetrated into the minds of modern youths around the world. Thus, it will automatically lead them to have an interest and love on that particular language.
Apart from that, development of certain culture will lead us to learn a particular language. For example, most of the Indian and Chinese parents are sending their children to Chinese schools because of the cultural development. Especially the development of china and the Chinese community in Malaysia in which most of them are business man and womens.