Introduction
Hi everyone,
My name is Trisha Antilla. I have been a kindergarten teacher for the past 20 years, the past 11 years at a charter school in Livermore, California. The student population at my school is very diverse.
I received my credential in 1995 from The Ohio State University. After moving to California in 1996, I began teaching Kindergarten and cleared my credential.
I am taking this course to earn my CLAD certification for teaching ELL students. I have taken many online classes and am about halfway through the CLAD through CTEL coursework. I have taken the Orientation, Culture and Inclusion, and Assessment of English Language Learners classes.
My expectations for this course are to learn about language and language acquisition as well as ways to improve my instruction of English Language Learners.
DB 1
What is Language?
My personal definition of language, prior to reading, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, by H. Douglas Brown, was: communication both verbally and non-verbally, both spoken and written. There are many different definitions of language, for example, in, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, by H. Douglas Brown, language is defined as: “a complex, specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without awareness of its underlying logic.” The spontaneously aspect of this definition is shown in babies that “spontaneously babble, “goo-goo” regardless of their language or culture.” Power of Babel by John McWhorter, pg. 8. “Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2003, p. 699), defines language as a systematic means of communicating ideas or feeling by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings.” Both definitions are similar in meaning, however, different in verbage.
According to The Power of Babel, language is constantly changing. “It doesn’t change quickly, but it changes over time.” For example, about 500 years ago there was a vowel shift in the English language and words with the vowel sound of, ay, were spelled with an “e”, like, fiancé. As the world has changed, and the needs of speakers have changed, so has our language. 50 years ago, the words iPhone and fax machine weren’t a part of language. Now, everyone knows what they are. Language is constantly evolving and changing and incorporates more than I ever thought about. I hope to learn more about the evolution of language throughout this course.
DB2
Some proponents of the Critical Period Hypothesis state that children have an elasticity that adults lack, that until adolescence the brain is more plastic and therefore children can acquire more readily than adults. Post a thread and give your opinion, based on life experience, research in Brown, and any other valid point of interest to support your view.
“The critical period hypothesis holds that primary language acquisition must occur during a critical period which ends at about the age of puberty with the establishment of cerebral lateralization of function.”
Snow, C. E., & Hoefnagel-Hohle, M. (1978). The Critical Period for Language Acquisition: Evidence from Second Language Learning. Child Development, 49(4), 1114. doi:10.2307/1128751
It is often argued that this hypothesis is incorrect as many adults are able to fully master a language. In actuality, only about 5% of the population can fully master a second language. This hypothesis is difficult to test due to the nature of the parameters needed to determine who acquires language more fluently. For example, the amount of exposure to the language, one’s experiences and social interactions all impact a person’s understanding of a language. It would be difficult to have these same parameters for different aged people.
Based on my own life experiences, I believe the the hypothesis is true. I personally found it very difficult to learn Spanish in high school, never being able to understand the grammatical aspects and was unable to speak more than a few words and memorized sentences, such as, “dónde está el baño”. My own daughter took 5 years of Spanish in high school, 2 years of AP Spanish, and was able to understand a lot, but was never able to speak well or with an accent.
In the classroom, I am surrounded by 5 year olds, many of which are English language learners, that amaze me with their understanding of multiple languages. They seem to pick up on languages very easily. Is this due to their age, their “brain elasticity,” their exposure? I don’t have the answers, and since this is a hypothesis, it appears that many don’t.
As I read about the critical period hypothesis, in The Pirincipes of Language Learning and Teaching, by H. Douglas Brown, I began thinking about accents and specifically accents in America. I grew up in Ohio with my two sisters. When my older sister was in her late 20’s, she moved to North Carolina. I recently visited her and was shocked at how thick of a southern accent she had. Why had she developed an accent? Does this in any way contradict the critical period hypothesis? I know it’s not a language, but it is an accent. As hard as I tried to get a Spanish accent, it never happened.
The following video was great at explaining the critical period hypothesis,http://study.com/academy/lesson/critical-period-hypothesis-definition.html, however in order to watch the entire video you will need an account set up:)
DB3
What does it mean to know a word? Phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic information are factors. Link these criteria of knowing a word to an example of knowing a word found in The Power of Babel, which fit into any of these categories.
According to McWhorter, in The Power or Babel, “spoken language is an ever-changing system, the very nature of which is to be always in a process of transformation into a new language.” (McWhorter,2014). What does it mean to know a word? Does it mean that you know that the string of letters together in a certain order create a word? When I think about what a word is, I think of my kindergarteners that are just learning that there is a difference between words and letters. They are learning to memorize words (sight words) and blend sounds together. They are just beginning to learn about words. But, there is more to being a word than just the letters together. There are so many words in the world, some I’ve heard of and some I haven’t. Some I know what they mean and some I don’t. According to the National Centre of Literacy for Adults, it takes multiple exposures to a word before it becomes part of a person’s vocabulary.So what do I do when I come across a word I don’t know? I need to apply my understanding of language and words, using morphology, phonology, semantics and syntax, to figure out what it is.
Morphology-the study of the forms of words (I.e. Latin, German, French)Phonology-the relationship between speech soundsSemantics-the meaning of words and phrasesSyntactic-relating to syntax (rules for formation of grammatical sentences)
“All of the worlds languages as they evolve carry along words, and often even structures, from other languages, such that some languages are even fifty-fifty hybrids of both parents.” (McWhorter, The Power of Babel, 2014). In the Romanian language, Slavic words have taken the place of many Romance roots, in the English language, many words are derived from Latin. Understanding of where words come from, their meanings and their relationship to other words helps us to have a better understanding of language and individual words.
DB4
Reflection
Throughout this course, we have learned about language, dialects, metacognition, multiple intelligences, zone of proximal development, legal decisions in education, and the history of language. I enjoyed learning about the multiple intelligences, even though when I took the test, my results were not what I thought they would be. Multiple intelligences are extremely important and I am excited to learn how my new group of students learn best. I hope to implement more strategies and teach my students how to figure out their learning style. I also enjoyed learning about where different words came from and how they have changed through time. I found it interesting that in the Chinese language tone is so important and that, depending on the tone, a word can have multiple meanings. Finally, I was amazed at how many court cases have affected education. I feel like I am more informed about the timeline of legal decisions in the United States.
Hi everyone,
My name is Trisha Antilla. I have been a kindergarten teacher for the past 20 years, the past 11 years at a charter school in Livermore, California. The student population at my school is very diverse.
I received my credential in 1995 from The Ohio State University. After moving to California in 1996, I began teaching Kindergarten and cleared my credential.
I am taking this course to earn my CLAD certification for teaching ELL students. I have taken many online classes and am about halfway through the CLAD through CTEL coursework. I have taken the Orientation, Culture and Inclusion, and Assessment of English Language Learners classes.
My expectations for this course are to learn about language and language acquisition as well as ways to improve my instruction of English Language Learners.
DB 1
What is Language?
My personal definition of language, prior to reading, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, by H. Douglas Brown, was: communication both verbally and non-verbally, both spoken and written. There are many different definitions of language, for example, in, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, by H. Douglas Brown, language is defined as: “a complex, specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without awareness of its underlying logic.” The spontaneously aspect of this definition is shown in babies that “spontaneously babble, “goo-goo” regardless of their language or culture.” Power of Babel by John McWhorter, pg. 8. “Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2003, p. 699), defines language as a systematic means of communicating ideas or feeling by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings.” Both definitions are similar in meaning, however, different in verbage.
According to The Power of Babel, language is constantly changing. “It doesn’t change quickly, but it changes over time.” For example, about 500 years ago there was a vowel shift in the English language and words with the vowel sound of, ay, were spelled with an “e”, like, fiancé. As the world has changed, and the needs of speakers have changed, so has our language. 50 years ago, the words iPhone and fax machine weren’t a part of language. Now, everyone knows what they are. Language is constantly evolving and changing and incorporates more than I ever thought about. I hope to learn more about the evolution of language throughout this course.
DB2
Some proponents of the Critical Period Hypothesis state that children have an elasticity that adults lack, that until adolescence the brain is more plastic and therefore children can acquire more readily than adults. Post a thread and give your opinion, based on life experience, research in Brown, and any other valid point of interest to support your view.
“The critical period hypothesis holds that primary language acquisition must occur during a critical period which ends at about the age of puberty with the establishment of cerebral lateralization of function.”
Snow, C. E., & Hoefnagel-Hohle, M. (1978). The Critical Period for Language Acquisition: Evidence from Second Language Learning. Child Development, 49(4), 1114. doi:10.2307/1128751
It is often argued that this hypothesis is incorrect as many adults are able to fully master a language. In actuality, only about 5% of the population can fully master a second language. This hypothesis is difficult to test due to the nature of the parameters needed to determine who acquires language more fluently. For example, the amount of exposure to the language, one’s experiences and social interactions all impact a person’s understanding of a language. It would be difficult to have these same parameters for different aged people.
Based on my own life experiences, I believe the the hypothesis is true. I personally found it very difficult to learn Spanish in high school, never being able to understand the grammatical aspects and was unable to speak more than a few words and memorized sentences, such as, “dónde está el baño”. My own daughter took 5 years of Spanish in high school, 2 years of AP Spanish, and was able to understand a lot, but was never able to speak well or with an accent.
In the classroom, I am surrounded by 5 year olds, many of which are English language learners, that amaze me with their understanding of multiple languages. They seem to pick up on languages very easily. Is this due to their age, their “brain elasticity,” their exposure? I don’t have the answers, and since this is a hypothesis, it appears that many don’t.
As I read about the critical period hypothesis, in The Pirincipes of Language Learning and Teaching, by H. Douglas Brown, I began thinking about accents and specifically accents in America. I grew up in Ohio with my two sisters. When my older sister was in her late 20’s, she moved to North Carolina. I recently visited her and was shocked at how thick of a southern accent she had. Why had she developed an accent? Does this in any way contradict the critical period hypothesis? I know it’s not a language, but it is an accent. As hard as I tried to get a Spanish accent, it never happened.
The following video was great at explaining the critical period hypothesis,http://study.com/academy/lesson/critical-period-hypothesis-definition.html, however in order to watch the entire video you will need an account set up:)
DB3
What does it mean to know a word? Phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic information are factors. Link these criteria of knowing a word to an example of knowing a word found in The Power of Babel, which fit into any of these categories.
According to McWhorter, in The Power or Babel, “spoken language is an ever-changing system, the very nature of which is to be always in a process of transformation into a new language.” (McWhorter,2014). What does it mean to know a word? Does it mean that you know that the string of letters together in a certain order create a word? When I think about what a word is, I think of my kindergarteners that are just learning that there is a difference between words and letters. They are learning to memorize words (sight words) and blend sounds together. They are just beginning to learn about words. But, there is more to being a word than just the letters together. There are so many words in the world, some I’ve heard of and some I haven’t. Some I know what they mean and some I don’t. According to the National Centre of Literacy for Adults, it takes multiple exposures to a word before it becomes part of a person’s vocabulary.So what do I do when I come across a word I don’t know? I need to apply my understanding of language and words, using morphology, phonology, semantics and syntax, to figure out what it is.
Morphology-the study of the forms of words (I.e. Latin, German, French)Phonology-the relationship between speech soundsSemantics-the meaning of words and phrasesSyntactic-relating to syntax (rules for formation of grammatical sentences)
“All of the worlds languages as they evolve carry along words, and often even structures, from other languages, such that some languages are even fifty-fifty hybrids of both parents.” (McWhorter, The Power of Babel, 2014). In the Romanian language, Slavic words have taken the place of many Romance roots, in the English language, many words are derived from Latin. Understanding of where words come from, their meanings and their relationship to other words helps us to have a better understanding of language and individual words.
DB4
Reflection
Throughout this course, we have learned about language, dialects, metacognition, multiple intelligences, zone of proximal development, legal decisions in education, and the history of language. I enjoyed learning about the multiple intelligences, even though when I took the test, my results were not what I thought they would be. Multiple intelligences are extremely important and I am excited to learn how my new group of students learn best. I hope to implement more strategies and teach my students how to figure out their learning style. I also enjoyed learning about where different words came from and how they have changed through time. I found it interesting that in the Chinese language tone is so important and that, depending on the tone, a word can have multiple meanings. Finally, I was amazed at how many court cases have affected education. I feel like I am more informed about the timeline of legal decisions in the United States.