Blog 1

Hi my name is Nayab Vapiwalla, I am currently a senior at the University of Houston. I grew up in a bilingual household but was not bilingual myself until I was about 12-13 years old. I feel that in today's society it is essential to be able to speak two languages simply because America is such a melting pot now and there is such a diverse amount of people here. Also being able to speak more than one language gives some people an advantage in the work force. In high school unlike a normal student, I decided to take American Sign Language, though it is not as resourceful as Spanish might have been I feel that it has helped me, and going into education it is still going to be beneficial.

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Comments

  1. UnknownJune 6, 2018 at 5:18 PM

    Hi Nayab. I think it is very interesting that you taught yourself Hindi at the age of 13. It gives me an idea of how the "age of onset" that is mentioned in Understanding Second Language Acquisition (Ortega, 2015) might not be applicable to everyone. Typically, I feel as though it is easier for people to learn a second language at a very young age, but in your case it seems you had already outgrown that time period. I think your experience is a very good example of how Ortega mentions that not everything is "black and white", since you were able to learn Hindi at an older age.

    Ortega, L. (2015). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.

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  2. UnknownJune 6, 2018 at 7:13 PM

    Hello Nayab! I think that it is so cool that your parents were born in another country. I also think it was very smart and amazing how you taught yourself another language. I wish that I would have taken American Sign Language when I was in high school. I feel as if that sign language is used on a regular daily basis in the classroom. For example, students signing that they need water or need to go to the restroom. It not only communicates to the teacher what the student needs, but it also eliminates distractions. Even parents are starting to teach their young babies who cannot speak yet so that they can have a form of communication. In fact, did you know, according to Ortega, "Although they do not have a larynx that is fit for human language or hands that could be physically modulated for signing, some of these animals have been taught how to communicate with humans through a rudimentary gesture-based language and through computer keyboards" (2013, pg. 3). I think that it is amazing how we find ways to communicate with humans and animals even if we cannot speak.

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  3. UnknownJune 7, 2018 at 7:56 AM

    Hello Nayab! I think that it is interesting that according to Ortega “In many parts of the globe, most children grow up speaking two or more languages simultaneously” (2013, pg. 4). I think that those that start learning multiple languages from childhood would be better off as far as multiculturalism goes. My reasoning for that is they are learning multiple languages and might have opportunities, especially if the additional languages are languages their parents or relatives speak, to experience the culture that comes with the language or languages they are learning. I also think that experiencing the culture along with the language is beneficial for second language acquisition.
    Reference:
    Ortega, L. (2015). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.

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  4. Ila HyamsJune 11, 2018 at 2:06 PM

    Nayab, you are the exact exception to Ortega's "window of opportunity" (2013)! I love your drive and motivation to learn new things such as languages, it is truly inspiring. I also find your ideas on diversity engaging.
    What would you say is the best way to diversify our students' language learning?
    Should we integrate language acquisition into every content? Every grade level? What kinds of methods of instruction would be a good idea to use? Personally, I like immersion and integration methods the most, since I do not learn languages easily when teachers only use guided, rigor based instruction. How do you best learn other languages?

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  5. AnonymousJune 11, 2018 at 8:40 PM

    Trying to learn sign language is something I have always wanted to acquire. Now that you mentioned it, I will want to consider it in the future. Ortega states that knowing an additional language, “encompasses universal and individual sources of influences that impinge on the linguistic and cognitive dimensions of L2 development” (Ortega, p. 9). I do not know a lot of people myself that know sign language, but I wish knew how sign language and other languages correlate with each other. I have not seen educators emphasize the importance of learning sign language.

    References
    Ortega, L. (2009). Introduction . In Understanding Second Language Acquisition (p. 9). London : Hodder Education.

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