AppLingBlo

Blogging Applied Linguistics


I finished the first chapter in the reading and just kept right on reading into chapter 2. I finished about half before I noticed in my syllabus that we are skipping around the book. I need to move on to Chapter 10 and come back to the human brain later.

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Or in lingoese, Children and FLA. I don't have any children myself, and despite overcoming this challenge myself first hand I don't seem to recall quite exactly how I did it. I won't this apparent lack of evidence keep me from spitting out some ideas, however.

Children seem to pick up their language quite easily. I am of the opinion that they are somehow biologically equipped with the mechanism to learn their first language at an accelerated rate. Children at a young age tend to do better with learning a second language as well, so it seems that whatever is in place in their youth fades over time.

Just how do children accomplish this? I believe that it is through a series of trials and errors (mostly errors). The child studies the reactions of those around it while speaking and starts to realize what utterances make words, and what word elicit reactions and responses from people (and animals) around it.

Anyway, these are my impressions of the learning process before my studies begin, and I'll be interested to review these thoughts once my studies complete.

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I have been reading through my textbook for my LIN5000 - The Nature of Language class. The textbook is called An Introduction to Language and I don't mind telling you it wasn't cheap even at Amazon. What exactly makes a textbook expensive? Is it the same thing that makes CDs in Japan three times as expensive as in America?

Anyway, finished up the first chapter today and I was surprised to find a typo in the book (8th ed. p. 12). It's a simple typo, but it reads, "Listeners my become confused, tired, bored, or disgusted."

Call me cynical, but why does the eight edition of a US$66 book on language have a language error in it? On page 12? I was a little surprised.

The chapter was interesting and it did have a lot of good information in it. There was lots of lingo that I'm sure I will be throwing around comfortably in the future. I'm still in the over(and under)whelmed stage for now.

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This semester one of my courses, "The Nature of Language", is a web course. There is an instructor, and also a "Course Facilitator" who will handle questions, issues and topics as the course progresses. Recently he sent out a list of links to various resources that may come in handy during the course.

One thing I'm concerned about is the length of time that I've been away from the (student side of the) academic world. After perusing some of the links that he sent out, I'm going to need to really work hard to make my writing dry and, well, academic. Reading about how I must do this and must do that, it makes me wonder if there are any "mavericks" out there that write academically in a more dramatic style. Can you write a respected paper without putting people to sleep? How much is over the top?

For at least my first paper I'll try not to push the envelope. I'm teaching because I love language, and the beauty of language is using it in a way to evoke both emotion and thought. I'll post my papers here as well - see if you can stay awake while reading them.

I guess if this doesn't work out I could always pursue a career writing bodice-rippers...

I'm reading a book right now published by Oxford books titled, "A Handbook for Teaching English at Japanese Universities". Since one possible goal of mine is to teach at the university level I thought it would be a good idea to check it out. There are a variety of authors, each a professor at a college in Japan.

There were a couple of articles that break down the social structure in Japan, and then relate it to how the internal structure of a Japanese university works. The target audience of the book is probably more aimed at people coming to Japan to teach at a university for the first time, and so not only are they unfamiliar with the Japanese university environment, but they might also be unfamiliar with how Japanese people interact in general.

My big advantage is that I'm already familiar with a lot of the general cultural stuff, and it will be a little bit easier to "read the air". The book backs up a lot of things that I've observed over time, and there's nothing quite as satisfying as having a book support the opinions you've had all along.

Particularly interesting was the section on what role the Japanese university plays in society. It is widely accepted that it really doesn't focus much on the educating of students, but the authors claim that it serves as more of a place for experimentation and the development of independence for students that have spent the last twenty years of their lives doing whatever their superiors (teachers, parents, and older students) tell them to do.

I can see a little bit of this every day when I walk to work. My commute goes right towards a local university, and the students walking by me are really outgoing and adventurous. They are in probably the most exciting part of their lives - what follows is often a salaryman position or the life of a housewife.

I'm about 75% through the book, but it has been a real eye-opener for me, and I think I'll run the book by Kuniko afterwards to get her take.

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I've been ramping up for school, and later this month I'll be starting on the Applied Linguistics program at the University of Southern Queensland. I'll be taking the courses online and by mail.

I thought I'd put up this blog dedicated to my experiences learning, and keep it separate from the other stuff that still lives over here.

The other day I looked through some of the technology they are using to administer online courses and I'm really excited about what is there. It seems like a very modern system, and I'm sure it will take a little while to learn the ropes.

I'll blog here now and then to keep you up to date on my latest foray into academia.

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