Bb-Assignment 1
What is Language anyway? Under Course Documents there is document that contains some twenty quotes on what language is or why it is there. Read these (Tip: use your right hand mouse click to open in a new window). Pick two or three that appeal to you and explain why. In addition, create your own definition.

* Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.  ~Oliver   Wendell Holmes
* Language is the dress of thought.  ~Samuel Johnson

I have chosen these two quotes about language, because I find them very interesting. These quotes show that language is something that comes from deep within. We can all think about certain things but the promise of language is that we can make ourselves understandable to others.
I think that’s the most amazing thing about language, it sounds maybe a bit philosophical but on the other hand it’s so hard to explain. Language can maybe been seen as a marriage between thoughts and speaking.
The only thing that connect these two and all the lovely things that comes forth out of this ‘’marriage’’ is that language is the ability/makes it possible that people can speak to each other and make themselves clear. So language gives the opportunity to communicate…
And where would we be if we couldn’t communicate with each other?

Bb-Assignment 2
Can you learn a language? (If yes, that implies there is a cognitive process) How do you do that? What would be the difference between learning and acquiring a language?

I do believe that we can learn a language, looking at the fact that there’s a cognitive process it probably refers to mental processes. This has a lot to do with the way we handle while learning a language, you need to practice a lot so it’s about remembering, producing and understanding the language, solving problems and attention.
Looking at the difference between learning and acquiring: Acquiring a language is a process that we can call a natural one and on the other hand learning a language is more conscious.

Bb-Assignment 3
Language users can use language creatively: they can express combinations of words that are unique. Is it possible to learn to be creative? What do you think?

Of course it is possible to learn to use a language in a creative way. I think this has more to do with the person who wants to learn the language, because the person can make the difference not the language itself. I do realise that it’s hard to learn a language as a native speaker, this probably takes a lot of practice but I don’t think it’s impossible. It always will be different and harder to learn a language than the mother tongue of its speaker.
Myth 7 of the book ‘’Language Myths’’ tells that the hardest thing of learning a language is learning or increasing the vocabulary ‘’It is vocabulary that takes longer to learn than either grammar or the rules of usage, because vocabulary is something we work on as long as we live.’’
In the end it was Cicero, the Roman orator, politician and philosopher, who composed his philosophical works in Latin to make Greek philosophy available to a Latin-speaking audience. This is to me the perfect example of being creative in using a language which is not your mother tongue.


Bb-Assignment 4
Where does language come from? Developmentally, dialogue comes before monologue, both for the human species, and for the human individual. Explain, including possible consequences for L2 teaching.

I need to get back to this question...


Bb-Assignment 5
Do you think language? If so, what language? L1 (your mother tongue) or L2 (for instance English)? What goes faster: thinking or speaking?

I think that in the mother tongue speaking goes faster than thinking. How often do we realise that we speak faster than we think, this could lead to situations where you realise that it was better to shut your mouth. In Dutch we have a saying: He wears his heart on his sleeve. By this we mean that someone is very garrulous, this is in my opinion more possible in mother tongue. Because L2 is a language which you need to make your own, so practice. While practicing you are more aware of speaking, because most people first think of a word or what they try to say (they maybe need to translate from mother tongue to the other language), and only after then people speak.

Bb-Assignment 6
Do you dream language? What/ how do you dream? (How) Do blind/ deaf people dream?

I’m not sure if we dream a language, mostly dreaming is more a visual thing. Deaf and blind people do also dream because dreaming is a part of the Rapid Eye Movement sleep better known as REM.

I have looked this up on the internet and I found out that persons who were born blind will not see in their dreams, but they still are able to hear, smell, taste and feel.
This would be the same for someone who was born deaf, their dreams would take place using their other senses.

About dreaming a language: I once read the book Gomorra by Roberto Saviano and I was totally captured by the book. It was about the mafia in Italy and in the book Saviano used a lot of Italian sentences to quote people during situations he was in. Later on I heard from my brother that he couldn’t sleep because he was all the time shocked by me because while I was sleeping I yelled and was swearing the whole night in Italian. So the next morning I was very ashamed and my brother looked like a junk because he have not slept a wink. Pretty ugly right hahaha

P-Assignment 7
Assignments 5 and 6 might have given you some difficulty answering. It is strange to find that it takes time to think about what language you think in, isn’t it? According to some scientists, a kind of super language exists, a language that is bigger than the language systems as they are taught in schools. Read Dream Language (find it under “Course Documents” and open it in a new window (use you right hand mouse click for this)). Compare the content with your answer to the previous question. What do you think?

Now I have read the article the abstract the dream frontier it made everything (even the strange questions above) more clear. There is said in the article that inner speech continues during sleep and taken an active role in dream formation merits serious consideration & representing what the thinking mind is capable of when it is not concerned with communicability. Wow this is a real eye-opener.
I just was thinking about dreaming and I realised that in my dreams there are perhaps never situations where in I or other characters really speak. I mean I don’t hear myself speak nor other people. So it’s more some sort of understanding without communicate, this is also what the article says. So this is quite interesting.
In the answers given in assignment 5 & 6 I was just giving my opinion without really knowing what the fact were, so besides the fact that I had an opinion I was not sure if my answers were right.
So when I read ‘’dreamfrontier’’ it made all the things more understandable and clear.


P-Assignment 8
Now read What is Language Awareness. To round off this chapter, describe the relevance of Language Awareness for you as a teacher. (200-300 words)

We as humans feel that language defines us and shapes our being, it is the core of our existence. Language builds our social relationships and it helps us to think and allow us to reflect on ourselves and don’t forget that by communicate, so through language we are able to educate people.

Language awareness is an ongoing process of critical examination, and a way of looking at language and it is also very important in many aspects of life.

To me as a ’’becoming teacher’’ language is very important to me. I want to know how the language exists, the history/origin of a language, how we use the language and so on. If I want to teach children something, in this case the English language, I don’t want to teach only about grammar, vocabulary and the usage of the language… I also want to teach the children more background-information and cultural things about the language to give them more commitment towards the language.

Another aspect which is very important to me is the need to talk and speak. What would be better for kids to make themselves understandable in English, I realize that making yourself clear in English could be necessary and I truly believe that we cannot do without language.
Besides that I hope that by teaching children, I will be able to learn them how to deal with problems that occurs in language-using process and to reach them to a higher level of understanding and using the language (developing their focal awareness).


P-assignment 9
Make your own summary of at least 5 theories, using words that your (future) pupils would understand.

Bb-assignment 10
Think back of how YOU were taught your second (or third) language. Describe how it happened at the time, using the newly acquired terminology. Write a 300-500 word essay in which you reflect on your own language learning memories. Give examples of the kind of exercises and activities you were asked to carry out, indicating what views on language were behind it.

During the time on secondary school the way they taught was everything but sensational or interesting. We didn’t use the computer as much as we do now and everything was more about making homework, do some assignments and if there were any questions you were expected to look things up in your book or check the dictionary and if you then still couldn’t find the answer of your question you could go and ask the teacher.
The most irritating thing for me was the fact that the teachers had not even the motivation to stimulate their pupils.
After a short period you were told to learn some words because there would be an writing or vocabulary test and that was it actually.
Lots of children were bored and maybe demotivated and that’s for me a shame because I would probably try to swing up the children, I want to show them that teaching can be fun!
It’s a pity that there are so much teachers at secondary school who are just doing the job to get paid in the end of the month.
And sometimes you needed to read a book or something but that was all! Afterwards there were some questions on the computer (Oh god one of the times they did use the computer) which you needed to answer.
So to come to the conclusion: My time on secondary school was so bad, that it made me now so motivated to teach children in the opposite of the way that I was taught! J


Bb-assignment 11
Now write down what ideas on language learning you have come across during your internship. In addition, indicate how YOU (will) do it. Try and link your ideas to the ones you studied. (200-500 words)

Language learning is all about learning vocabulary (which is very important) and learning spelling/grammar through reading and practice. And the way the language should be used is taught by talking in the lessons to other students, this is how you can develop your language learning. With using a language we have also to do with culture related to the language, with usage of language we mean how and when one should speak and the rules you should use in social situations.
It takes a lot of time of course, but this is just the first year.
Another thing that is very important for developing language skills is perhaps reading books and articles. It is not always nice to do in the beginning but after a short period you realize that reading increases your vocabulary tremendously.
Usage of a language can be learn best by the teacher, but also through English television or documentaries or something.
I have once read in the Quest that to be an expert of something you should at least invest around 10.000 hours to be a professional, this could be anything you want to be.
That means that I have a lot to do, this year and the upcoming years.
I realise that the most important thing you need to have to learn something: is interest and motivation. Make sure that you be like a pit-bull, if you want to know something: ‘’bite’’ and do not let go until you have the answer that pleases you.


P-assignment 12
The book that you purchased for this module, Language Myths, contains some remarkable examples of language awareness in practice. The first assignment for this chapter is a simple (but laborious) one: read the book, and choose and comment on 15 out of the 21 chapters. Create your own LA-reading journal. The number of words you use per chapter can vary from 20 to 200. Show us you read the chapters AND that you are capable of thinking critically. Feel free to (dis)agree, give your own examples or theories.

You can read the summaries which can be also found on this webpage...