HONR401 Language/Culture

24th, 2016_

Name: _Kate Anderson_ Date: September

Article citation (APA or MLA) you can find the information needed for this on the pdf file:
Peirce, B. N. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29(1), 9-31.
Joseph, J. E. (2004). Language and identity. Palgrave Macmillan.
Reading Report Template
Key Concept

Informal language
learning and
motivation

Definition and
explanation in own
words
When people are learning a
foreign language, there are
many informal
opportunities to better
learn the language,
whether it is by
communicating with native
speakers, or practicing in
other ways. Also, if people
have more opportunities to
speak in informal settings
with native speakers, they
are more motivated to
learn the language, which
ultimately helps them learn
the language in the end.
Some say that motivation

Connections: real life

Possible Interview
examples, connections Questions
to experiences and
other
readings/concepts
When I was in Costa Rica,
What motivates
I was very motivated to
you to learn
learn more about Spanish
English?
because I was actually
What
able to practice what I
characteristic
was learning in the
traits do you have
classroom. Also, it was
that make you a
almost necessary to
better language
speak Spanish, so that
learner?
was also a great
How has your
motivator. However, I saw
English learning
differences with some
changed since you
others at my school trying
moved to the
to learn Spanish who were
United States? Are
a little more reserved and
you more
afraid to talk in Spanish.
motivated?
This became a part of

Social identity of
language learning
with power relations

can be seen as as part of

their identity with learning
a language.

their identity of them that

I and others constructed.
Also, they were learning
less Spanish than I was,
as far as I could tell.

How do you
believe motivation
is important in
learning a foreign
language?

Power relations are very

important in respect to
language learning and
social identity. The identity
of the language learner and
native speaker play a role
in this idea. People with
strong personalities, or the
power, decide when to
begin and end the
conversation, and since
language learning happens
with communication, this
characteristic is very
important. Also, since a
sense of self is created
through communication
and language, the
strength/power to say what
is wanted to be said is
necessary in creating an
identity in a certain
language.

I have seen some cashiers

be rude with customers
who were not native
English speakers, rolling
their eyes, sighing, saying
comments under their
breath, about their
English language abilities.
In this situation, the
employee has all of the
power and bosses them
around like they are less
than. It is fair to assume
that the cashier thinks of
the customers as stupid
or dumb, when in
reality, they have a strong
power relation in English,
while the customer is still
creating their social
identity in English.
However, the customer
might be very strong in
five other languages, so I
believe that identities and
power relations can
change in the same

How many
languages can you
speak?
How is your
personality
different in the
different
languages? How is
it similar?
Are there things
you are
comfortable doing
in other languages
and not in English?
For example, do
you feel
comfortable
talking with
strangers, talking
about deep
concepts,
controlling the
conversation?
How likely are you
to start a
conversation in

Areas where
speaking a foreign
language might be
uncomfortable

Classroom based
social research

Most people, when

speaking a foreign
language, feel
uncomfortable from time to
time, whether it is about
the grammar, culture,
accent, or other aspect of a
foreign language, there are
many new experiences and
thoughts that can be
uncomfortable for some,
even if they have a high
motivation to learn the
language.

Research that is carried out

by people learning a
foreign language in their
community with the
guidance of their language
instructor. Students have
the potential to break down
the barriers blocking the
merging of classrooms and
communities. The goal is to
enhance language learning
and interaction with native

person depending on
what language they are
using.
In the reading, immigrant
women were
uncomfortable speaking
English in the following
positions: speaking to a
boss, speaking with
teachers, doctors and
other professionals, when
she couldnt articulate
herself or her family in
public and speaking in
front of other people with
the same native language
who also speak English
fluently. These are just a
few examples of being
uncomfortable using a
foreign language.
This is an interesting idea.
I would have loved the
opportunity to interact
with Spanish speakers in
my community through
an organized activity such
as this. I would have been
super interested and
excited about this type of
research. Of course, I can
still do this type of
project, but it would have

English versus in
your native
language?
Tell me about a
time you were
uncomfortable
speaking English.
The more you
learn and practice
English, how does
your comfort level
speaking with
others change, if
at all?
How does your
motivation to learn
English help you to
overcome your
uncomfortablenes
s to speak it?
What types of
experiences, if
any, did you have
speaking English
with a native
speaker before
you came to the
United States?
If you took English
classes in your
native country,
what types of

speakers. Writing and

reflecting is necessary in
this process, as it help
generate thoughts and
ideas that can be shared in
the future.

been beneficial for me in

a high school or lower
level setting. Not only
does this project allow
people to communicate in
the target language, but it
helps learners start to
gain an understanding of
the culture and how to
effectively communicate
in the foreign language by
engaging them with the
culture, without ever
having to leave the
country. This types of
interactions would have
been invaluable to me
and other high school
students, as it is not
always possible to travel
to experience the target
language in real life. It
would also give the
students more motivation
to learn the language.

activities did your

instructor organize
for you to better
learn English?
How does your
current instructor
encourage you to
engage in English?

Identity

Quite simply, who you are.

However, to the question
who are you, there are
many answers depending
on who is asking. People
could answer with their
name, where they are from,
or the deeper inner parts of
their being, their
characteristics, among
many other responses. The
word itself does not exactly
emulate what it is normally
thought of in society, but it
is pretty close. Everyones
identify is made up of
many different
characteristics, and each
persons identity differs on
who is defining it. However,
it is commonly thought that
the truest answer to
someones identity is how
they see themselves,
although everyone has
different views of them as
well.

If someone asked me
who are you?, I would
answer differently
depending on who asked.
I could say, I am Kate
Anderson, a college
student majoring in
Spanish and Human
Resources. If one of my
distant family members
that I am not familiar with
asked me, I would say
Im Kate, Anne Heiers
daughter, one of the
twins. And then they
would know what I asked.
If someone in an interview
asked me that question, I
would say something
along the lines of well, I
am a student, studying
Spanish and Human
Resources. I am a natural
leader and love to meet
new people, involve
others, and learn about
other cultures. I get
nervous speaking in front
of a lot of people, but
once I warm up to the
group, I am a very
comfortable, easy-going
and relaxed person. The

Who are you?

Name?
Personality?
Relationships?
How has language
affected your
identity?
How do you think
people see you
differently than
you see yourself?
The same?
What about your
identity would you
change, keep the
same?

question is difficult
because it changes
depending on who is
asking and what people
see as their own identity.