SPAN 345: Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World
Course Description:
This course will first explore the nature of bilingualism, focusing on its neurolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and linguistic aspects. Students will examine the most important concepts and research questions in these areas. In addition, the class will focus on bilingualism in the United States and the Spanish-speaking world, including the examination of bilingual education programs (e.g., immersion programs) and important political matters connected to them.
This course will first explore the nature of bilingualism, focusing on its neurolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and linguistic aspects. Students will examine the most important concepts and research questions in these areas. In addition, the class will focus on bilingualism in the United States and the Spanish-speaking world, including the examination of bilingual education programs (e.g., immersion programs) and important political matters connected to them.
MLO Met:
MLO 2: Linguistics
MLO 2: Linguistics
Course Narrative:In fulfillment of Major Learning Outcome (MLO) 2, which requires students to develop knowledge of fundamental concepts in the fields of Hispanic and Applied Linguistics, I took the course SPAN 345: Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World during the Spring of 2020.
As a result of taking the course SPAN 345, I was able to further explore the linguistics aspects of Spanish. This course allowed me to dive deep into the brain functions and understanding of bilingualism: from language acquisition (development of first language) to learning a second language. In addition to that, we also learned about the benefits and effects of language acquisition. For example, one of the benefits of learning a second language for children is higher test scores in standardized tests. While working on the essay: “Debilitamiento y adquisición incompleta de la segunda lengua,” I learned that the language spoken at home is considered to be an acquired language since it is a language that is learned in an informal setting. As a result of this, the child usually has strong speaking and listening skills in the first language learned (L1). If the child is exposed to a second language (L2) and the L2 is the dominant language in the community, the L1 can weaken as it is not practiced as much, and may not be generally accepted in the community outside of the home.
Although this course allowed me to examine the areas of bilingualism for children and adults, I would like to further explore the area of language acquisition in adults along with the cognitive benefits of learning a second language. After taking this course, I volunteered at the Monterey Adult School where I supported adults learning English. Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand how difficult learning a second language is for adults, given that their brain is fully developed. With this knowledge and experience, I hope to continue to support adults in learning a second language as well as explore different strategies to facilitate their language development.
As a result of taking the course SPAN 345, I was able to further explore the linguistics aspects of Spanish. This course allowed me to dive deep into the brain functions and understanding of bilingualism: from language acquisition (development of first language) to learning a second language. In addition to that, we also learned about the benefits and effects of language acquisition. For example, one of the benefits of learning a second language for children is higher test scores in standardized tests. While working on the essay: “Debilitamiento y adquisición incompleta de la segunda lengua,” I learned that the language spoken at home is considered to be an acquired language since it is a language that is learned in an informal setting. As a result of this, the child usually has strong speaking and listening skills in the first language learned (L1). If the child is exposed to a second language (L2) and the L2 is the dominant language in the community, the L1 can weaken as it is not practiced as much, and may not be generally accepted in the community outside of the home.
Although this course allowed me to examine the areas of bilingualism for children and adults, I would like to further explore the area of language acquisition in adults along with the cognitive benefits of learning a second language. After taking this course, I volunteered at the Monterey Adult School where I supported adults learning English. Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand how difficult learning a second language is for adults, given that their brain is fully developed. With this knowledge and experience, I hope to continue to support adults in learning a second language as well as explore different strategies to facilitate their language development.
Relevant Course Work: