A Hazardous Gift

        As I dive more into the complex world of linguistics it occurs to me that I have taken for-granted the fact that I can choke on food. That last sentence may sound absurd and you may now have the question; why would the scientific study of language make me start to appreciate a potential hazard to my life? Well the fact is choking is caused by our larynx  being placed further back in our throats, making contact between our esophagi and airways possible. This contact also gives humans the great gift of sophisticated and well articulated speech. Unfortunately, unlike our pet cats, this makes it impossible for humans to breathe and swallow at the same time. Don't let that get you down though because remember you can speak and your cat cannot. 

[Sources: (The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson pg.21-22)(Lecture Notes Linguistics by Ed Stabler)]

Blog 4 Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

I plan to interview either my mentor Karen Russikoff, UCLA Professor Kathleen Dahlgren or both of them. I plan to interview my mentor because she has a PHD in Linguistics from USC and I will also be taking her class this fall. I plan to interview Kathleen Dahlgren because she has a PHD in linguistics from UCLA and also is currently a adjunct professor at UCLA. Dahlgrens affiliation with UCLA is important to me because I would like to go to UCLA to study Linguistics; UCLA has the 3rd top Linguistics program in the world.

         

Kathleen Dahlgresn                         Karen Russikoff

2.  You have to ask 5 questions.  What additional questions do you plan to ask? 

What inspired you to study the field of Linguistics? 

What Language do you find most fascinating?

Do you believe computational linguistics will help enhance artificial intelligence?

What job fields or careers are their for Linguists?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1. Linguistics

2.  What do you plan to do this year to show growth in each of the ESLRs?  Be specific and use an example.  Examples can come from senior project, model assembly, core, and/or participation in senior class ASB or other organizations on campus (clubs etc).

• iPoly Citizen: To show growth as an iPoly Citizen I plan to get more involved with the school. Last year I spent almost all of my time up campus and lost touch with the iPoly community. This year although I am still spending most of my time up campus I plan to spend just as much time at iPoly. I will do this by joining HOPE club, tutoring my fellow classmates and underclassmen, attending the senior and iPoly events when I can, and joining as many committees as I can. 

• Effective Learner: To show growth as an effective learner I plan to be prepared for every class, take notes more deligently and not be tardy to class. Also when approaching home and projects I hope to take from previous experiences to creatively solve any problems that I may face. 

• Effective User of Technology:To show growth as an effective user of Technology I want to better master the mac interface. I currently use a PC, but have purchased a mac over the summer. The whole school uses macs so I think it would be best if I switched over to. 

  

• Effective Communicator:To show growth as an effective communicator I plan too step down in class and listen more to my peers. I am usually a leader and not a follower. I am usually the person that has not problem stepping up and directing the class, but this year I plan not to take as many leadership roles and instead sit down and observe how others lead.

Summer Mentor-ship Component

Literal:  

1. Summer Mentorship Hour Log

2. Dr. Karren A. Russikoff - (909) 833-5374 

3. What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them. 

Why is it that some students can get the pronunciation of words completely correct when others struggle? 

What is the best way to find out the level of ones proficiency in a language?  

What is the best way to teach idioms?
When does an idiom become out of date?
Should language classes be taught in two languages or strictly in the language being learned?
Is it possible to gain proficiency in a language without ever hearing a native speaker speak it?


4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
  
I believe the most important thing I gained from my experience is that I was able to see how language is taught. Usually I am in the classroom learning a language not teaching it. When the tables were turned I was able to apply my experiences as a student to the way I taught. I was also able to observe how students apply their own language to the language they are learning. For instance the Chinese students would use Chinese syntax to form an English sentence. This all helped to better understand how languages are acquired which is as big part of linguistics.
   
5. How did what you did help you choose a topic?  

My experience as an english teacher helped me choose my topic because I thoroughly enjoyed observing students learn a language. Also the teachers I taught with, who all had their master in english, said that all their favorite classes they had to take for their major were Linguistics classes.