YAY!!!! I have had a Yaqui-English dictionary for the past week now and couldn't be happier to use it! This week's learning has taken a new direction from previous weeks, since I have access to verbs! Not only does this dictionary provide an extensive list of verbs, it also gives detailed descriptions (including examples) of how to use them. I was unaware of the reduplication process in Yaqui in which the beginning of a verb (first syllable) is duplicated to indicate something that "usually" happens. For example, vitchu (see) and vivitchu (usually see).
Some other interesting aspects of Yaqui that I discovered through using the dictionary were the phonological patterns that occur within the language, especially with loan words. For instance, the dictionary sections on "b," "d," and "g" are quite minimal (and, "x" and "z" are not present at all). These letter were not originally part of the Yaqui alphabet, but due to English and Spanish influence, few words do include these sounds (keep in mind that "bw" is a letter in Yaqui, and a common one at that). However, even for many loan words, these three sounds underwent some changes. For example, the "d" is often lateralized into an "l" (e.g. Spanish: dios; Yaqui: lios (god)). Another phenomenon is the velarized "g" (that is, it is a "k"). The Spanish loan guitarra (guitar) is kitara in Yaqui. Personally, I found these processes to be quite fascinating.
Back to verbs, this week's learning involved testing hypotheses related to sentence structure, verb forms, and even noun forms (i.e. cases). One challenge that I faced, and should have expected given my Spanish L2, was that many intransitive verb phrases (like "I am happy" in English) have their own verb in Yaqui. So, to say "I am happy," you do not use the verb aane "to be," rather allete'ae "to get happy."
To give an example of my hypothesis testing, here are my notes on learning to say "My name is Ashley."
*In teakame aane.
my name is
(this is not correct, because the verb is not "to be" it is "to be named")
Inepo Ashley teak.
I named
"My name is Ashley."
(I am still a bit unsure as to where "Ashley" should go, but I know that it is not sentence final)
Apo haisa teak?
He/she what named
"What is his/her name?"
(this was word for word from the dictionary; this phrase, however, did help my see the correct verb to use in the above statement)
I also tested some simple sentences using the verb "to want" waata- both in present and past tense. I found the verb tenses to be simple- the most difficult aspect of forming sentences are the rules for adding cases to nouns and adjectives. Fortunately, the first verb I chose is always plural ("water" vaa'am) and does not require a case marker to indicate that it is the direct object. I have not mastered the cases yet, as they vary depending on the noun ending (I had to constantly check these as I created sentences).
Lesson: Be aware of transfer! I had started forming sentences based on how I would say them in English. For one reason or another, I did not draw from my Spanish knowledge to even consider that some verbs will be different (e.g. an actual verb for "to be sick" and not simply "to be" + "sick"). Again, this shows the importance of hypothesis testing. My first attempts were not correct, but I now know better than to just take a form from one language and transfer it to the target language. I think the incorporation of a dictionary, and one as detailed as mine, has added a new dimension to my resources, learning, and strategies. Hopefully I will be able to expand my practices to learning sentences that I have created and not just vocabulary words!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Lesson #8
Once again, this week I have felt "stuck" in my language learning. I have tried to find resources to learn Yaqui verbs, yet I have come up with nothing more than how to use the past and future tenses. The most unfortunate part is that I do not know any verbs to make up sentences. Again, limited resources have stalled my learning.
I have continued to learn new vocabulary words- in themed groups. So far I have numbers, colors, emotions, subject pronouns, a few time expressions, kinship terms, and some weather terms. Flashcards were an interesting option for me, and frankly a strategy that I have never used before in any language learning endeavor. I think that my lack of resources- especially a textbook- has made me resort to new strategies for learning. Being that flashcards are the only way to test myself, I have been limited to learning only new vocabulary. I hope to soon have a dictionary that will aid my acquisition of verbs so that I can start testing out sentences!
Lesson: Adapt learning to your resources. As I said before, my resources are quite scarce, yet I am still able to continue learning my adapting my learning strategies to best suit my situation. That is, I adopted new (to me, at least) ways to learn and quiz myself. Without changing my approach to learning Yaqui, I would have been left with few opportunities to practice, and possibly a lowered motivation to learn/practice. Understanding your own learning situation is necessary to assess the strategies you are (or are not) using and how they are contributing to or hindering your acquisition. For the first time, I believe flashcards are actually helping my acquisition of Yaqui.
I have continued to learn new vocabulary words- in themed groups. So far I have numbers, colors, emotions, subject pronouns, a few time expressions, kinship terms, and some weather terms. Flashcards were an interesting option for me, and frankly a strategy that I have never used before in any language learning endeavor. I think that my lack of resources- especially a textbook- has made me resort to new strategies for learning. Being that flashcards are the only way to test myself, I have been limited to learning only new vocabulary. I hope to soon have a dictionary that will aid my acquisition of verbs so that I can start testing out sentences!
Lesson: Adapt learning to your resources. As I said before, my resources are quite scarce, yet I am still able to continue learning my adapting my learning strategies to best suit my situation. That is, I adopted new (to me, at least) ways to learn and quiz myself. Without changing my approach to learning Yaqui, I would have been left with few opportunities to practice, and possibly a lowered motivation to learn/practice. Understanding your own learning situation is necessary to assess the strategies you are (or are not) using and how they are contributing to or hindering your acquisition. For the first time, I believe flashcards are actually helping my acquisition of Yaqui.
Error Correction
Here I would like to address Truscott's (1996) article on the ineffectiveness of grammar correction in L2 writing. While I had heard of this article before, and even read the responses to it, I had never actually read it until now. I see that it has caused quite a controversy in SLA research, and the subfield of corrective feedback. I will outline my issues with Truscott's argument and hopefully provide some counter-arguments.
Truscott argues that grammar correction on L2 writing is ineffective ("proved" by evidence and non-evidence in the field) and harmful to students; therefore, he concludes, that it should not be carried out in the L2 writing course.
My first concern is that it seems Truscott himself did not conduct any research as to the effectiveness of grammar correction in this context. Rather, he summed up researchers' work that also summed up others' findings (these studies were quite dated as well). While reviewing the works of others, Truscott seems to leap to the conclusion that grammar correction was more than unhelpful, it was harmful (using Robb et al's (1986) study, which did not have a control "no correction" group to compare!).
Though Truscott does admit to the possible limitations to the reviewed studies, he dismisses all of them as inconsequential. I would disagree with most of these dismissals, the different types of instruction used and learner variables (or the combination of any of the variables he "dismissed"). For example, grammar correction would be ineffective in a writing course in which grades are based on content, then students would not care about grammar correction. However, if accuracy was a goal, then I assume grammar correction (the "correct" type) would be useful. Additionally, if the learner in question is a "good language learner," as in Griffith's (2006) study with Kay and Meg, then s/he is likely to notice corrections, learn from them, and use the correct form later.
Another concern was Truscott's emphasis on the acquisition order and how instructors' corrections do not fall in line with the developmental sequence that their students go through. However, in my experience, an L2 writing class comes later in the language course sequence as well (possibly third year). By this time, students should have reached (dependent on the language) a high proficiency and therefore have likely gone through much of the developmental sequence. Therefore, L2 writing students should be able to understand most corrections.
I do agree with Truscott's argument that some instructors are inconsistent in their correction (and unfortunately, some do not recognize errors and/or cannot explain why an error is incorrect). However, I do not think an L2 writing instructor must be required to catch every single error a student makes- that is their job in revising and editing- though, errors that seriously impede comprehension could be addressed by the instructor. Additionally, as later studies have shown, direct grammar correction (i.e. providing the correction) is not helpful to students as they likely do not internalize the correction. Rather, instructors should indicate errors (i.e. coding, circling, tally marks) and subsequently corrected by the student.
Though Truscott admitted to the literature indicating students expect and want grammar correction (see Shultz's 1999 study), he still claims it is unpleasant. I believe a good language learner will still find correction beneficial. Not to mention, if students need feedback to become accuracy and fluent L2 learners. "Experience," as Truscott believes, is not sufficient in my view; some form of feedback is necessary to hopefully avoid fossilization of incorrect forms. Truscott also states that going over corrections is basically a waste of students' time; personally, I believe developing accuracy is a perfectly productive use of student time.
Truscott's article sparked much debate, and I can see why now. It appears to me that his argument is based on old research, leaps to conclusions, and has many gaps in logic. However, this is just my opinion, and I am sure there are those who would disagree with me.
Truscott argues that grammar correction on L2 writing is ineffective ("proved" by evidence and non-evidence in the field) and harmful to students; therefore, he concludes, that it should not be carried out in the L2 writing course.
My first concern is that it seems Truscott himself did not conduct any research as to the effectiveness of grammar correction in this context. Rather, he summed up researchers' work that also summed up others' findings (these studies were quite dated as well). While reviewing the works of others, Truscott seems to leap to the conclusion that grammar correction was more than unhelpful, it was harmful (using Robb et al's (1986) study, which did not have a control "no correction" group to compare!).
Though Truscott does admit to the possible limitations to the reviewed studies, he dismisses all of them as inconsequential. I would disagree with most of these dismissals, the different types of instruction used and learner variables (or the combination of any of the variables he "dismissed"). For example, grammar correction would be ineffective in a writing course in which grades are based on content, then students would not care about grammar correction. However, if accuracy was a goal, then I assume grammar correction (the "correct" type) would be useful. Additionally, if the learner in question is a "good language learner," as in Griffith's (2006) study with Kay and Meg, then s/he is likely to notice corrections, learn from them, and use the correct form later.
Another concern was Truscott's emphasis on the acquisition order and how instructors' corrections do not fall in line with the developmental sequence that their students go through. However, in my experience, an L2 writing class comes later in the language course sequence as well (possibly third year). By this time, students should have reached (dependent on the language) a high proficiency and therefore have likely gone through much of the developmental sequence. Therefore, L2 writing students should be able to understand most corrections.
I do agree with Truscott's argument that some instructors are inconsistent in their correction (and unfortunately, some do not recognize errors and/or cannot explain why an error is incorrect). However, I do not think an L2 writing instructor must be required to catch every single error a student makes- that is their job in revising and editing- though, errors that seriously impede comprehension could be addressed by the instructor. Additionally, as later studies have shown, direct grammar correction (i.e. providing the correction) is not helpful to students as they likely do not internalize the correction. Rather, instructors should indicate errors (i.e. coding, circling, tally marks) and subsequently corrected by the student.
Though Truscott admitted to the literature indicating students expect and want grammar correction (see Shultz's 1999 study), he still claims it is unpleasant. I believe a good language learner will still find correction beneficial. Not to mention, if students need feedback to become accuracy and fluent L2 learners. "Experience," as Truscott believes, is not sufficient in my view; some form of feedback is necessary to hopefully avoid fossilization of incorrect forms. Truscott also states that going over corrections is basically a waste of students' time; personally, I believe developing accuracy is a perfectly productive use of student time.
Truscott's article sparked much debate, and I can see why now. It appears to me that his argument is based on old research, leaps to conclusions, and has many gaps in logic. However, this is just my opinion, and I am sure there are those who would disagree with me.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Lesson #7
Unfortunately this past week my language learning has fallen by the wayside. I have been able to keep up with my vocabulary practices (I did make some additional flashcards), but I have not been able to learn much new information. I tried to look up some verb lists online, but no luck.
Lesson #7: Persistence and Making Time.
It is essential to "keep up" with the language learning process and not let it slide down your list of priorities. This can be difficult for anyone, considering the amount of tasks we take on. Regardless, setting aside some time everyday (even as little as 30 minutes) is vital to successful learning, in my opinion.
Lesson #7: Persistence and Making Time.
It is essential to "keep up" with the language learning process and not let it slide down your list of priorities. This can be difficult for anyone, considering the amount of tasks we take on. Regardless, setting aside some time everyday (even as little as 30 minutes) is vital to successful learning, in my opinion.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Metacognitive Knowledge and Tasks
Taking a metacognitive look back at a previous entry (http://learningyaqui.blogspot.com/2010/05/lesson-5.html ), I will analyze and evaluate the strategies I used, the tasks I engaged in, and my own learning. As researchers note, good language learners are reflective about their learning and are able to think about, analyze, and evaluate the learning processes as well as the actual language learning.
Evaluate Strategies
In Lesson #5, I took the "hypothesis testing" approach to learning, or rather, figuring out, a language. I believe this strategy worked has advantages and disadvantages; the former being a positive way to learn about and test my knowledge of Yaqui, and being able to look at entire sentences, albeit complex ones, in the target language. However, the main disadvantage is that my low proficiency limits my hypothesis testing to simply "identifying" new words and parts of speech- in contrast to creating my own sentences and testing their grammaticality.
Task Analysis
The task was to determine new words using (i.e. reading) a Yaqui text and its Spanish or English equivalent. Wenden's three parts to task analysis are as follows:
Purpose
The purpose of the task was to expand my vocabulary, learn words that were not offered in vocabulary lists, and to possibly learn more about parts of speech/word order.
Classification
Reading skills: understanding word order, looking for reoccurring words/phrases
Genre: Suggestions for leaving feedback- lists
Language: informal (website commentary), language in general is complex (case system, morphological inflection)
Vocabulary: words and phrases related to websites, feedback, topics
Background knowledge: I know about the process of leaving comments on websites, I know about which topics the website covers. Other language knowledge (Spanish).
Feelings about task: In the Yaqui language, the task isn't really relevant, but nonetheless interesting for the purposes of the website and seeing if native speakers respond in Yaqui.
Demand
Which strategies and/or actions do I use:
Hypothesis testing for reoccurring word meaning
Guessing at unknown words/word order
Use of Spanish/English knowledge to determine transferred words- esp. related to technology ("website" "webblog")
Consider word order (verb final) to recognize verbs
Assess Learning
Though some of my hypotheses about the language were wrong, I believe that still contributes to my learning. While I did not learn a long list of vocabulary words in this task, I did learn more about the language (subject pronouns, informal greetings, more influences form Spanish/English) than I had previously. I goal was not to make all correct hypotheses but rather to make hypotheses that seemed logical and then test them for accuracy. Fortunately, I was able to test mine and pinpointed the ones that were inconsistent with the target language. So, though I did not learn a lot, what I did learn was valuable (especially the lesson of hypothesis TESTING and not just assuming my interpretations are correct)!
Evaluate Strategies
In Lesson #5, I took the "hypothesis testing" approach to learning, or rather, figuring out, a language. I believe this strategy worked has advantages and disadvantages; the former being a positive way to learn about and test my knowledge of Yaqui, and being able to look at entire sentences, albeit complex ones, in the target language. However, the main disadvantage is that my low proficiency limits my hypothesis testing to simply "identifying" new words and parts of speech- in contrast to creating my own sentences and testing their grammaticality.
Task Analysis
The task was to determine new words using (i.e. reading) a Yaqui text and its Spanish or English equivalent. Wenden's three parts to task analysis are as follows:
Purpose
The purpose of the task was to expand my vocabulary, learn words that were not offered in vocabulary lists, and to possibly learn more about parts of speech/word order.
Classification
Reading skills: understanding word order, looking for reoccurring words/phrases
Genre: Suggestions for leaving feedback- lists
Language: informal (website commentary), language in general is complex (case system, morphological inflection)
Vocabulary: words and phrases related to websites, feedback, topics
Background knowledge: I know about the process of leaving comments on websites, I know about which topics the website covers. Other language knowledge (Spanish).
Feelings about task: In the Yaqui language, the task isn't really relevant, but nonetheless interesting for the purposes of the website and seeing if native speakers respond in Yaqui.
Demand
Which strategies and/or actions do I use:
Hypothesis testing for reoccurring word meaning
Guessing at unknown words/word order
Use of Spanish/English knowledge to determine transferred words- esp. related to technology ("website" "webblog")
Consider word order (verb final) to recognize verbs
Assess Learning
Though some of my hypotheses about the language were wrong, I believe that still contributes to my learning. While I did not learn a long list of vocabulary words in this task, I did learn more about the language (subject pronouns, informal greetings, more influences form Spanish/English) than I had previously. I goal was not to make all correct hypotheses but rather to make hypotheses that seemed logical and then test them for accuracy. Fortunately, I was able to test mine and pinpointed the ones that were inconsistent with the target language. So, though I did not learn a lot, what I did learn was valuable (especially the lesson of hypothesis TESTING and not just assuming my interpretations are correct)!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Lesson #6
Just catching up on vocabulary lists I have written out. I actually made flash cards for my vocabulary, which I do not usually do as study or learning technique. However, I felt I needed more varied practice and a way to "quiz" myself on the new words I am acquiring. No verbs yet. No dictionary.
Reading this language is quite difficult, even considering my beginning/novice proficiency. Thinking back to the early stages of my Spanish and French learning, I still could look at a simple sentence a determine/identify which words were what (e.g. which was the subject, verb, object, adverb, adjective, etc). Of course, my Spanish background probably influenced my French learning. But Yaqui, it seems nearly impossible.
This is likely due to the lack of simple sentences available to me, and I have VERY limited verb knowledge (I just found out the past tense marker "k" has more form than just "k" and is very irregular- no wonder I couldn't find the verb in these sentences I've been looking at!). Regardless, I continue to look at sentences in both Yaqui and English/Spanish to determine which parts of speech each Yaqui word might be, that is, I continue my hypothesis testing!
Lesson #6: Motivation and Encouragement- from YOURSELF!
Having little knowledge of a new language can be frustrating, but it is essential to realize that this is the starting point. In a way, learning Yaqui has become a personal challenge to me, due precisely to its difficulty. It seems from my Myers Brigg survey, I am ill-equipped for successful/proficient language learning (ESTJ). Still, I believe I can encourage myself to become a better learner, even if I am not preconditioned to be one. Rather than relying on an instructor to foster other "personality types" that might be more conducive to language learning, I will have to find ways to either use my personality type to my benefit or hone new types to improve my language learning.
Reading this language is quite difficult, even considering my beginning/novice proficiency. Thinking back to the early stages of my Spanish and French learning, I still could look at a simple sentence a determine/identify which words were what (e.g. which was the subject, verb, object, adverb, adjective, etc). Of course, my Spanish background probably influenced my French learning. But Yaqui, it seems nearly impossible.
This is likely due to the lack of simple sentences available to me, and I have VERY limited verb knowledge (I just found out the past tense marker "k" has more form than just "k" and is very irregular- no wonder I couldn't find the verb in these sentences I've been looking at!). Regardless, I continue to look at sentences in both Yaqui and English/Spanish to determine which parts of speech each Yaqui word might be, that is, I continue my hypothesis testing!
Lesson #6: Motivation and Encouragement- from YOURSELF!
Having little knowledge of a new language can be frustrating, but it is essential to realize that this is the starting point. In a way, learning Yaqui has become a personal challenge to me, due precisely to its difficulty. It seems from my Myers Brigg survey, I am ill-equipped for successful/proficient language learning (ESTJ). Still, I believe I can encourage myself to become a better learner, even if I am not preconditioned to be one. Rather than relying on an instructor to foster other "personality types" that might be more conducive to language learning, I will have to find ways to either use my personality type to my benefit or hone new types to improve my language learning.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Strategy Inventory for Language Learning
As a starting point, I decided to take the SILL with my French language learning experience in mind (most recent before this course). I was honestly a bit afraid to start with Yaqui because I fear my lack of resources and a structured classroom might have limited my strategies.
French:
High Strategies: Using mental processes; compensating for missing knowledge; learning with others; overall
I was surprised to see that "learning with others" was a high strategy for me, given my learning style questionnaire revealed that I was an individualistic learner (I was even considering the same context!). This could imply that my preferred learning style does not reflect my learning strategy (or visa versa?).
Medium Strategies: Remembering more effectively; organizing and evaluating learning
I thought these two strategies would have been "high" for me since I do a lot to remember new knowledge (i.e. writing down (repeatedly) new words, creating groups, using them in sentence, making connections, etc). I figure the "evaluation" part of the latter strategy is what brought me down to medium here because I do tend to be quite organized in my language learning.
Low Strategies: Managing emotions
Again, this does not surprise me, given I am a Thinker, not a Feeler. The way I have seen it, emotions do not play a large affective role in my language learning experience. That is, I have not had an extremely traumatizing experience related to language that would cause me to be anxious or nervous when practicing it.
On the other hand, when I consider my Yaqui learning experience, the results are as follows:
Yaqui:
High Strategies: Organizing and Evaluating learning
Due to the context in which I am learning Yaqui, I have had to organize my lessons myself in addition to constant evaluation of my abilities in the language to guide future learning. This strategy was in Medium with French because it was in a standard classroom environment where I did not have to organize lessons and evaluation was done primarily by an instructor.
Medium Strategies: Remembering more effectively; using mental processes; managing emotions; overall
Remembering more effectively was pretty much the same score for both Yaqui and French- I think this speaks to my consistency in learning strategies/styles no matter the language (this of course could be problematic if a particular language does not lend itself well to my personal preferences). Unlike with French, Managing Emotions was higher up in my Yaqui strategies. Again, this is likely caused by the learning environment I am in where I keep this blog and discuss the language learning experience with my peers.
Low Strategies: Compensating for missing knowledge; learning with others
I believe these two strategies are on the Low side simply due to lack of resources, native speaker input, and opportunities to use the language in general. I had to put "1" down for many of these because they involve interactions with a native, or even "other," speaker.
Interestingly, my "Overall score" was High in French, yet Medium in Yaqui. Either I do not have the resources to promote/encourage the use of more strategies (to get to the High level), or I am not comfortable changing what I normally do to incorporate new strategies into my language learning experience. Griffiths conducted a study to see which strategies were frequently (and infrequently) used by high and low level proficiency language learners. She found that high level learners used strategies to manage their own learning, expand their vocabulary, improve grammar knowledge, involve the use of resources, and to use all language skills. These learners did not frequently use games, write diaries, or use a self-study center. Low level proficiency learners, on the other hand, rely on the dictionary as their resource (not other native speakers, tv, newspapers, etc).
Reflecting on my language learning experiences, I believe I (at least) attempt to use the same strategies that high level proficiency students use, particularly when I was learning Spanish and French. For Yaqui, however, I am at quite a low proficiency, and therefore my strategies are rather limited, similar to what Griffiths had found (i.e. high level proficiency learners use more varied strategies than lower level learners).
So, the question is, how do we as instructors promote a varied, and wider, use of these strategies across the spectrum of language learner proficiencies. As Griffiths mentions, some strategies may need to be reserved for high level learners due to their difficult nature (i.e. speaking with a native speaker, reading a newspaper). I do think that instructors at low levels can at least start to build up these strategies. For example, instead of having their students read a newspaper, have them read a classified ad or children's story. As their proficiency increases, instructors can expand upon these strategies and encourage students to use them without instruction from the teacher.
French:
High Strategies: Using mental processes; compensating for missing knowledge; learning with others; overall
I was surprised to see that "learning with others" was a high strategy for me, given my learning style questionnaire revealed that I was an individualistic learner (I was even considering the same context!). This could imply that my preferred learning style does not reflect my learning strategy (or visa versa?).
Medium Strategies: Remembering more effectively; organizing and evaluating learning
I thought these two strategies would have been "high" for me since I do a lot to remember new knowledge (i.e. writing down (repeatedly) new words, creating groups, using them in sentence, making connections, etc). I figure the "evaluation" part of the latter strategy is what brought me down to medium here because I do tend to be quite organized in my language learning.
Low Strategies: Managing emotions
Again, this does not surprise me, given I am a Thinker, not a Feeler. The way I have seen it, emotions do not play a large affective role in my language learning experience. That is, I have not had an extremely traumatizing experience related to language that would cause me to be anxious or nervous when practicing it.
On the other hand, when I consider my Yaqui learning experience, the results are as follows:
Yaqui:
High Strategies: Organizing and Evaluating learning
Due to the context in which I am learning Yaqui, I have had to organize my lessons myself in addition to constant evaluation of my abilities in the language to guide future learning. This strategy was in Medium with French because it was in a standard classroom environment where I did not have to organize lessons and evaluation was done primarily by an instructor.
Medium Strategies: Remembering more effectively; using mental processes; managing emotions; overall
Remembering more effectively was pretty much the same score for both Yaqui and French- I think this speaks to my consistency in learning strategies/styles no matter the language (this of course could be problematic if a particular language does not lend itself well to my personal preferences). Unlike with French, Managing Emotions was higher up in my Yaqui strategies. Again, this is likely caused by the learning environment I am in where I keep this blog and discuss the language learning experience with my peers.
Low Strategies: Compensating for missing knowledge; learning with others
I believe these two strategies are on the Low side simply due to lack of resources, native speaker input, and opportunities to use the language in general. I had to put "1" down for many of these because they involve interactions with a native, or even "other," speaker.
Interestingly, my "Overall score" was High in French, yet Medium in Yaqui. Either I do not have the resources to promote/encourage the use of more strategies (to get to the High level), or I am not comfortable changing what I normally do to incorporate new strategies into my language learning experience. Griffiths conducted a study to see which strategies were frequently (and infrequently) used by high and low level proficiency language learners. She found that high level learners used strategies to manage their own learning, expand their vocabulary, improve grammar knowledge, involve the use of resources, and to use all language skills. These learners did not frequently use games, write diaries, or use a self-study center. Low level proficiency learners, on the other hand, rely on the dictionary as their resource (not other native speakers, tv, newspapers, etc).
Reflecting on my language learning experiences, I believe I (at least) attempt to use the same strategies that high level proficiency students use, particularly when I was learning Spanish and French. For Yaqui, however, I am at quite a low proficiency, and therefore my strategies are rather limited, similar to what Griffiths had found (i.e. high level proficiency learners use more varied strategies than lower level learners).
So, the question is, how do we as instructors promote a varied, and wider, use of these strategies across the spectrum of language learner proficiencies. As Griffiths mentions, some strategies may need to be reserved for high level learners due to their difficult nature (i.e. speaking with a native speaker, reading a newspaper). I do think that instructors at low levels can at least start to build up these strategies. For example, instead of having their students read a newspaper, have them read a classified ad or children's story. As their proficiency increases, instructors can expand upon these strategies and encourage students to use them without instruction from the teacher.
Personality and Language Learning
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a widely-used test of "personality." Personality has been identified as a factor for the "good" language learner, language learning in general, as well as "selection" of learning strategies by a learner. After taking the Jung Typology Test (similar to the MBTI), I was not surprised by the outcome, especially having taken other "strengths" tests in the past. My personality is Extrovert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging (ESTJ), in which Extrovert is a high strength (89%) and the remainder are all moderate.
Ehrman's chapter in Lessons form Good Language Learners presents a study that identifies the personality type that is most advantageous for achieving a Level 4 in the FSI categorization (which is quite high proficiency). The results indicate that Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging (INTJ) was the most conducive to high proficiency achievement in language learning. Additionally, Ehrman points out that Extrovert, and more specifically Extrovert Sensing, is not a feature that is characteristic of high proficiency learners. Additionally, while Thinking is common in these learners, it is its combination with Introversion and Intuition that makes these learners well-equipped for language learning.
Comparing Ehrman's data to my own "personality," I am quite disappointed. I always thought myself to be a decent, if not good, language learner. Though, it would seem according to Ehrman, that I am not equipped for achieving high levels of proficiency (again, I would beg to differ). The one language that I would claim high proficiency (besides my L1), would be my L2, Spanish. However, unlike the participants of Ehrman's study, I started learning my L2 before adulthood. The Critical Period effect may well play a role here, or perhaps I am an exception. I do not think that my outcome on the Jung Typology Tests are wrong, as a matter of fact, I would have expected those results had I known the exact categories beforehand.
Ehrman suggests some ways teachers can encourage (ESTJ learners like myself) to become more introverted and intuitive when it comes to language learning. While I think these may be helpful in some situation, to some learners, all learners learn differently. As evidenced by the strategies we employ, learners vary and it could be harmful to impose different ways of learning or thinking about language if it is not compatible with a student's preferred strategy/style.
Ehrman's chapter in Lessons form Good Language Learners presents a study that identifies the personality type that is most advantageous for achieving a Level 4 in the FSI categorization (which is quite high proficiency). The results indicate that Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging (INTJ) was the most conducive to high proficiency achievement in language learning. Additionally, Ehrman points out that Extrovert, and more specifically Extrovert Sensing, is not a feature that is characteristic of high proficiency learners. Additionally, while Thinking is common in these learners, it is its combination with Introversion and Intuition that makes these learners well-equipped for language learning.
Comparing Ehrman's data to my own "personality," I am quite disappointed. I always thought myself to be a decent, if not good, language learner. Though, it would seem according to Ehrman, that I am not equipped for achieving high levels of proficiency (again, I would beg to differ). The one language that I would claim high proficiency (besides my L1), would be my L2, Spanish. However, unlike the participants of Ehrman's study, I started learning my L2 before adulthood. The Critical Period effect may well play a role here, or perhaps I am an exception. I do not think that my outcome on the Jung Typology Tests are wrong, as a matter of fact, I would have expected those results had I known the exact categories beforehand.
Ehrman suggests some ways teachers can encourage (ESTJ learners like myself) to become more introverted and intuitive when it comes to language learning. While I think these may be helpful in some situation, to some learners, all learners learn differently. As evidenced by the strategies we employ, learners vary and it could be harmful to impose different ways of learning or thinking about language if it is not compatible with a student's preferred strategy/style.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Lesson #5
Recently I have been experiencing some frustration with my Yaqui language learning. I do not have many resources nor a native or heritage speaker to practice with. Having limited resources- that is, nothing resembling a textbook or guide for language learners- has left me with an even more limited proficiency level.
However, I have not given up! The website "Vachiam Eecha" (http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html) has been an incredible resource not just for culture, video clips, and history, but it has provided me an opportunity to test my hypotheses about Yaqui. A few pages have the same description/text in Yaqui (or Yoeme) and English and/or Spanish. I decided to take a look at both texts and attempt to find common words and identify them in Yaqui.
Using these texts, I thought I had found the words for "commentary" and a few other phrases, like "welcome." To determine this, I looked a frequent words in the Yaqui text and tried to identify them with frequent words in either the Spanish or English text. Unfortunately, I found out I was wrong in many of my hypotheses. The word "enchim," which I thought was the plural for "commentary," turned out to be the plural for "you."
The link above also has more information on the language basics, like tense markers, subject and object pronouns, and vocabulary lists. I have been studying those lists (including vocabulary for numbers, emotions, question words) but I still lack knowledge of verbs. I do know that Yaqui is a verbal final language, however, it has been difficult to figure out either the meaning of the verb and if it is really the final element of the phrase (that is, it is final in the S-O-V phrase, but what about adverbs, adjectives, etc?). Once I receive my dictionary, my first task is to compile a list of necessary verbs (want, be, have, etc) and attempt to create sentences using the vocabulary I already have and the new verbs.
Lesson #5: Hypotheses Testing: while it is a great way to experiment and explore the language, be sure to have a way to test or check your hypotheses! Otherwise, you just might go around saying something incorrect, impolite, and possibly stigmatizing.
However, I have not given up! The website "Vachiam Eecha" (http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html) has been an incredible resource not just for culture, video clips, and history, but it has provided me an opportunity to test my hypotheses about Yaqui. A few pages have the same description/text in Yaqui (or Yoeme) and English and/or Spanish. I decided to take a look at both texts and attempt to find common words and identify them in Yaqui.
Using these texts, I thought I had found the words for "commentary" and a few other phrases, like "welcome." To determine this, I looked a frequent words in the Yaqui text and tried to identify them with frequent words in either the Spanish or English text. Unfortunately, I found out I was wrong in many of my hypotheses. The word "enchim," which I thought was the plural for "commentary," turned out to be the plural for "you."
The link above also has more information on the language basics, like tense markers, subject and object pronouns, and vocabulary lists. I have been studying those lists (including vocabulary for numbers, emotions, question words) but I still lack knowledge of verbs. I do know that Yaqui is a verbal final language, however, it has been difficult to figure out either the meaning of the verb and if it is really the final element of the phrase (that is, it is final in the S-O-V phrase, but what about adverbs, adjectives, etc?). Once I receive my dictionary, my first task is to compile a list of necessary verbs (want, be, have, etc) and attempt to create sentences using the vocabulary I already have and the new verbs.
Lesson #5: Hypotheses Testing: while it is a great way to experiment and explore the language, be sure to have a way to test or check your hypotheses! Otherwise, you just might go around saying something incorrect, impolite, and possibly stigmatizing.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Learning Style
A few posts back I mentioned the importance of knowing your own preferred learning style. I was speaking in generalities, but I now have access to a tool that allows me to pin-point my own major, minor, and negligible learning styles: Reid's Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire. After completing and scoring the self-guided questionnaire, I found that of the six styles identified by Reid (i.e. visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, group, and individual), I have 3 major learning style preferences: visual, kinesthetic, and individual. The other three are minor learning style preferences and I have no "negligible" style preferences (this means I could probably learn well with any of the styles categorized).
I believe this measurement of my learning style preference is quite accurate. Though, while completing the questionnaire, I debated how accurate it would be since I believe my learning style preferences vary according to the task-at-hand and the learning environment. I prefer to study and do rote tasks on my own (since I feel I perform faster than others) yet I would prefer group work in a classroom that required a lot of role-playing. I think this is where is where the concept of "major" and "minor" learning preferences is really justifiable. My first instinct is to work as an individual unless a situations calls, or is more appropriate, for group work.
Without having put a label on it before, I knew that I had to write down information in order to remember. According to Reid's questionnaire, this is a characteristic of a Visual learner. Interestingly, a Visual learner can often learn alone with just a book, since not much auditory input is required for learning. Taking this into perspective for learning my LCTL, Yaqui, it would seem self-guided learning might be an appropriate venue to put into practice my visual learning style. However, I have found almost the opposite: while I still learn best by writing out information, I feel that auditory input may well aid my acquisition more so than just visual learning. Additionally, through my self-guided study, my kinesthetic learning preference is not being met (particularly without a mentor) since I do not have much, if any at all, opportunity to learn the language through role-playing or group activities as in a classroom. When I have the resources available, I do believe I prefer to learn alone; yet due to the scarcity of Yaqui language resources, a group learning setting could possibly provide more ways to learn the language.
Nel (2008) provides a summary of the research on student learning styles and addresses the issue of whether there is a good language learner style. While no one style has been shown to be more advantageous than another, good language learners are more field-independent. That is, they are able to separate relevant material from its context and break down problems into components (i.e. not looking at the "big picture" but rather the parts/variables that make it up). Moreover, good language learners are capable of adapting their learning styles depending on the learning environment. It would appear that my questionnaire results indicate that I could use a variety of learning styles and therefore may well be a good language learner. I had previously thought that I was a "good" language learner, though this experience with Yaqui has challenged my beliefs. However, I do believe a good language learner may not have any negligible learning style preferences and could therefore adapt to the learning environment by using one of his/her other styles. On the other hand, a good language learner might by able to "build up" a negligible style as well.
As Nel points out, most students, myself included, do not fall into one polar side of learning style dichotomies. Rather, they are on a continuum and often have more than one style (or parts from more than one style). Looking at my own results, I can see that certain characteristics from different learning styles actually make up my own preferred style- and it is highly dependent on the learning context.
Nel also outlines the areas language instructors should consider in order to maximize the success of individual learning styles. Offering different stimuli and making the learning/teaching environment more attuned to different learning styles are two suggestions that I believe are imperative to foster successful learning across individual learning styles. I was once an assistant for a Spanish conversation course for high school students. The instructor of the course noticed that a few students who were quite silent in the classroom had a talent for drawing. She adjusted future group activities to accommodate these students' learning style and found that they were more expressive in oral communication when they had created a storyboard to coincide with their verbal output. As a foreign language instructor, I believe it is essential to play into the various learning styles by varying activities, assessments, and even the environment of learning.
Nonetheless, it would be interesting if a reliable model for learning styles could be developed to determine if a particular style was most conducive to language learning (which may vary from language to language as well).
I believe this measurement of my learning style preference is quite accurate. Though, while completing the questionnaire, I debated how accurate it would be since I believe my learning style preferences vary according to the task-at-hand and the learning environment. I prefer to study and do rote tasks on my own (since I feel I perform faster than others) yet I would prefer group work in a classroom that required a lot of role-playing. I think this is where is where the concept of "major" and "minor" learning preferences is really justifiable. My first instinct is to work as an individual unless a situations calls, or is more appropriate, for group work.
Without having put a label on it before, I knew that I had to write down information in order to remember. According to Reid's questionnaire, this is a characteristic of a Visual learner. Interestingly, a Visual learner can often learn alone with just a book, since not much auditory input is required for learning. Taking this into perspective for learning my LCTL, Yaqui, it would seem self-guided learning might be an appropriate venue to put into practice my visual learning style. However, I have found almost the opposite: while I still learn best by writing out information, I feel that auditory input may well aid my acquisition more so than just visual learning. Additionally, through my self-guided study, my kinesthetic learning preference is not being met (particularly without a mentor) since I do not have much, if any at all, opportunity to learn the language through role-playing or group activities as in a classroom. When I have the resources available, I do believe I prefer to learn alone; yet due to the scarcity of Yaqui language resources, a group learning setting could possibly provide more ways to learn the language.
Nel (2008) provides a summary of the research on student learning styles and addresses the issue of whether there is a good language learner style. While no one style has been shown to be more advantageous than another, good language learners are more field-independent. That is, they are able to separate relevant material from its context and break down problems into components (i.e. not looking at the "big picture" but rather the parts/variables that make it up). Moreover, good language learners are capable of adapting their learning styles depending on the learning environment. It would appear that my questionnaire results indicate that I could use a variety of learning styles and therefore may well be a good language learner. I had previously thought that I was a "good" language learner, though this experience with Yaqui has challenged my beliefs. However, I do believe a good language learner may not have any negligible learning style preferences and could therefore adapt to the learning environment by using one of his/her other styles. On the other hand, a good language learner might by able to "build up" a negligible style as well.
As Nel points out, most students, myself included, do not fall into one polar side of learning style dichotomies. Rather, they are on a continuum and often have more than one style (or parts from more than one style). Looking at my own results, I can see that certain characteristics from different learning styles actually make up my own preferred style- and it is highly dependent on the learning context.
Nel also outlines the areas language instructors should consider in order to maximize the success of individual learning styles. Offering different stimuli and making the learning/teaching environment more attuned to different learning styles are two suggestions that I believe are imperative to foster successful learning across individual learning styles. I was once an assistant for a Spanish conversation course for high school students. The instructor of the course noticed that a few students who were quite silent in the classroom had a talent for drawing. She adjusted future group activities to accommodate these students' learning style and found that they were more expressive in oral communication when they had created a storyboard to coincide with their verbal output. As a foreign language instructor, I believe it is essential to play into the various learning styles by varying activities, assessments, and even the environment of learning.
Nonetheless, it would be interesting if a reliable model for learning styles could be developed to determine if a particular style was most conducive to language learning (which may vary from language to language as well).
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Lesson #4
I have really been enjoying reading up on the culture and history of the Yaqui. Unfortunately, this material tends to be in English or Spanish (not that I could even read it in Yaqui anyway). Being of Yaqui background, I am familiar with a few cultural and historical aspects already; the references I have provided are still quite beneficial as some information comes directly from the Yaqui people.
I read about the cultural traditions of the Yaqui and how tied into religion they are -this is due to their history of interaction withe Jesuits in the 1600s. But the Spanish arrived in the mid-1500s, so why the 1600's you ask? As it turns out, the Yaqui were one of the most defensive and resistant to Spanish troops and managed to maintain their way of living for many decades after the Spanish conquest of many other indigenous groups of Central America. Even today, their traditions are a blend of Catholicism and ancient beliefs. For example, the Pascua Yaqui hold their deer dances (ancient ceremony) during the Easter season (Catholicism). During the deer dance, a dancer will where a deer headdress and imitate the deer's movement. This is an important symbol of the Yaqui and to show respect for the ceremony and the people, you are not allowed to record (via video, audio, or sketch) the religious ceremony.
Language-wise, I have brushed up on some greetings (see Lesson Plan) and kinship terms. In Yaqui, men and women have, for the most part, different words for their relatives. For example, I would call my father "Hapchi" and my mother "Ae," while my brother would call our father "Achai" and our mother Ae." So, let me break down my own family for you, using the Yaqui kinship terms.
I live with my Hapchi, Ae, and Saila.
I have my: Mamai Rebecca, Mamai Debra, and Taata Tim (mom's side).
I have my: Samai Jerry (mom's side).
And my Apa Doug (mom's side). My Asu was 1/2 Yaqui and my Hamuli was 100% Yaqui.
I believe the words for cousin follow the say wording as brother and sister- there is also a distinction between older and younger siblings. Additionally, elder men are referred to as "Hapchi" (F) or "Achai" (M) and women in general are called "Maala."
I read about the cultural traditions of the Yaqui and how tied into religion they are -this is due to their history of interaction withe Jesuits in the 1600s. But the Spanish arrived in the mid-1500s, so why the 1600's you ask? As it turns out, the Yaqui were one of the most defensive and resistant to Spanish troops and managed to maintain their way of living for many decades after the Spanish conquest of many other indigenous groups of Central America. Even today, their traditions are a blend of Catholicism and ancient beliefs. For example, the Pascua Yaqui hold their deer dances (ancient ceremony) during the Easter season (Catholicism). During the deer dance, a dancer will where a deer headdress and imitate the deer's movement. This is an important symbol of the Yaqui and to show respect for the ceremony and the people, you are not allowed to record (via video, audio, or sketch) the religious ceremony.
Language-wise, I have brushed up on some greetings (see Lesson Plan) and kinship terms. In Yaqui, men and women have, for the most part, different words for their relatives. For example, I would call my father "Hapchi" and my mother "Ae," while my brother would call our father "Achai" and our mother Ae." So, let me break down my own family for you, using the Yaqui kinship terms.
I live with my Hapchi, Ae, and Saila.
I have my: Mamai Rebecca, Mamai Debra, and Taata Tim (mom's side).
I have my: Samai Jerry (mom's side).
And my Apa Doug (mom's side). My Asu was 1/2 Yaqui and my Hamuli was 100% Yaqui.
I believe the words for cousin follow the say wording as brother and sister- there is also a distinction between older and younger siblings. Additionally, elder men are referred to as "Hapchi" (F) or "Achai" (M) and women in general are called "Maala."
Week 5 Reading Response
Marshall, Chapter 6
The lesson plans provided by Marshall in Chapter 5 are a nice starting-off point for learning a language, especially one that an entire community speaks, and maybe reads and writes. However, what about even less well known (or even less commonly taught languages)? This is where I believe his advice for interaction, techniques, and topics presented in Chapter 6 become quite useful. Since my LCTL, Yaqui, does not have a native-speaker community nearby, nor does the target language community function ONLY in Yaqui (as mentioned before, it is a trilingual group in the US and at the very least, bilingual in Mexico), Marshall's suggestions on varying lessons (to keep up my own interest, if nothing else) and the topics to learn (which are categorized and provide a great overview of useful aspects to any language) provide a basis from which to structure and organize my language learning endeavor.
Going sequentially, Marshall presents ideas for increasing interaction opportunities. While I do not feel this does not apply to my own situation, at least at this stage in my learning, I think Marshall proposes realistic opportunities to practice the language in question. I did not notice this word in Marshall's chapter, but what I believe it comes down to is MOTIVATION. That is, if you are motivated to learn the language, you will make opportunities to use it. No matter the situation, employed or stay-at-home spouse, a motivated learner will incorporate language learning into their daily routine, chores, job, errands, down-time, etc.
As for techniques for activities, I found Marshall's suggestions to be very reminiscent of Total Physical Response (TPR). For example, there are multiple suggestions regarding realia, drawing, visual aids, and role-playing. My experience with TPR has been primarily with children; however, I think immersing yourself in a language requires you, no matter your age, to use all the senses to interact with and learn the language. A skill Marshall mentions is Mnemonic devices; this is something I like to use when I teach Spanish and it always comes as a total revelation to students (Oh! you mean I use that weird subjunctive conjugation when it is for Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal Expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojala = WEIRDO). Other skills listed include using gestures, asking for repetitions or slower speech, paraphrasing, using what you know but being attentive as to what native speakers do and say (and how they say it). Thinking about the good language learner, I think these are skills that one would possess or try to pick up on.
Finally, Marshall's topics for lesson plans are varied, including topics for beginning to advanced learners. The ones I felt most related to my study include: informal socializing, interactions with "family," greeting/departing, personal information, questions/requests, polite phrases, +/- statements, action words, kinship terms, time expressions, descriptors, non-verbal cues, taboos, and pronunciation (personal interest). I believe most of these topics are at a beginning level and some can even be incorporated into more advanced levels.
I appreciated Marshall's note on practicality- not only for practicality in actually learning the language (i.e. time spent, using L1 versus TL) but for knowing what to expect of yourself in the language learning process. For example, I am constantly reevaluating my goals as I understand more about my own learning process and what I will be able to achieve in a given time frame. I had previous hoped to reach almost intermediate proficiency, though now I believe I will be lucky to achieve mid-novice.
The lesson plans provided by Marshall in Chapter 5 are a nice starting-off point for learning a language, especially one that an entire community speaks, and maybe reads and writes. However, what about even less well known (or even less commonly taught languages)? This is where I believe his advice for interaction, techniques, and topics presented in Chapter 6 become quite useful. Since my LCTL, Yaqui, does not have a native-speaker community nearby, nor does the target language community function ONLY in Yaqui (as mentioned before, it is a trilingual group in the US and at the very least, bilingual in Mexico), Marshall's suggestions on varying lessons (to keep up my own interest, if nothing else) and the topics to learn (which are categorized and provide a great overview of useful aspects to any language) provide a basis from which to structure and organize my language learning endeavor.
Going sequentially, Marshall presents ideas for increasing interaction opportunities. While I do not feel this does not apply to my own situation, at least at this stage in my learning, I think Marshall proposes realistic opportunities to practice the language in question. I did not notice this word in Marshall's chapter, but what I believe it comes down to is MOTIVATION. That is, if you are motivated to learn the language, you will make opportunities to use it. No matter the situation, employed or stay-at-home spouse, a motivated learner will incorporate language learning into their daily routine, chores, job, errands, down-time, etc.
As for techniques for activities, I found Marshall's suggestions to be very reminiscent of Total Physical Response (TPR). For example, there are multiple suggestions regarding realia, drawing, visual aids, and role-playing. My experience with TPR has been primarily with children; however, I think immersing yourself in a language requires you, no matter your age, to use all the senses to interact with and learn the language. A skill Marshall mentions is Mnemonic devices; this is something I like to use when I teach Spanish and it always comes as a total revelation to students (Oh! you mean I use that weird subjunctive conjugation when it is for Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal Expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojala = WEIRDO). Other skills listed include using gestures, asking for repetitions or slower speech, paraphrasing, using what you know but being attentive as to what native speakers do and say (and how they say it). Thinking about the good language learner, I think these are skills that one would possess or try to pick up on.
Finally, Marshall's topics for lesson plans are varied, including topics for beginning to advanced learners. The ones I felt most related to my study include: informal socializing, interactions with "family," greeting/departing, personal information, questions/requests, polite phrases, +/- statements, action words, kinship terms, time expressions, descriptors, non-verbal cues, taboos, and pronunciation (personal interest). I believe most of these topics are at a beginning level and some can even be incorporated into more advanced levels.
I appreciated Marshall's note on practicality- not only for practicality in actually learning the language (i.e. time spent, using L1 versus TL) but for knowing what to expect of yourself in the language learning process. For example, I am constantly reevaluating my goals as I understand more about my own learning process and what I will be able to achieve in a given time frame. I had previous hoped to reach almost intermediate proficiency, though now I believe I will be lucky to achieve mid-novice.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Lessson Plan
Here is a sample lesson plan for my Yaqui learning, using Marshall (Ch. 5) as a guide. Of course, I am still at a very elementary level and it has been difficult to find resources with phrases already made for me (the morphology/syntax is quite complex and I do not want to learn too many incorrect forms through my "hypothesis testing" of the language).
Task: Greet locals (i.e. native speakers) as you meet them on the street, in shops, etc.
Dialogue:
Sl: Lios em chama.
S2: Lios em chiokoe.
S1: Empo allea.
S2: Kettu'i.
Practice:
Backwards build-up drill- repeat segments of the phrase, starting from the back to build up the entire phrase.
Substitution- the only other greeting I have found is: Aman ne tevote yevihnewi.
Realism:
Or, Marshall's Wokabaot
Since I do not have a mentor to practice these dialogues with, I will instead enlist the help of my friends (who will not have to memorize the passage, they can carry around a cheat sheet with the phrases). Still, in normal greeting situations, I can use the script above, even with non-Yaqui learners and just explain what I am doing (my excuse: I am a linguist).
Evaluation and More Practice:
Record the Dialogue, Listen, and Self-Evaluate- in the recording leave time after each phrase for repetition. Practice phrases at least 5 times.
Supplemental Activities:
Gesturing while greeting- How do the Yaqui use gestures when greeting? A handshake, a wave, a smile? When and with whom are certain gestures appropriate?
Introductions- Practice introducing myself to others. "My name is..." and "What is your name?"
Cultural Note:
Greetings are nearly always formal in Yaqui, even when greeting close friend. The four-phrase dialogue above is the common way to greet strangers as well as friends.
How to use gestures? (see questions above)
Task: Greet locals (i.e. native speakers) as you meet them on the street, in shops, etc.
Dialogue:
Sl: Lios em chama.
S2: Lios em chiokoe.
S1: Empo allea.
S2: Kettu'i.
Practice:
Backwards build-up drill- repeat segments of the phrase, starting from the back to build up the entire phrase.
Substitution- the only other greeting I have found is: Aman ne tevote yevihnewi.
Realism:
Or, Marshall's Wokabaot
Since I do not have a mentor to practice these dialogues with, I will instead enlist the help of my friends (who will not have to memorize the passage, they can carry around a cheat sheet with the phrases). Still, in normal greeting situations, I can use the script above, even with non-Yaqui learners and just explain what I am doing (my excuse: I am a linguist).
Evaluation and More Practice:
Record the Dialogue, Listen, and Self-Evaluate- in the recording leave time after each phrase for repetition. Practice phrases at least 5 times.
Supplemental Activities:
Gesturing while greeting- How do the Yaqui use gestures when greeting? A handshake, a wave, a smile? When and with whom are certain gestures appropriate?
Introductions- Practice introducing myself to others. "My name is..." and "What is your name?"
Cultural Note:
Greetings are nearly always formal in Yaqui, even when greeting close friend. The four-phrase dialogue above is the common way to greet strangers as well as friends.
How to use gestures? (see questions above)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Cultural Resources
Here are some fun resources for learning about Yaqui culture and history:
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html In Yaqui, English, or Spanish!
http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/ Official Site!
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_2.html Trilingualism!
http://latinola.com/story.php?story=8208 Newspaper POV from 1890s!
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui_culture.htm Everything you need!
Text resources to come soon!
To be included: Deer Songs and Teachings of Don Juan.
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html In Yaqui, English, or Spanish!
http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/ Official Site!
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_2.html Trilingualism!
http://latinola.com/story.php?story=8208 Newspaper POV from 1890s!
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui_culture.htm Everything you need!
Text resources to come soon!
To be included: Deer Songs and Teachings of Don Juan.
Lesson #3
As I mentioned last week, I have decided to change my learning approach from a linguistic-based learning style to a communicative-based method. That is, I will use the language structure text as a reference when I want to know more about a particular form. My primary language learning resource is now online materials, particularly these sites:
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui.htm
The first is wonderful! I can read the same passage in Yaqui, English or Spanish. I think this site will be a good resources for learning phrases and complete sentences. On the other hand, the second site is more for individual vocabulary words (i.e. body parts, numbers, daily use terms).
This week I concentrated on individual vocabulary words and I will build up to complete sentences. I feel more comfortable learning with the new approach; learning through linguistics seemed like a daunting task. Using a more realistic means of learning, I believe I will better be able to concentrate my studying/learning to what will be useful to me.
Here are some new words:
Man = Takaa
Woman = Hamut
Black = Chukui
White - Tosai
Turquoise = Toloko
Red = Siki
See second site above for more new words I learned, including numbers, colors, and body parts (in case I injure myself!).
This week I also found myself reading up (in English) on the Yaqui culture and history. I remember doing an oral report on the Yaqui in my high school AP Spanish class. I recall it being about the legend of the "long-haired Yaqui." I should look for some more information on that folktale. Otherwise, I have read much about Yaqui relations (or lack thereof) with the Mexican government, their migration to the north (into the US), their religious affiliation and how it guides their traditions (especially among the Pascua Yaqui in AZ), and their famous Deer Songs.
Lesson #3: Be realistic.
Looking back at my first set of goals, including my goals for proficiency, they seemed unattainable by the end of 10 weeks. I have since adjusted them to be more attainable. Additionally, thinking about my actual use of Yaqui in the future, I believe speaking will be the primary function. Reading up on the Yaqui, it seems many native speakers are not literate (reading/writing) in their Yaqui L1- this is for the Sonoran Yaqui, I am unsure about the Pascua Yaqui. Therefore, I will not need much reading ability expect for academic purposed (however, it is unlikely I will attain that level of proficiency by the end of 10 weeks, maybe after a couple years). Writing, though possible not necessary for practical use, is essential to me for my learning process. I absolutely have to write vocabulary words out (and it cannot be typed, actually written with a pen and paper) to recall it later.
Being realistic about my current and prospective proficiency and actual language use is an important step in my language learning process. It has helped re-direct and guide my learning habits/method in order to (hopefully) better achieve my goals.
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui.htm
The first is wonderful! I can read the same passage in Yaqui, English or Spanish. I think this site will be a good resources for learning phrases and complete sentences. On the other hand, the second site is more for individual vocabulary words (i.e. body parts, numbers, daily use terms).
This week I concentrated on individual vocabulary words and I will build up to complete sentences. I feel more comfortable learning with the new approach; learning through linguistics seemed like a daunting task. Using a more realistic means of learning, I believe I will better be able to concentrate my studying/learning to what will be useful to me.
Here are some new words:
Man = Takaa
Woman = Hamut
Black = Chukui
White - Tosai
Turquoise = Toloko
Red = Siki
See second site above for more new words I learned, including numbers, colors, and body parts (in case I injure myself!).
This week I also found myself reading up (in English) on the Yaqui culture and history. I remember doing an oral report on the Yaqui in my high school AP Spanish class. I recall it being about the legend of the "long-haired Yaqui." I should look for some more information on that folktale. Otherwise, I have read much about Yaqui relations (or lack thereof) with the Mexican government, their migration to the north (into the US), their religious affiliation and how it guides their traditions (especially among the Pascua Yaqui in AZ), and their famous Deer Songs.
Lesson #3: Be realistic.
Looking back at my first set of goals, including my goals for proficiency, they seemed unattainable by the end of 10 weeks. I have since adjusted them to be more attainable. Additionally, thinking about my actual use of Yaqui in the future, I believe speaking will be the primary function. Reading up on the Yaqui, it seems many native speakers are not literate (reading/writing) in their Yaqui L1- this is for the Sonoran Yaqui, I am unsure about the Pascua Yaqui. Therefore, I will not need much reading ability expect for academic purposed (however, it is unlikely I will attain that level of proficiency by the end of 10 weeks, maybe after a couple years). Writing, though possible not necessary for practical use, is essential to me for my learning process. I absolutely have to write vocabulary words out (and it cannot be typed, actually written with a pen and paper) to recall it later.
Being realistic about my current and prospective proficiency and actual language use is an important step in my language learning process. It has helped re-direct and guide my learning habits/method in order to (hopefully) better achieve my goals.
Reading Response: Culture and Community
In her book, Marshall (1989) gives a detailed guide to learning language in situ. Unfortunately, I do not have the advantage of being in or around a community that speaks Yaqui. Still, I believe Marshall's guide can be applied to my learning process.
Finding and learning a language with the help of a mentor (preferably a native speaker) would be invaluable. Though, I do believe it is possible to be your own mentor if you do not have access to a community of native speakers. Obviously, being your own mentor has some inherent drawbacks: lack of (modified) native speaker input, no partner for role=playing (unless you can convince a friend to do it!), no correction (unless you are self-monitoring- in which you are unlikely to catch most errors) and likely insufficient cultural input/behavior modeling. Nonetheless, the "mechanics of a learning relationship" (daily expectations, conducting hard-working sessions, varying activities, cultural differences) outlined by Marshall can be easily carried out by oneself.
I found Marshall's chapter (7) on "getting a head start at home" to be quite pertinent to my own language learning experience. Lets say I am preparing to go to a Yaqui community, what can I do to prepare myself (linguistically and culturally) before I immerse myself in the community? Marshall suggests "living abroad at home" (especially if language courses do not exist). This means finding possible mentors at home, in nearby communities (i.e. families, churches, social groups), and looking at literature (or other resources) to learn more about the target culture.
With LCTLs, it is difficult to locate a community of native speakers- even in Los Angeles. More than likely, most speakers may only have perceptive language abilities and do not speak the language. Furthermore, a native speaker will also speak English and/or Spanish. In this situation, it would be tempting to rely on those languages to talk about the LCTL, and not speak in it. One point that Marshall made on this topic of mentor selection was that learners should not ask "why" a native speaker says something one way (and not another, for example). I do not agree with this sentiment entirely. Being inquisitive about a language, its use as well as its form, I believe, is a sign of a good language learner. They want to know more about the language they are learning so to better use it when placed in the target culture environment. Although, being inquisitive and still not accepting the reasons for certain usage/form would not be acceptable.
Turning to the good language learner discussion in Finkbeiner, I believe the question about "good language learners being culturally more competent because they do not face culture shock" is an interesting one. While cultural competence in general can be difficult to attain when not studying a foreign language in the target community, a good language learner might seek out opportunities and resources to acquire cultural competency. For example, watching videos, reading about the target culture, interacting with native speakers, or studying abroad. Good language learners are probably more likely to accept the practices of the target culture without having to compare them (particularly by a better/worse standard) to their own cultural norms. This would make the "culture shock" phenomenon less traumatizing and could promote language learning.
Finding and learning a language with the help of a mentor (preferably a native speaker) would be invaluable. Though, I do believe it is possible to be your own mentor if you do not have access to a community of native speakers. Obviously, being your own mentor has some inherent drawbacks: lack of (modified) native speaker input, no partner for role=playing (unless you can convince a friend to do it!), no correction (unless you are self-monitoring- in which you are unlikely to catch most errors) and likely insufficient cultural input/behavior modeling. Nonetheless, the "mechanics of a learning relationship" (daily expectations, conducting hard-working sessions, varying activities, cultural differences) outlined by Marshall can be easily carried out by oneself.
I found Marshall's chapter (7) on "getting a head start at home" to be quite pertinent to my own language learning experience. Lets say I am preparing to go to a Yaqui community, what can I do to prepare myself (linguistically and culturally) before I immerse myself in the community? Marshall suggests "living abroad at home" (especially if language courses do not exist). This means finding possible mentors at home, in nearby communities (i.e. families, churches, social groups), and looking at literature (or other resources) to learn more about the target culture.
With LCTLs, it is difficult to locate a community of native speakers- even in Los Angeles. More than likely, most speakers may only have perceptive language abilities and do not speak the language. Furthermore, a native speaker will also speak English and/or Spanish. In this situation, it would be tempting to rely on those languages to talk about the LCTL, and not speak in it. One point that Marshall made on this topic of mentor selection was that learners should not ask "why" a native speaker says something one way (and not another, for example). I do not agree with this sentiment entirely. Being inquisitive about a language, its use as well as its form, I believe, is a sign of a good language learner. They want to know more about the language they are learning so to better use it when placed in the target culture environment. Although, being inquisitive and still not accepting the reasons for certain usage/form would not be acceptable.
Turning to the good language learner discussion in Finkbeiner, I believe the question about "good language learners being culturally more competent because they do not face culture shock" is an interesting one. While cultural competence in general can be difficult to attain when not studying a foreign language in the target community, a good language learner might seek out opportunities and resources to acquire cultural competency. For example, watching videos, reading about the target culture, interacting with native speakers, or studying abroad. Good language learners are probably more likely to accept the practices of the target culture without having to compare them (particularly by a better/worse standard) to their own cultural norms. This would make the "culture shock" phenomenon less traumatizing and could promote language learning.
Goals Revised
Here are my more focused, less vague, more attainable, revised goals for learning Yaqui:
1. Speak (including greetings/closings, asking simple questions) and use gestures appropriately in informal conversations about familiar/simple topics such as family, personal information, etc.
2. Ask and answer questions in an informal interview about personal background, daily life, education, and language.
(see my previous goals here: http://learningyaqui.blogspot.com/2010/04/goals.html)
1. Speak (including greetings/closings, asking simple questions) and use gestures appropriately in informal conversations about familiar/simple topics such as family, personal information, etc.
2. Ask and answer questions in an informal interview about personal background, daily life, education, and language.
(see my previous goals here: http://learningyaqui.blogspot.com/2010/04/goals.html)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Lesson #2
Oh my is this language ever so difficult! Well, let's take that in stride, since my main resource for learning the language is still a book on Yaqui language structures.
After reviewing the phonology of Yaqui again this week, I found it not as daunting to produce some sample words. Honestly, I imagine that I am speaking the language in front of some really wise shaman (I very well might be generalizing here) and the sounds seem to come out a bit more naturally. Still, the abundance of glottal stops throws me off balance at times and I have to say English words with the glottal stop to get the sound just right again. By the way, Yaqui has high and low tones- I do not expect to master these yet- at least not until I get native speaker input (oral).
So what's new this week? Syntax! I now remember why I do not like syntax actually, and I think my approach (and possibly main resource) may be too heavily linguistics-based. That is, while the text gives detailed explanations of the language structure, I feel some elements are too advanced for my level and I am not learning relevant vocabulary for the most part (the examples are random sentences from a huge dataset).
Nonetheless, here are some grammatical elements I have learned about Yaqui:
It has a case system (yay for inflectional morphology!). I am not accustomed to working with a language that employs a case system to mark direct (accusative) and indirect (dative) object pronouns. Luckily, though my main source did not explicitly note the cases used, it was easily discernible from the examples. Noun phrase adjectives match in number (singular/plural) and case to the noun they modify. There is no gender marking.
-m is a plural marker
-k and -ta are direct object pronoun markers, where -k is used for adjectives and -ta for nouns.
Negation in Yaqui:
'é'e = no (used in response to yes/no question, for example)
kát = don't (used with negative imperatives)
káa = no/not (used with negative verb, adjective or adverb phrases)
Wh- Question words:
habé=sa = who?
hitá=sa = what?
hachin=sa = how?
hakún=sa = where?
Notice the "sa" interrogative clitic- these are mandatory. Otherwise, "habé" means a person, the "sa" makes it the interrogative. These wh- question words will be important to develop in order to meet my goal of conducting an interview in Yaqui.
Word Order
Object + Subject + Verb
As I said earlier, syntax and I don't jive so well. I think for my learning style and with the goals I set in the previous entry, I may have to look for a phrase book or a less grammar-intensive resource to work from. Also, the arrival of my Yaqui-English dictionary should help re-direct my focus in study. I am off to find some more realistic resources!
Lesson #2: Take note of your learning style: what and how you like to learn (and maybe more importantly, how you do not like to learn).
This week I have found my language learning to be too focused on the language structure, which I had original thought to be good (if I knew the structure, I could apply it more). However, as it turns out, with the goals I have set and the brutality of syntax-based learning, I believe I should re-direct my learning to a more phrase-based learning style and refer to the linguistic text when I want to derive the structure from a phrase I have learned. Otherwise, I feel I will just be learning random phrases based on the syntax I have learned, and not the other way around (which does not serve my vocabulary needs for conducting interviews and holding simple conversations).
After reviewing the phonology of Yaqui again this week, I found it not as daunting to produce some sample words. Honestly, I imagine that I am speaking the language in front of some really wise shaman (I very well might be generalizing here) and the sounds seem to come out a bit more naturally. Still, the abundance of glottal stops throws me off balance at times and I have to say English words with the glottal stop to get the sound just right again. By the way, Yaqui has high and low tones- I do not expect to master these yet- at least not until I get native speaker input (oral).
So what's new this week? Syntax! I now remember why I do not like syntax actually, and I think my approach (and possibly main resource) may be too heavily linguistics-based. That is, while the text gives detailed explanations of the language structure, I feel some elements are too advanced for my level and I am not learning relevant vocabulary for the most part (the examples are random sentences from a huge dataset).
Nonetheless, here are some grammatical elements I have learned about Yaqui:
It has a case system (yay for inflectional morphology!). I am not accustomed to working with a language that employs a case system to mark direct (accusative) and indirect (dative) object pronouns. Luckily, though my main source did not explicitly note the cases used, it was easily discernible from the examples. Noun phrase adjectives match in number (singular/plural) and case to the noun they modify. There is no gender marking.
-m is a plural marker
-k and -ta are direct object pronoun markers, where -k is used for adjectives and -ta for nouns.
Negation in Yaqui:
'é'e = no (used in response to yes/no question, for example)
kát = don't (used with negative imperatives)
káa = no/not (used with negative verb, adjective or adverb phrases)
Wh- Question words:
habé=sa = who?
hitá=sa = what?
hachin=sa = how?
hakún=sa = where?
Notice the "sa" interrogative clitic- these are mandatory. Otherwise, "habé" means a person, the "sa" makes it the interrogative. These wh- question words will be important to develop in order to meet my goal of conducting an interview in Yaqui.
Word Order
Object + Subject + Verb
As I said earlier, syntax and I don't jive so well. I think for my learning style and with the goals I set in the previous entry, I may have to look for a phrase book or a less grammar-intensive resource to work from. Also, the arrival of my Yaqui-English dictionary should help re-direct my focus in study. I am off to find some more realistic resources!
Lesson #2: Take note of your learning style: what and how you like to learn (and maybe more importantly, how you do not like to learn).
This week I have found my language learning to be too focused on the language structure, which I had original thought to be good (if I knew the structure, I could apply it more). However, as it turns out, with the goals I have set and the brutality of syntax-based learning, I believe I should re-direct my learning to a more phrase-based learning style and refer to the linguistic text when I want to derive the structure from a phrase I have learned. Otherwise, I feel I will just be learning random phrases based on the syntax I have learned, and not the other way around (which does not serve my vocabulary needs for conducting interviews and holding simple conversations).
Goals
Using Marshall (1989), I will set some goals for learning Yaqui. First, Marshall includes his Language Learner's Proficiency Scale (pp. 41-47); I believe it will be beneficial to assess my current proficiency in Yaqui and determined which level I would like to be at by the end of my course before I start the goal-setting procedure.
According to the LLPS, I would put myself in the Low Novice; this means I can say "hello," count to 10, say a handful of words, and I have set some goals. My proficiency objective is Intermediate-High Novice, which I believe is the most I could attain in a 10 week course. Intermediate-High Novice includes correct use of greetings, basic questions, making simple statements and request, as well as knowledge of 50-100 words.
While Yaqui is not a common language, the population of Yaqui speakers in the US are predominantly trilingual (Yaqui, Spanish, and English). This is of particular interest to me in terms of research on multilingualism and its potential benefits; therefore, I have set the following goals:
1. To appropriately interact with Yaqui speakers.
I will have to have knowledge of proper greetings/closings, how to interact in social situations (extralinguistic cues/gestures, register, terms of courtesy) and other cultural norms. Additionally, intermediate knowledge, such as opening and closing a conversation would be helpful. This goal requires me to be not only linguistically competent, but also attain an appropriate level of socio-cultural competence.
2. To conduct an interview for research purposes.
As a extension of the first goal, this second goal focuses on an academic context for use of the language. This goal involves asking (and likely answering) simple questions (including yes/no and wh- questions) and making simple requests (commands, requesting information). Similar to the goal 1, and why it is listed first, I will have to know how to interact with native speakers appropriately in order to conduct a successful interview.
An important part of goal-setting, according to Marshall, is to evaluate and revise. As I progress in learning Yaqui, I will be sure to re-assess my goals.
According to the LLPS, I would put myself in the Low Novice; this means I can say "hello," count to 10, say a handful of words, and I have set some goals. My proficiency objective is Intermediate-High Novice, which I believe is the most I could attain in a 10 week course. Intermediate-High Novice includes correct use of greetings, basic questions, making simple statements and request, as well as knowledge of 50-100 words.
While Yaqui is not a common language, the population of Yaqui speakers in the US are predominantly trilingual (Yaqui, Spanish, and English). This is of particular interest to me in terms of research on multilingualism and its potential benefits; therefore, I have set the following goals:
1. To appropriately interact with Yaqui speakers.
I will have to have knowledge of proper greetings/closings, how to interact in social situations (extralinguistic cues/gestures, register, terms of courtesy) and other cultural norms. Additionally, intermediate knowledge, such as opening and closing a conversation would be helpful. This goal requires me to be not only linguistically competent, but also attain an appropriate level of socio-cultural competence.
2. To conduct an interview for research purposes.
As a extension of the first goal, this second goal focuses on an academic context for use of the language. This goal involves asking (and likely answering) simple questions (including yes/no and wh- questions) and making simple requests (commands, requesting information). Similar to the goal 1, and why it is listed first, I will have to know how to interact with native speakers appropriately in order to conduct a successful interview.
An important part of goal-setting, according to Marshall, is to evaluate and revise. As I progress in learning Yaqui, I will be sure to re-assess my goals.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Lesson #1
The main text I am using to learn Yaqui, Sonora Yaqui Language Structures, gives a detailed description of the Yaqui language spoken in Sonora, México. My original intent was to learn the Pascua Yaqui language (AZ), though the authors attest that the two are actually quite similar. Pascua Yaqui has more borrowings from Spanish and English- what Dedrick calls a "learner's vocabulary" (pp. 3).
Starting with Yaqui phonology (sound system), I am already encountering some successes and some problems. First, I am quite comfortable with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols used to describe the sound system, but I have yet to find a resource that will model these sounds for me. Fortunately I have phonetic training in Spanish, which has aided me with the pronunciation of Yaqui vowels and some consonants (i.e. [ß] voiced bilabial fricative, [p] voiceless, unaspirated bilabial stop).
Additionally, as a native speaker of English, I am able to produce the retroflex "r" (as in "red") as in English and the glottal stop (as in "uh-oh")- admittedly the latter is more difficult to produce in unfamiliar words though. Yet, there remain some sounds that are completely foreign to me. For example, the [b^w], which I had previously assumed was a different way to transcribe [ß] until reading more into the text. I have found that this phoneme occurs at the onset of a syllable and starts like the [b] voiced bilabial stop and releases as a glide into the following vowel. As it turns out, not as difficult as I imagine- though an audio example would be quite beneficial.
Furthermore, there is this fun little consonant cluster [kt]; to pronounce it correctly, simply position the back of your tongue as if you are producing [k] and the front of your tongue as if you are producing [t]. Now try to produce both sounds at the same time. Did you do it? I didn't either.
Lesson #1: Use prior knowledge!
At least with phonological structures I can draw from my knowledge of both the English and Spanish sound systems to create and test my hypotheses about pronunciation in Yaqui. This background knowledge made me a bit more comfortable jumping into a language of which I had no prior knowledge (with regards to phonology or grammar). Also, the text I am using is very much linguistic based, and the terminology alone would be daunting had I not already been familiar with it.
Starting with Yaqui phonology (sound system), I am already encountering some successes and some problems. First, I am quite comfortable with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols used to describe the sound system, but I have yet to find a resource that will model these sounds for me. Fortunately I have phonetic training in Spanish, which has aided me with the pronunciation of Yaqui vowels and some consonants (i.e. [ß] voiced bilabial fricative, [p] voiceless, unaspirated bilabial stop).
Additionally, as a native speaker of English, I am able to produce the retroflex "r" (as in "red") as in English and the glottal stop (as in "uh-oh")- admittedly the latter is more difficult to produce in unfamiliar words though. Yet, there remain some sounds that are completely foreign to me. For example, the [b^w], which I had previously assumed was a different way to transcribe [ß] until reading more into the text. I have found that this phoneme occurs at the onset of a syllable and starts like the [b] voiced bilabial stop and releases as a glide into the following vowel. As it turns out, not as difficult as I imagine- though an audio example would be quite beneficial.
Furthermore, there is this fun little consonant cluster [kt]; to pronounce it correctly, simply position the back of your tongue as if you are producing [k] and the front of your tongue as if you are producing [t]. Now try to produce both sounds at the same time. Did you do it? I didn't either.
Lesson #1: Use prior knowledge!
At least with phonological structures I can draw from my knowledge of both the English and Spanish sound systems to create and test my hypotheses about pronunciation in Yaqui. This background knowledge made me a bit more comfortable jumping into a language of which I had no prior knowledge (with regards to phonology or grammar). Also, the text I am using is very much linguistic based, and the terminology alone would be daunting had I not already been familiar with it.
Course Outline
Here is the outline I plan to follow (with some minor adjustments- particularly with the grammar order) as I learn Yaqui. Again, this is from Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ.
Outline:
I. Introduction to the Yaqui Language
A.Yaqui and the Uto-Aztecan Language Family
B.Spanish Influence on Yaqui
C.The Writing System
II. The Sounds of Yaqui
A.Pronunciation Guide: Special Sounds
1.The Glottal Stop and the Rounded ‘B’
2.Short, Long, and Glottal Vowels
B.Comparison of Yaqui and English Writing Systems, with Some Notes on Spanish
III. Introduction to the Yaqui Pitch/Accent System
A.Words Showing the Contrast: Some Minimal Pairs
B.The “Typical” Pitch/Accent Pattern
IV.Introduction to Yaqui Grammar: Simple Intransitive Sentences
A.Sounds and Articles
B.Singular and Plural “Agreement”
C.Some Verbs
D.Combining Subjects and Verbs in Sentences
V.Sentences with Objects: Transitive Sentences
A.Marking Nouns as Objects
B.Using Both Subjects and Objects
1.Word Order
2.Object Marking
C.Negative Sentences: Saying “Yes” and “No”
VI.Pronouns
A.Subject Pronouns
B.Object Pronouns
C.Using Both Pronouns and Nouns in Sentences
VII.“Second Position” Subject Pronouns
VIII.Verbs and Expressing Time
A.The Imperfective Aspect
B.The Perfective Aspect and Past Time
C.Future Time
IX.Special Verbs: Singular and Plural
A.Reduplication
B.Suppletion
C.Combining Nouns and Verbs Showing Number Agreement
X.Possessive Constructions
A.Possesor Nouns
1.In Subject Phrases
2.In Object Phrases
XI.Questions: Interrogative Sentences
A.“Yes/No” Questions
B.Question Words
XII.Commands and Requests: Imperative Sentences
A.Singular and Plural Object
B.Objects
XIII.Useful Expressions: How to be Polite
A.Greetings
B.Conversations
Outline:
I. Introduction to the Yaqui Language
A.Yaqui and the Uto-Aztecan Language Family
B.Spanish Influence on Yaqui
C.The Writing System
II. The Sounds of Yaqui
A.Pronunciation Guide: Special Sounds
1.The Glottal Stop and the Rounded ‘B’
2.Short, Long, and Glottal Vowels
B.Comparison of Yaqui and English Writing Systems, with Some Notes on Spanish
III. Introduction to the Yaqui Pitch/Accent System
A.Words Showing the Contrast: Some Minimal Pairs
B.The “Typical” Pitch/Accent Pattern
IV.Introduction to Yaqui Grammar: Simple Intransitive Sentences
A.Sounds and Articles
B.Singular and Plural “Agreement”
C.Some Verbs
D.Combining Subjects and Verbs in Sentences
V.Sentences with Objects: Transitive Sentences
A.Marking Nouns as Objects
B.Using Both Subjects and Objects
1.Word Order
2.Object Marking
C.Negative Sentences: Saying “Yes” and “No”
VI.Pronouns
A.Subject Pronouns
B.Object Pronouns
C.Using Both Pronouns and Nouns in Sentences
VII.“Second Position” Subject Pronouns
VIII.Verbs and Expressing Time
A.The Imperfective Aspect
B.The Perfective Aspect and Past Time
C.Future Time
IX.Special Verbs: Singular and Plural
A.Reduplication
B.Suppletion
C.Combining Nouns and Verbs Showing Number Agreement
X.Possessive Constructions
A.Possesor Nouns
1.In Subject Phrases
2.In Object Phrases
XI.Questions: Interrogative Sentences
A.“Yes/No” Questions
B.Question Words
XII.Commands and Requests: Imperative Sentences
A.Singular and Plural Object
B.Objects
XIII.Useful Expressions: How to be Polite
A.Greetings
B.Conversations
My Tools for Success
Here is a list of resources I will be using in my endeavor to learn the Yaqui language:
Dedrick, J.M. & Casad, E.H. (1999). Sonora Yaqui language structures. University of Arizona Press: Tucson.*
Zavala Castro, P. (1989). Apuntes sobre el dialecto yaqui. Gobierno del estado de Sonora: Sonora, México.
Yaqui Indian Language
This Yoeme (Yaqui language)- English Dictionary: http://www.amazon.com/Dic-Yoeme-English-Dictionary/dp/078180633X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270612994&sr=1-1
I will also be using a course outline from a Yaqui language course (YAQ101) offered at Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ, 2005) to guide my study.
*This will be my main resource as I have been unable to find an actual textbook.
Dedrick, J.M. & Casad, E.H. (1999). Sonora Yaqui language structures. University of Arizona Press: Tucson.*
Zavala Castro, P. (1989). Apuntes sobre el dialecto yaqui. Gobierno del estado de Sonora: Sonora, México.
Yaqui Indian Language
This Yoeme (Yaqui language)- English Dictionary: http://www.amazon.com/Dic-Yoeme-English-Dictionary/dp/078180633X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270612994&sr=1-1
I will also be using a course outline from a Yaqui language course (YAQ101) offered at Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ, 2005) to guide my study.
*This will be my main resource as I have been unable to find an actual textbook.
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