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.