Entry 2: Interview with a Bilingual Speaker
For this entry, I decided to interview my friend, Suzette
Balderas, a recent graduate from the University of Houston. She was born in Houston,
but her parents were born in Mexico, so this influenced her language learning.
Her native language is Spanish, but she began learning English, her L2, when she
was about four or five years old while she was in preschool. She states that
since she started learning her L2 at such a young age, it helped to build her
proficiency because it is easier to learn things as a child than when you are
older. According to Ortega, “the hypothesis of a critical period for L1 acquisition,
and as a corollary for L2 acquisition…continues to be considered plausible
today” (2013, p. 12). One of the methods that helped Suzette learn her L2 was
through cartoon shows on television. In her interview, she mentions that in the
Dora the Explorer cartoon in the
American version, the viewers are taught Spanish vocabulary words; however, in
the Spanish version, the viewers are taught English vocabulary words. She mentions
that taking ESL classes during elementary school enhanced her learning of her
L2, but she was additionally practicing her L2 at home with her parents. She
discusses that one of the best methods that helped her learn her L2 was using
flash cards with pictures that encouraged her to match the Spanish words with English
words. Ortega notes, “previous language knowledge is an important source of
influence on L2 acquisition, and this holds universally true of all L2 learners”
(2013, p. 31). When Suzette first began learning English, the first words she
learned to say were introductory phrases such as “Hi” or her name and names of
food. She describes that it was most difficult for her to learn how to conjugate
and to not refer to objects in the masculine and feminine sense as you do in
Spanish. Being bilingual has helped her to connect to the American culture she
was exposed to at school and the Mexican culture around her at home.
Hi Krystal!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching your video I feel like ours were pretty similar when telling our friends stories. Like your friend Suzette, my friend Monica too learned English in a more instructed setting (Ortega, 2013, Pg.6). Your friend mentioned using flashcards to help her match Spanish words with English words and my friend remembers doing that at school as well in her bilingual class. Both of our friends also learned Spanish at an appropriate age before puberty which helped make the transition easier for the both of them as Ortega mentions, (Ortega, 2013, Pg. 19). I also enjoyed her talking about how Dora helped her as well when she was a child!
Hi Alyssa! It’s interesting that your friend, Monica, used similar strategies to learn her L2 while she was taking her bilingual class. I imagine that the flashcards they used are likely helpful with transfer of the L1 to the L2. Additionally, I’m glad that you pointed out that learning an L2 before puberty can benefit the learner as there are theories of a critical period to learn an L2. Also, I was surprised about how television shows she watched as a child were aiding her learning of the L2!
DeleteI know whenever I saw your video I thought it was crazy too that both of our friends used similar ways to pick up English. When you really think about it though, it completely makes sense using flashcards because they can relate the images back to their L1 language in a way and it aids them in transitioning to their L2. I feel like whenever I learn Spanish I'm definitely going to use Spanish speaking shows too lol I feel like that would help me!
DeleteHello Krystal!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching your interview, Suzette was so nice and insightful. Like Suzette, my interviewee was also a native Spanish speaker (Mexican Spanish as well) and he also started learning English in school! It was so intriguing to hear her talk about the show Dora, but the Spanish version of it. It sounds like a pretty entertaining and useful resource for learning a new language. The flash cards she mentions also sounds like a reliable tool to use when trying to develop a new language. Gass and Selinker mention that, "learning another language essentially comes from developing a new set of habits, that being the new language" (1994, pg. 95). I think Suzette set up very good habits for herself in order to learn English.
Hi Kelly! You brought up an interesting point about how habits that the learner sets up for themselves can influence their proficiency of the L2. I think that it seems plausible that the most proficient learners are determined in learning their L2, but there are also other factors that impact one’s abilities. Also, I think that for Suzette, watching her favorite cartoon as a strategy to learn an L2 would be very engaging and helpful as she could probably even watch the English version of Dora the Explorer and compare it to the Spanish version.
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