Lingustic Variation

     There is a growth in the standard varieties of English due to macro-acquisition, or second language acquisition by speech communities in their own local context. This happens when other languages come in contact with English and become a hybridized language. Based on the needs and social acceptability of English use, there are may different lexical and syntactical varieties of English based on location. There is no standard English when it comes to spoken word. It is perceived as a myth that there is a standard English. Initially a pidgin language is used when the speakers L1 is not shared. As this contact persists a Creole is formed as a L1 for the next generation typically.  Also within these there are L1 accents that deal with things such as such as Geographical, social identity, and social geography.
     Even though there is not a standard way of speaking, the way that certain dialects are perceived culturally as lessor. For example southern dialects and accents are perceived to be lesser than Midwestern dialects...then again I am from the Midwest...so maybe I have been exposed to that. This beings us back to the myth of the accent.

            Based on the environment and the people who are speaking, like in Shakespeare’s plays, the language and style of language that is used differs. For example, according to McKay and Kokhorst-Heng, a grandfather who tells his granddaughter a story uses code switching, which is not unexpected. However, in a more formal the setting the more “cline of proficiency” increases. Features of these variations include pronunciation of consonants and vowels, Grammar nouns and verbs, and lexicon such as idioms and borrowings.

            Lippie-Green’s article, “They Myth of the Non-accent”, defines accent as “Accents are loose

bundles of prosodic and segmental features distributed

over geographic and/or social space.” The myth of the accent is just that, a non-existent form of formal speech.  Overall everyone has differences in their idiolects. As an educator I would like to promote this and would also like to see more of these dialects represented in popular culture.

Families and Bilingualism

     Parents play a large role in the language development of their children as they also play a large role in development of a second language. In recent years it has been suggested that bilingualism has been on an  "explosive demand". Education programs are being supported by both majority and minority language children to learn two languages. There is been an increase in the purchasing of programs such online programs, CD's, videos, and flash books that are aimed towards children. Second language learning is supported by middle class families as gymnastics or tee ball would be. There is also a desire for minority speakers to retain their first language while learning the H-language. I find this to be a very good thing, however there are many difficulties in obtaining these goals. In King and Fogle's study they examined 24 families to better understand the multitudes of this. 
     I found it interesting that "mothers participating in the
project changed their conceptions of what it meant to be a ‘good mother'....". They changed their views to better suit the program. Also, minority mothers were "vulnerable to unrelenting public advice and recommendations, and concomitant little recognition of the (invisible) work that bilingual parenting entailed, often resulting in maternal guilt, stress and personal trauma." It was also confessed in this article that 95% of the programs lack the credibility in their areas of suggestions.
     Most of the parents saw bilingualism as a benefit to their children though also voiced their concerns in the interviews such as confusion of languages and the difficulty of acquiring both languages at a young age. There were constants that were also mentioned in the interview such as " (1) the
popular press and parenting advice literature, (2) other bilingual families, particularly those of their extended family and (3) their personal experiences with language learning." However the ways in which these were executed were different. I found this interesting. This could be because their sources form where parents get the ideas about bilingualism are the same, however their cultural background may call for the differences in how bilingualism is preformed. There were negative statements that were let with positive disclaimers such as "When I was little..." or "I know that studies show...". Parents are not uncritical reviews, especially when it comes to their children. It was also stated that these vague openers may be used because parents are unaware that there are may bilingual homes that actively and successfully use both languages. "...many parents were unaware of how frequently children raised in
bilingual homes become active users of only one language." Most of all I was excited to see that multilingualism is being promoted and supported in families and communities.

English as a 'H-Language'

     I had a lot of trouble when I began to learn Spanish. Well, I still do have a lot of trouble in Spanish. I would be able to function and understand it in class, though when I was taken out of that environment I was very hesitant about using it. None of my friends spoke Spanish, my family did not speak Spanish, and I was not in a location where people were bi-lingual. As my studies progressed, learning another language had gotten harder...much harder. This could be called selective functionality, or the ability to develop a lever of competence only to the level needed to fulfill a particular function in a particular setting. I knew how to ask the teacher a question, or to refer to the textbook, though outside of class I had no need to use it, so I never developed those skills. As it was also mentioned by McKay and Heng in chapter three, this had an effect on my learning.
     English is the number one second language learned in India. Though, there is also a certain linguistic culture, "beliefs about the antiquity, beauty, and purity..." that comes with the learning of English. With this also brings privilege to English.  Not everyone has access to English. It is then suggested that because English have been positioned as a H-language (high language) that it is also linked to "...the colonial legacy, the post colonial democratic governments response to that legacy, and globalization." As education increases the use of English has increased in such places like India.

Globalization

     There is a constant struggle to obtain balance between a new emerging culture and the prescience of an older culture especially for the onset emigration and immigration across countries. With this also comes the need for an education reform, however, according to Kubota, "These diversities are not sufficiently reflected in language education." For example, Japan has had an influx of immigrants (as well as emigrants) from 1989-1999. The number of non-Japanese studetns in need of language support has reached, according to Kubota, 46.5 percent.
     It was also suggested that Japan has gone through economical separation from western countries, like the US, after WWII and in order to make up for this Japan has tried to adapt to Western culture in to yield acceptance. This is one of the serious consequences of economic divide, as suggested by McKay and Heng. Kubota further states, "Kokisaika reflects Japans struggle to claim its power in international community through Westernization...to put kokusaika in the three dimensional tension between the promotion of English and nationalism..." There is an internal struggle between self recovery and self discovery.
    After reading the rest of Kubota's article, I thought about the privileges I have as a natural speaker of English, though have also thought why Japan has pushed towards the 'Western' ways of education such as debates, 'logical' and expressive writing. Post WWII, a foreign language has been required by the Japanese curriculum, (pushing towards the learning of English). This is not the push towards pluralism, though a push to fit into the global market.
    Above all, as McKay and Heng state, "there are many benefits to having a global language like English, it is essential that language educators work to ensure that the spread of English proceeds in a manner that supports the integrity and development of other languages."

Desire and Identity

     Identity has been 'increasingly medicated' since the turn of the twentieth century. According to Ibrahim in her text "Becoming Black: Rap and hip hop, race, gender, identity  and politics of ESL learning", with this identified we can further question "Who learns what" and "How is it learned'? Ibrahim further questions how can we develop pedagogy in a 'post colonial' society? And why are black L2 students drawn to learn 'North American Black English? Race is increasingly being studied in respect to second language learning and, according to Ryuku Jubota and Angel Lin, can help the word race not be so vitally equated with racism.
    There is no better or worse language, there is no high or low end of identity or communication  However, there is a prescriptive and descriptive way of speaking.
     She is concentrated with "the linkages among the self, identity, desire, and the English(es) that students invest in." She suggests that there is a desire to use BSE and BE to better identify with people that look similar. I think that she is displaced and her study is not wide enough for her to identify and critique all areas of why BSE is used. Her subjects were black and attended a high school in Ontario, Canada. She continues to describe what hip hop is. "I use hip-hop to describe a way of dressing, walking, and talking. The
dress refers to the myriad shades and shapes of the latest fly gear: high-top sneakers, bicycle shorts, chunky jewelry, baggy pants, and polka-dotted tops (Rose, 1991, p. 277). The hairstyles, which include
high-fade designs, dreadlocks, corkscrews, and braids (Rose, 1991, p.
277) are also part of this fashion."I like that she asked the question "...how do who we identify with effect how and what we learn?" This statement is a generalization and acts as rhetoric to further marginalize and other.  I am interested to see if a students culture effects how they think of learning, and if it does inhibits them or benefit them in any way.
     "The Western hegemonic representations of Blackness, Hall (1990) shows, are negative and tend
to work alongside historical and subconscious memories that facilitate
their interpretations by members of the dominant groups." I think it would be interesting to find out where and what these negative representations of Blackness are, and why they are perceived as negative by the collective. In the study, she confesses that the largest influence the black students have come from the television. Ibrahim states,  "this identification was certainly connected to their inability to relate to dominant groups, the public spaces they occupied, and their cultural forms and norms." I do not agree with the usage of the word 'dominant'. Language is strong, and perhaps it is this sort of rhetorical language that guides people into the mindset that there is a 'lesser dominant' culture and lifestyle. Perhaps this is why some fall in the 'post colonial' era. The given standard is not their culture, and as stated here, the given standard is more dominant than their culture. It does not shock me that some of these students feel as if they do not connect with the language learning in the classroom. I also found it interesting that, despite what was suggested before about how this is subconsciously acted upon, the students were able to express exactly why they were drawn to certain cultures.
     She later continues to comment on pedagogy  "Thus we as teachers must, first, identify the different sites in which our students invest their identities and desires and, second, develop materials that engage our students' raced, classed, gendered, sexualized, and abled identities." It is easy to assume that all of the students have similar needs, and similar backgrounds  Though, what is not said, is as important as what is said. She states that 'Black music' such as rap, should be engaged with. I would like to propose that she goes beyond this and question what is being engaged in the classroom, and what is accepted to be the norm?
     Kubota and Lin's text asks the reader to first question what race is. They state "According to Omi and Wmant 1994 , race ·IS a concept which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts· and interests ..." Race is socially constructed, which can call for further questioning of who is exactly making these social constructions. With the examination of these articles, the reader can further explore identity, culture, and race in reflection to multilingual student.

A Step from Heaven

  The perception of America as a land of hope and opportunity motivates Ju's family to pick up their lives and move across the sea. Though, there is more to the story than this. There are lives involved, the young and the old. The perception of an American girl is pressed upon young Ju. Her mother perms her hair so that she can better fit into the physical idenity of a "Mi Gook" girl. This may make Ju be confused about her identity. Her new enviroment will also need for her to learn a new language. One that her family does not know, though if she does not learn it, no one will. This must be an aweful feeling and very stressful for her. And on thop of this she has to lean the curreculum in school.
It seems that just as soon as she learns the American culture, her parents are afraid she has forgotten her past. Young doesn't want her new American friends to see how "weird" her parents are or the poverty in which they live,

Waiting for Heaven: "Mi Gook is only for young people to have a new start" (21).
It seems that Ju, though she is young, is starting to feel the pressure of what is expected of her.


My Future: "I do not like the word future. Everything is in the future" (28).
I think hope plays a role in this kind of thought. Hope for a better future for their children, and hope that they can break the cycle of their life. There is also much pressure placed on Ju's future in her new enviroment.

Park Joon Ho: "He laughs. You are a girl, Young Ju...Leave her to dream. Do not be so harsh" (38).
Ju also has to deal with the sterotype of a girl in America.

There is also a motif of the Sea. What does this mean?
Uncle Tim is holding champaign with "foam from the sea" spilling out.
The Sea they fly over.
Sky Blue Dress at the ceromony.
Amamda birthday is at the beach
As the Sea Threatens to Drown my heart (112). Because she has experanced a life that she likes with the Doyals, in compairson she does not like her home life with her familiy.
When her father hits her she imagines that she is drounding. Death by something that once promiced so much hope.

There is more to a person than just the surface. It is easy to assume that there are no inner troubles when there the person does not vocalize them, but I think it is then that they want to have a voice even more.

Disappearing Bubbles:"I nodded and said yes, even though I did not know what cider was" (54).
This reminds me of the text that we read last class. Communication breakdown. This made Ju feel very self concious, enough to where she did not want to speak up and confess that she did not know.

She then confesses that she often tried to look up words in the dictinary though they did not always make sense. I remember being in Spanish class and doing the exact same thing. It is a feeling of loss and confusion.

"I do not know why I have to speak Korean at home so I will not forget where I come from" (55).
Her two worlds are being kept seperate. This must take a tole on her identity.

Making Sure: It has to be odd being depending on so much at such a young age. Apa seems to have his own issues. He wants to play the male role, but can not due to his lack of english.

Reaching: "If I catch a cloud I'll make it to heaven." Her perseption of heaven has changed. Again, a hope for a better place. Ju seems so old, the way she acts, the way she thinks.

My Best is not Enough: Strangling me with your hopes. 96.

They are all living on hope. What does anyone live on?

"We are Korean do not forget" 104

"What good is God going to do"

Didn't they initally want Ju to become an American girl, I wonder what changed their viewpoints on American girls. TV? Newspapers? Maybe they are worried because they do not know.

What influences a person most?

Ju seems to have a confliction of role in her life. She acts like a adult in her household, though her father provides conflicting feedback on this. She is responsible for her brother becasuse she is the one that speaks English and can answer phones.

What does she really have to go back to. Even if she does go back it will be another foreign envoriment for her. Her culture is a mixture of both.

So, in TESOL should the parents be helped through the process of adjusting to their enviroment as well as the children. This would, or might, take stress off the children

Finding a Voice

There is no definitive answer to the integration of the language learner and the language learning environment. Diversity in the classroom, just as educators need to reach the diversity in non-ESL classrooms, need to address the students differences and adapt their teaching strategies to best fit the students needs both on an individual and a communal scale. The purpose should be to find unity within the class so students from different cultural backgrounds have a base of commonality to communicate in. In Peirces text, Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning, he state4s, “We can see language as a way to identify with ones surroundings…” To better the student it would be beneficial to them to become acquainted with their environment. They should have an understanding and exposure so they can produce mental definitions of those items. Assimilation into a new language, and in turn a new culture, could then be an easier path. If the learner is not comfortable with their surroundings a learning block may develop.

According to Peirce, ”…this affective filter comprises the learner's motivation, self-confi-dence, and anxiety state-all of which are variables that pertain to the individual rather than the social context.” The unknown is always frightening. It is also stated that, “In the field of SLA, theorists have not adequately addressed why it is that a learner may sometimes be motivated, extroverted, and confident and sometimes unmotivated, introverted, and anxious…”. Humans contain multitudes. There is no absolute to a human emotion, nor is there an absolute to why a learner may feel motivated, unmotivated, introverted, or extroverted. Here the individual should be looked at and not grouped into the category of ESL, male or female. No one should be souly labeled as an introvert or an extrovert. The comfort level depicts how loose a language learner might be. From this I would like to propose the language learner be introduced to the culture and environment by means of their own language initially and then interweave both the two dynamics of learning. This may also make the student comfortable and become “an extrovert” to ask more questions thus, learning more from the unparallel of their mind. There should be no assumptions to why the connection of content is not being communicated to the learner. However, positive reinforcement and a constant strive to understand learners are vial to the learning and teaching process.