Assignment Two Firet Draft

8/13/2019 Assignment Two Firet Draft

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Bilingualism

In assignment one, we demonstrated four terms figured world, actor, artifact, and literacy

practice. We have picked a figured word, observed its actors and artifacts, and included literacy

practices other than reading and writing. However, for this assignment I decided to choose a

topic related to my figured world showing why I did choose it or why it is important for my

figured world to exist. So because I chose English Language Training Institution (ELTI) as a

figured world and I observed its actors and their artifacts (physical reactions), for assignment two

I chose to discuss learning second language. Precisely, I am going to discuss bilingualism;

moreover, why people choose to learn second language? When is the right time to start learning

second languages? Where is the right places or the right environments to learn second language?

What are peoples expectations from learning second language? What are the advantages and

disadvantages from learning second languages? If student chose to learn it from foreign teachers

what are the benefits from teaching foreign student? Lastly, I am going to discuss how people

practice and use the language that they been studying it for awhile, and what are the difficulties

from learning second language and being bilingual. Because I am international student and I

experience this topic, I chose to discuss learning second language or bilingualism. As many

student I started to learn second language (English) since I was young; however, I was not

perfect at this time because there was no professional people can teach me, also in school leaning

English was not that important to learn it at that time, so I was pushing myself to learn in because

it is my hobby and that what helped me now as a bilingual. However, I was taking it more

serious late when I was 19 because I decided to study abroad. I went to ELTI to catch up with

Alaa Bazuhayr

Professor Walden

ENGL 1102-017

14 October 2013


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what I have not learn in school. At ELTI, there was a lot of students from my country or students

whose Arabic is their first languages and that was my difficulty because I could not practice it if

my environment have those students. So I decided to make foreign friends to practice and use my

English with them. One of the advantages from learning second language is I chose my English

to learn about new cutlers and to communicate with different people. However, there is one of

the disadvantages that I do not like it when I start to learn English which is I start to mix out or

miss out my first languages, I start to forget some words and I start to become weak in some

skills of my first languages.

After I chose my topic for assignment two, now it is the time to choose my sources that is

going to provides me with some information and it is going to support my side of agreement. So

for the first source I chose Hussein, Basel Al-Sheikh in "Teaching And Learning English As a

Second / Foreign Language." I chose this particular source because I am going to use it to

address one way on how students learn second language. This article explains how students use

their mother tongue (their first languages) to learn other languages. Precisely, this article

addresses how Arab teachers use their first languages to teach students English or how students

use Arabic to learn English. Im not going to focus only in Arabic mother tongue in particular in

my paper work; I am going to address the use of the first language to learn the second language.

Second, I chose Haiwen Chu, et al in "Latino Emergent Bilingual Youth In High Schools:

Transacting Strategies For Academic Success." And I chose it because it addresses how ESL

programs play a role in teaching English as a second language, which I only notice it here in

United States schools (elementary schools). So this article is going to help me to make my

Alaa Bazuhayr

Professor Walden

ENGL 1102-017

14 October 2013


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opinion stronger that countries should have the same things in their schools. My third source is

from DeKeyser, Robert M. in "Age Effects In Second Language Learning: Stepping Stones

Toward Better Understanding."And I chose it because it is going to help me in how age plies a

role in learning languages. I believe that the youngest you are the more efficient you going to

learn second language. So I think this article is very helpful for me to support my thought. My

fourth source is from Horning, Alice S. in "Theory And Practice First And Second Language

Acquisition: Parallels And Differences." This source is talking about how student practice second

language. In this article it is mentioned something about grammar practices, which is one of the

important base of learning second language. My fifth source is Irene Thompson, Irene.

"Language Learning Difficulty ." This article discusses what is the difficulty of learning second

language. And how to get red of those issues to have a perfect second language. The seventh

source is going to be from Lewis, Benny. "How to Practice a Foreign Language for Free without

Traveling." Because this article is discussing one of the very better way to study another

languages without forcing your self to travail and study this languages from somewhere els. I can

you this source to support my idea that people can learn another language without traveling to

the second languages original country. The eighth source is going to be from "Learning A Second

Language: When & Why."This article addresses when I why student should lean another

language. when is the right time to learn another language and what is the advantage to learn it

earlier and what is the disadvantage to learn it late. And why people prefer to learn another

language. Also it addresses the advantages of learning second languages. My ninth source is

from Anne Merritt, Anne. "Why Learn a Foreign Language? Benefits of Bilingualism." This

article is different than the other because it focus more in y tropic that I chose which is

Alaa Bazuhayr

Professor Walden

ENGL 1102-017

14 October 2013


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bilingualism. This article is discussing the benefits of being bilingual. My final one is from

Sugunasiri, Suwanda H.J. in "Bilingualism and Second Language Learning." This article is too

discussing too the topic of being bilingual or second language learner. I think there is a different

between the term that the article would discuss.

Generally, bilingualism is the ability to speak two languages in most cases; however, in my

opinion bilingualism it can not define by this definition only. Bilingualism it can be more than

speaking or writing in two languages. It is right that you should have both of the languages skills

to be able to be bilingual but is not that it. Bilingualism is also knowing another culture, religion,

or community that are related to those languages that you would like to be bilingual in. I can say

that by learning my languages you should know more about my culture or my religion because

some aspects of these things can not be explain without learning its languages. So people choose

to learn second language for many reasons. First, some people have curiosity about the world. So

from this reason I can say people like to learn another language because they are so curios about

it and they would like to know much more about it or they would like to know what is going on

when two people are talking by using another languages. Second, It sound good. Some people

like to learn another languages because they are so reverent about it, they like their intonations

and how world sounds in their ears, like for example people like to learn France because they

think it sounds sophisticated or elegant, and some people like to learn British English because

they think they will sound intelligent when they speak with it. Third, According to the article,

"Learning A Second Language: When & Why." it said that Additional reasons for foreign

language study include global economic competition and national security. which I think it

Alaa Bazuhayr

Professor Walden

ENGL 1102-017

14 October 2013


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means that government can use learning another language in war for example to know their

enemies plans and movements. and also they use it for business aspects because now many

business conferences are held internationally; however, they use one languages in it with

translators, but by learning another languages business men do not need to have a translators in

order to to their jobs. Finally, people learn second languages because they want to study abroad

or they would like to immigrate to another country so they can communicate with those people in

that country. The age can decide wither a person is going to be perfect or not in learning second

languages. It been said that the young you are the more well you are going to learn another

language. The right time or age to start learning second languages is when you are a child.

According to "Age Effects In Second Language Learning: Stepping Stones Toward Better

Understanding it said that the measurement of event-related potentials, or neuro-imaging to

examine the areas of the brain and therefore the kinds of knowledge involved, which means

children do not have many events in their brain as adults or in other world their mind are empty

at this time so by using this method they are going to focus more in theses two languages.

However, environments play a big role in learning second language. When you do not choose the

right place to learn another languages it is going to impossible to be perfect on it. The example of

environment that I mean is learning another language in a place that does not provide a right

place to practice what you have learned. Also, learning another languages from not professional

people can lead to big problem because you are going to be used of write or speak by the same

way and it is going too hard to get rid of it. Where people start to learn second languages?

usually there are two ways to learn second languages, it can be at schools since they are young at

ESL program with the help of native speakers or at their countries with the help of teachers who

Alaa Bazuhayr

Professor Walden

ENGL 1102-017

14 October 2013


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speak the same language as their students. According to the article "Latino Emergent Bilingual

Youth In High Schools: Transacting Strategies For Academic Success." it is said that Recently

there has been a plethora of studies that address the failure of U.S. schools in educating Latino

students in general I support that thought that if the U.S. schools fail to educate Latino students,

that is because if the U.S. schools do not provide the right ESL programs for foreign students

they are not going to be successful on their other subjects because English is they key to

understand those subjects. However, in another case is when students learn second language

from teachers who speak same language. According to "Teaching And Learning English-As-A-

Second / Foreign Language Through Mother Tongue."It is fine that students can learn second

languages from teachers who speak the same language; however, the problem is when those

teachers use their first languages to teach students the second languages which I think it is not

professional that is not going to help students for better understanding the first language should

not be used in second/foreign language classrooms, since the aim of second language teaching is

to approximate near-native competence. Finally, when it comes to keep what you have learned

this where most students face our problem. So in my opinion the use of what you have learn is

the best thing you must do so you do not forget what you have learned as many people say use

it or loss it.

In conclusion, Learning second language can be for fun but not all the time. Because some

people lay on learning second languages on their future for studies or jobs, being bilingual is

going to be taking serious at this time. What I mean from that is people expectation can differ

from person to person. However, all the expectation lead to literacy practices as I said before it is

Alaa Bazuhayr

Professor Walden

ENGL 1102-017

14 October 2013


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not only about learning how to write or read in other languages it is also communication between

cultures via learning their languages.

Work Cited:

Anne Merritt, Anne. "Why Learn a Foreign Language? Benefits of Bilingualism."

Telegraph. N.p., 19 June 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Sugunasiri, Suwanda H.J. "Bilingualism and Second Language Learning."

Bilingualism and Second Language Learning. Vidyodaya Journal of Arts, Science and

Letters, 1971. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.Hussein, Basel Al-Sheikh. "Teaching And Learning English-As-A-Second / Foreign Language

Through Mother Tongue: A Field Study."Asian Social Science9.10 (2013):

175-180. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

Haiwen Chu, et al. "Latino Emergent Bilingual Youth In High Schools: Transacting Strategies

For Academic Success." Urban Education48.6 (2013): 798-827. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

DeKeyser, Robert M. "Age Effects In Second Language Learning: Stepping Stones Toward

Better Understanding."Language Learning 63.(2013): 52-67. Academic Search


Horning, Alice S. "Theory And Practice First And Second Language Acquisition: Parallels AndDifferences."Modern Language Journal97.3 (2013): 812-814. Academic Search


Irene Thompson, Irene. "Language Learning Difficulty ."About World Languages. N.p., 24 Apr.

2013. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

Lewis, Benny. "How to Practice a Foreign Language for Free without Traveling."Fluent in 3

Months Language Hacking and Travel Tips RSS. N.p., 01 Oct. 2010. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.

"Learning A Second Language: When & Why." DistrictAdministration 42.11 (2006): 80.

Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

Alaa Bazuhayr

Professor Walden

ENGL 1102-017

14 October 2013

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Assignment Two Firet Draft