International and Intercultural Communication Commons^™

Marrying Science And Experience: An Exploration Of How Multilinguals Interact With And Between Languages And Cultures, Allie Heeg Polzin

MA TESOL Collection

This paper will begin exploring bi- and multilingualism at an individual level. The author will explore previous research written on how the brain processes several languages, how languages might affect individuals emotionally, and how one switches between languages as well as the effects of this, if any. Beyond this, the experience of navigating languages between discourse communities and balancing two or more cultures will be considered. As the title suggests, the science of multilingualism will be married with the diverse individual experience while considering both intrapersonal and interpersonal relations. The author will look at her own experience as well as …

A Case For An Ecological Approach And Against Language Commodification In Elt, Vinicius O. Souza

MA TESOL Collection

This paper aims to provide an alternative approach to the English language education practiced in many developing countries which can help reverse their current low-proficiency status, as revealed by standard international examinations such as the PISA scores and others. The author argues that this can be best accomplished by adopting an ecological approach to teaching which promotes language learning as emergent and socially situated phenomena, two concepts largely neglected by current teaching methods. In fact, many of these countries have long been dominated by an extremely commodified and cognitivist ELT market, where business interests have taken precedence over pedagogical considerations. …

Breathe To Understand, Maxine Swisa

MA TESOL Collection

BREATHE is an acronym for Breathe, Reflect, Empathize, Accept, Thank, Hearten, Engage. The addition of Understand allows for a holistic approach to living a healthy and balanced life both inside and outside the classroom. This paper took form as a result of my personal, spiritual journey, as well as my teaching practice. I noticed that the majority of my students enjoyed experiential activities that included time and space for self-reflection, relaxation and meditation. I began looking for books, seminars, and workshops that explored these areas. Deepak Chopra, Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Dan Siegel, Eckhart Tolle, et al. offer insights into the benefits …

An Exploration Of Language Dominance, Michael Bishop

MA TESOL Collection

When two or more cultural groups make contact and interact over a period of time, language dominance often occurs. In this situation, one dominates the others both culturally and linguistically. This in turn, causes the weaker to start using the language of the more powerful until eventually it shifts its language and then its culture over to that of the more dominant group. Eventually its own language and culture dies. Language dominance, language shift and language death are social and linguistic phenomena that has been occurring for thousands of years. Historically, there were two great waves of language dominance, and …

The Effects Of Acculturation On The L2 Learner, Raya C. Longto

MA TESOL Collection

This paper deals with the deconstruction of a novel (A Sprig of Lemon Blossom) written on the subject of Acculturation. Since the latter half of the twentieth century the world has traveled at an incredible speed towards globalization. Given this reality the number of people who constantly travel abroad for a variety of career and work related purposes is growing by the hour. Under the circumstances the theme of acculturation has become crucial as without an adequate form of this phenomenon people cannot function to the best of their abilities. The deconstruction of this novel addresses the three-fold process of …

Their Own Best Resources: Students And Real-World Interaction, Observation, And Reflection, Brenda Ferreira

MA TESOL Collection

Students can use their experiences outside the ESL classroom to facilitate their own learning of culture and communicative competency. In a course I continue to design, students prepare for real-world interactions and learning. They practice communication strategies and discuss topics largely of their own choosing in a multi-cultural context. They then go out into the community to make cultural and communicative observations, and interact with native- and non-native speakers of English. This IPP presents various definitions of culture and communicative competency and gives suggestions for in-class and real-world activities, including communication tasks, observations, and reflections through journal writing.

Harmonized Yet In Tune With The Local Conditions: An Investigation Of Global Advertising And The Inherent Challenges Of Reaching Broad Audiences Without Compromise, Alison Dye

MA TESOL Collection

In the field of advertising communications on a global scale seems to be largely driven and pulled by current trends of thought. And often times pushed through the pipelines of transnational, networked agencies in search of speedy, cost-efficient and unified solutions. Certainly, reaching a broad audience with the most economical route is a real concern of companies today and will continue to be the case. I beckon brand bearers, concept developers and advertisers to merely dare to consider a more nuanced set of factors prior to spinning out global campaigns. Those elements include: inquiry into the true existence of a …

Transcending Cultural Definitions: A Sense Of Peace, Susan Sanae Sakayori

MA TESOL Collection

Who am I? What am I? This paper is an attempt to tell a personal story of my struggle to answer these questions about my racial and cultural identity. As a Japanese American who has lived the first half of my life in the U.S. and the latter half in Japan, I found it increasingly difficult to find my place in either culture. I was faced with issues of ethnicity, cultural background and personal values that I didn’t realize were so important in understanding who I was. I have traveled down a road of discovery where I was given a …

Language Conflict: A Case Study Of National Language Selection In Iran, Kenneth Pransky

MA TESOL Collection

Iran is a complex nation composed of many nationalities and languages. Through the centuries, it has been plagued by interethnic conflicts, and rapid modernization in this century has exacerbated longstanding differences, especially between the dominant, Farsi speaking group and Iran's numerous non-Farsi speaking minorities. No issue has symbolized Iran's interethnic conflicts in this century more than language problems.

Iran's history of language conflict is treated as a case study through which to explore more universal dynamics of language conflict. Emphasis is laid on the historical development of ethnic attitudes, the function of language as a symbol of ethnicity, the necessity …

Teaching Across Cultures: A Review Of The Personal Accounts Of Twelve Teachers, Nicholas Hilmers

MA TESOL Collection

This is a review of the personal accounts of twelve teachers who have worked in cultural settings other than their own. It is intended to be useful to teachers who plan to enter a different culture. The twelve critical reviews are supplemented by a commentary which points out the limitations of the literature and discusses common adjustment problems which appear. It is argued that the success of a teacher in adjusting to a different culture can be attributed to certain qualities of personality. Briefly stated, these qualities are adaptibility, a strong will, creativity and a humanistic attitude.

Leadership In Mexico: A Guide To Reassessing The Mat Student-Teaching Experience, Danuta U. Guzowski

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.