Cross-Cultural Awareness for Second Language Learners by Elizabeth Knutson

Linguistics

Critique of Cross-cultural Culture Awareness for Second/Foreign Language

This context confers to foreign culture, which can be any language apart from the original mother language. The article restricts itself to French as the "foreign language," which is not the case to every human. The author of the article talks about French textbooks and matters pertaining French speaking world, instead of covering various languages too. The introductory part (abstract) translation is French, which clearly shows the bias aspect of the author. In the article, learning of French and Francophone cultures is applicable to any second or foreign language. Cultures performed by different language groups are totally different, and if anyone wishes to learn a different foreign language as a second language apart from French, he/she will have different concepts from the one who has learned French as the second language. The author also restricts herself to one region and shows the reaction of only Canadians (Americans) to francophone culture as a foreign culture, limiting the thoughts to a classroom level.

Foreign cultures and language impact negatively and are often resisted, native, very different from the mother language, and not easy for anyone to accept, unless he/she has the desire. The author narrates the story about a boy, whom she tries to present her native French model to him, but the boy, who speaks English and is an American, ends up reacting negatively about the French native. The author also says that the reaction towards such foreign language can range from hostile, fear and even resistant. To some, the cultural differences might be non- existence to them. Foreign languages are not to be taken seriously, but purposely for fun and humor.

Foreign culture causes diversion of an individual from his/her normal culture to another. Learning of another culture is difficult and is self satisfactory driven, regardless of the importance of the foreign culture to the original community. The author says learning foreign culture is something less of an affinity for the second language, since it is motivational driven. Studying the foreign language involves the learners coming into terms with the reality of other cultures, which expose the learners to the risk of contradicting and conflict their own original culture with the foreign one. The other people's language, foreign culture, viewing it as a mere subject to be taught rather than cultural object, mainly via books that only explain few concepts of foreign culture. Learning foreign language involves another culture, which should be learnt directly from the source culture and not secondary sources. Anyone interested with any foreign language should learn from the foreign people themselves, rather than by the second source persons or written materials which are remarkably brief.

As much as learning of other people's culture is self-motivated, it is mainly for academic purposes and how they will get to associate with people from foreign countries for their own advantage. Learning directly from the source is the most effective method, but some students would end up not travelling to interact with the foreigners, yet the interaction is a necessary language coursework for the same students too. This shows indifferences while a group of people learning similar foreign language, yet they are out to achieve same academic purpose. Foreign cultures are learnt, but not all the concepts are leant. The purpose for learning a foreign culture can be academicals, under various supervision or self- driven. The learners will only get majorly few or get partial about the culture depending on the situation, which in the end restricts the learners to real less information about the culture that is also prone to change overtime.

Critique of Factors Influencing Kindergartners Language Proficiency

Whether Chinese, Malay or Tamil, English is the other language that children of Singapore speak. Multilingual or bilingual children speak English as one of their two or more languages that they speak, and mostly one language has a higher status than the other, depending on education, power or wealth. United States majorly speak English, since its recognition in a larger area than the ethnic languages present in various regions. This lowers the status of actual language spoken in different regions, with English dominating all fields involving people with same or different ethnical language. The less spoken language and of lower status associated with low income earners, or people who do not access better education or people who are poor.

The pro-efficiency of speaking proper English in America depend on the parents, especially mothers, or guardians, with formal spoken English associated with parents who have achieved higher levels of education. The exposure of a child to certain language also determines the pro-efficiency of the child in knowing the language over the other. Caretakers of the children to play a significant role in determining the language of the child, mainly being the family members, as proven in Hong Kong by Chinese children, who spoke English efficiently than Chinese because of their English speaking caretakers. English is dominant over other languages in the U.S., be it Chinese, Spanish or any other language in State, which covers the efficiency of other ethnic languages.

The mode of study in various schools, in the State, affects the language spoken by the child. Analysis proves that Chinese and Malay, as compared to Tamil language, is taught more, though English dominates it all. This mode of study encourages English proficiency of the children and somehow put aside their ethnic language, with Chinese and Malay taught as one subject and less of Tamil taught. Technology also plays a crucial role in determining the language Singaporean children speak. Television English Programs encourage the speaking of English, majorly associated with high SES children, with Chinese children equally speaking two languages efficiently with high in English, Malay showing likeliness of high proficiency in both languages or high in English with Tamil being at the risk of low proficiency in both language. Low SES status, poverty; low education levels and parents have low income due to their low levels of education is associated with the Tamil language of the Singaporean group