Mind Map: Aspects to Analyse!

I thought using this awesome tool to organize my ideas about text analysis was great idea. Here I post the mind map I ended up with.

Problems in English Variations!

In my last posts I've expressed that I think that language variations aren't bad, because they keep the culture of the speaker alive. However, speaking English in a different way may cause some problems. A clear example is Gloria, from modern family, a series that shows how this woman has problems communicating with others because she doesn't pronounce correctly.

I think that native speakers easily identify a person who talks English with miss pronunciation, and this could create a great variety of social problems, because there is a tendency to make fun of people who is doesn't speak English correctly. However, I think people may feel proud of speaking English with some changes from their native language. Also, I think this is not a inferior variation of English, and the problems that it may produce are sadly because people may think some countries are inferior to others, so the way you talk just helps others identify your origin.

For example, while being in the Scots College in New Zealand, we have a Physics teacher that was from India. He clearly talked English as he would in India,   pronouncing the sound "r" really hard (for example in the word "Current"), and repeating the word "right" over and over again. However, student's could understand what he was saying and he could communicate what he wanted without major problems.

Text Analysis: A Language Without Limits

"A Language Without Limits" refers to the English variations made by indians and arabs, specially in Canada. However, the author also expresses some reasons why this variations aren't "low english", but the beginning of a "new english", as the Irish or American, showing a positive and academic tone ("It's not a lesser english, it's one type of world english"). By using formal English, combined with some cultural slangs, the author builds this non-fiction text to inform us about English evolution. Also, the writer includes quotes from experts, like Raja Rao and Rena Helms-Park, to support the information and give specialist's points of view about the topic. We could infer that Deena Kamel, the writer, supports the creation of new types of english, instead of defending the pure english, affirming that "English has always been a sponge language". In the same text, we can appreciate in some parts of the text that the writer supports the idea of Language variations connected to nationalism and sense of belonging to a country or culture, as expressed by Raja Rao, "We cannot write in English. We should not. We cannot write only as indians. Our method of expression therefore has to be a dialect...". For all this aspects, "A Language Without Limits", taken from the Toronto Star (19 august, 2008), seems to be addressed to people with some interests in English and its evolution, from all around the world.

Reading Comprehension: Social Networks!

When we read, we must consider the point of view that the writer supports when writing. It this post, I will answer some questions about two texts about Social Networks, both with different points of view. One of the writers, Tamar Lewin, supports the use of Social Networks by teenagers because he thinks they prepare young people for their future, learning essential internet tools. However, Dr Aric Sigman thinks that the excessive use of this Networks may cause biological problems in the users, plus problems in their social skills. To clarify things, I will answer some questions about this texts, which you can find in pages 109-110 of the IB course companion book.

1. What are the opinions expressed by the researchers in texts 2 and 3?

Lewin shows a clear position supporting social networks, based on the tools that a teenager can learn while using them. In the other hand, Dr Sigman focusses on the health aspect, affirming that the use of the internet can create biological problems in the user. Also, Dr Sigman seems to be worried of the lose of social skills and interacting forms with the use of the internet to communicate. 

2. What are the differences in the ways the researchers view community?

They are just opposite. I think Lewin observes only the positive aspects of the networks, while Dr Sigman goes directly to their problems. Personally, I think the both take extreme points of view instead of presenting a balanced position about social networks. However, we must consider that the biological knowledge of Dr Sigman leads him to a more biological view, while Lewin seems to be more positive and "modern" minded, because he defends the new ways of social relations.

3. What kinds of distinctions do the researchers make (or not make) in relation to communication?

Lewin thinks that communicating via the internet is just as valid as face-to-face, while Dr Sigman makes clear differences between both, stating that there are different biological responses in both cases. We must consider that while being behind a screen we can say things that we probably wouldn't in a face-to-face conversation. 

Communicating via the internet!

In the last years, multiple web pages have been created with the objective of communicating people from all over the world. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are just some examples of this. However, before we can give our opinion of this web sites, we must know the differences between Social Media and Social Networks.

• Social Media: Is where you can grab information from. 
• Social Network: Is where you share information. (In this group we consider Facebook, Twitter, etc)

Apart from this, we must take a look to online communities, which are groups of persons with similar interests that join in a online forum or chat. Personally, I've been involved in many communities related to music, like the Iron Maiden's Chilean Fan Club, which I check every day. But there are many other topics for online communities, like Technology, Arts, Games, Traveling, and many others.

Nevertheless, we must know that there are some problems when using the internet to communicate, because the anonymity. In Facebook, for example, you can create an account with any name, including another person's name, to create him a bad reputation. However, there are many ways to identify the PC where the messages where written, specially the IP address. 

Finally, I want to refer to language. I've learnt a lot of "internet slang" through many years playing online games. And I must say I don't thing words like "lol", "ffs" or "omg" should be considered bad language, because they fulfill their purpose of communicate gamers.

New Zealand Trip!

The 24th of may was a special day for me. It wasn't only my birthday, but also the beginning of an remarkable experience, with 9 of my school friends. I lived in New Zealand for 3 weeks, hosted by the Watts family, and I had the chance to learn about the Kiwis' culture, live with a foreign family and improve my english.

New Zealand is a great country. Kiwis (as New Zealand people are called) have one of the best life qualities of the world, an awesome combination of races in their society and a developed economy. Also, while being in NZ you can really feel the english remains while you walk through the streets of Auckland or Wellington: Rugby, driving side, persons' look and way of thinking, and many others. 

However, the aspect of the trip that I would like to point out is the experience of living with a NZ family, because this is what brings you closer to their culture. Having a big breakfast, a small snack instead of a real lunch and tea at 6 is something common in NZ, but not in Chile; Receiving Rugby magazines every day and watching Rugby news in TV every night is something that turns normal after some days there; and going to an All Blacks match against the Irish in the world's biggest rugby stadium, the Eden Park, is just unique. 

But having a host father that rides a Harley Davidson, goes fishing every weekend, goes rock climbing and loves rugby; a host mother that travels all the year but still knows how to be a great mother; and a host brother that after a few days turns into a real friend, with who you laugh, study and travel, is even more special.

In general, I think that I really improved my English. I remember one night at Taupo Lake discussing  about how to pronounce "beach" and "bitch", with my host brother (and now friend), Kris Watt. Moreover, I think that listening english all day also helped me a lot in terms of pronunciation. 

Thoughts about Language Variations

As we live, for some reason we tend to think that using the language perfectly is the best. If you are with your friends, of course, you will use some slang and informal language, but in general most people think that perfect language is better than slang or informal ways of speaking, and I consider myself in that group of persons. 

But now, if I think it more in depth, I realize that making variations in our languages is not that bad. Why would we just follow rules, instead of trying to correct them and make language better? Why would you go through the same path that someone went before, instead of creating your own?

But the thing is that people usually change language. That's why, for example, people from Ireland will speak different than people in South Africa, Australia or the US. I think that's because language belongs to a group of creatives persons. Once the lose their contact with the "true english", they just start making their variations to the language, to make it shorter or more expressive. The same happens with Spanish, each Latin country has its own type of english, with clearly differs with the language spoke in Spain. 

In the other hand, the relation between Latin persons and the US have created something called Spanglish, a combination of Spanish and English, which is now used by many singers and artists to go in both the American and English music markets. But it's not just for money, it's also because this persons grew up listening to both languages, and combining them was something that happened naturally.

Therefore, I think that native languages should always exist, but we don't have to be afraid to make changes to our language, because language belongs to the community and it must change has the generations of people go through time.

Text Analysis: Aspects to identify in a text!

Before we analyze a text, we have to know which characteristics of the text do we have to identify, in order to understand the "language in context". In this post, I will list some of them.

First, the three main aspects of any text:

1. Theme: It's an abstract word that englobe's the text's mood.
2. Topic: Debatable phrase that expresses what happens in the text.
3. Main Idea: Brief summary of the text.

Another things that we can analyze in a text are:

• Author's Purpose: Refers to the objective that the author had when he wrote the text, which may be to Inform, Persuade or Entertain.
• Genres: Fiction (Stories and novels) or Non-Fiction (Essays, biographies, speeches)
• Register: Refers to the complexity and level of language used. It may be Frozen, Formal, Informal (slang) and intimate.
• Source: It's where the text was taken from.
• Audience: It's the group or community that the author wants to impact with his writings.
• Vocabulary: Relates with the words chosen to write.
• Tone: How does the persona or narrator "tells" the text. It may be disappointed, positive, with melancholy, and many others.

All this aspects will help us to analyze any text and understand it in the best way possible.