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Kim’s path to learning English was by no means easy. She explains, when asked about specific difficulties she had in her schoolwork, that she had “problems in taking notes in class and [she could not] get a whole picture of the professors’ lectures” (Gonzalez 3). These experiences illustrate the concept of adaption, by showing a real-life example of someone who has to face a language barrier. Adaption is crucial to the process of learning a language, and especially important when trying to learn a language in a foreign land. Kim makes great use of adaption however and is able to use the forceful nature of her surroundings (having to speak the language to complete daily functions, such as reading signs, doing homework, and conversing with friends) as a source of motivation to learn English even faster. In this way, her adaption is made easier through the constant external pressures she was facing, which in turn helped her learn English with relative ease.
Kim is simply a graduate student, and her experiences do not generalize experiences of all individuals who travel far and wide to learn new languages. The scope of Gonzalez’s argument via Kim’s experiences is limited in this sense. By extending this same argument through Rocco’s narrative, one can begin to understand how the argument may even apply to non-students. Rocco journeys to Brazil in order to play the sport he loves, tennis. By playing with friends and catching on to the language by simply hearing it and using context clues, Rocco was able to hold short conversations in Portuguese (English). By adapting to his conditions (surrounded by people speaking Portuguese), Rocco, very similarly to Kim, was forced into speaking the language. Thus, though Gonzalez’s argument does not necessarily extend the argument to all situations, Rocco’s narrative allows one to acknowledge the application of her argument to many other situations.
When asked why she encountered difficulties while attempting to complete her homework, Kim explains that the reason was simple: She did not understand English. She notes that she started learning the language at a very late age, around 24 years old, compared to many other international students who began learning the language during their early childhood (Gonzalez 3). This may have made learning the language very difficult for Kim, as studies show that children grow increased levels of myelin, a nerve fiber stimulator, which is understood to help infants learn languages (Stacey). For this reason the validity of Kim’s point that learning a new language was more difficult for her than other foreign students is certainly supported by Stacey’s findings.
READY FOR SOME DESSERT?
Heading back home? See you soon!
Kim’s path to learning English was by no means easy. She explains, when asked about specific difficulties she had in her schoolwork, that she had “problems in taking notes in class and [she could not] get a whole picture of the professors’ lectures” (Gonzalez 3). These experiences illustrate the concept of adaption, by showing a real-life example of someone who has to face a language barrier. Adaption is crucial to the process of learning a language, and especially important when trying to learn a language in a foreign land. Kim makes great use of adaption however and is able to use the forceful nature of her surroundings (having to speak the language to complete daily functions, such as reading signs, doing homework, and conversing with friends) as a source of motivation to learn English even faster. In this way, her adaption is made easier through the constant external pressures she was facing, which in turn helped her learn English with relative ease.
Kim is simply a graduate student, and her experiences do not generalize experiences of all individuals who travel far and wide to learn new languages. The scope of Gonzalez’s argument via Kim’s experiences is limited in this sense. By extending this same argument through Rocco’s narrative, one can begin to understand how the argument may even apply to non-students. Rocco journeys to Brazil in order to play the sport he loves, tennis. By playing with friends and catching on to the language by simply hearing it and using context clues, Rocco was able to hold short conversations in Portuguese (English). By adapting to his conditions (surrounded by people speaking Portuguese), Rocco, very similarly to Kim, was forced into speaking the language. Thus, though Gonzalez’s argument does not necessarily extend the argument to all situations, Rocco’s narrative allows one to acknowledge the application of her argument to many other situations.
When asked why she encountered difficulties while attempting to complete her homework, Kim explains that the reason was simple: She did not understand English. She notes that she started learning the language at a very late age, around 24 years old, compared to many other international students who began learning the language during their early childhood (Gonzalez 3). This may have made learning the language very difficult for Kim, as studies show that children grow increased levels of myelin, a nerve fiber stimulator, which is understood to help infants learn languages (Stacey). For this reason the validity of Kim’s point that learning a new language was more difficult for her than other foreign students is certainly supported by Stacey’s findings.
READY FOR SOME DESSERT?
Heading back home? See you soon!