Kramsch. Chapter 8. Flashcards
What two things does one exercise when learning a language?
A social and a personal voice.
Learning a language is defined as a “double process.” Elaborate on the two cultural phenomena at work in this process. Some paraphrasing may be necessary.
- Socialization into a given speech community.
- The acquisition of a literacy as a means of expressing personal meanings that may put in question those of the speech community.
From a social-semiotic perspective, define the learner’s place.
A place where he or she creates meaning. (As teacher we can use popular culture in the language classroom…)
From personal perspective, what opportunity does language learning offer?
The opportunity for personal meanings, pleasures, and power.
Using Kramsch’s metaphors, it can be said that there is a clash between the familiar meanings of the native culture and the unexpected meanings of the target culture.
From this “clash,” language learners who are given the opportunity to develop language skills by refining their own responses to the multiple levels of meaning of a literary text in the L2 experience a significant change in their perception of meaning. Explain.
Meanings that were taken for granted are now questioned, challenged, and problematized.
Learners have to construct their personal meanings at the boundaries between the native speaker’s meanings and their own everyday life.
