Tuesday, May 10, 2011

英語総合1A Global Issues Unit 1: Identity

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great Golden Week. Today we start Unit 1 in our textbook. The topic is Identity.  After we do the tasks in the textbook we'll watch a video.

This is a video conversation between Sarah of the Daily English Show and a man called Achille. Achille was born in Quebec. Therefore, his mother tongue was French. He moved to the United States. Achille's experience was very interesting.
Watch the video. What do you think of Achille's experience? How do you think you would feel if your second language became your main language and you were unable to express yourself easily in your mother tongue? Post your answer as a comment below.



21 comments:

  1. Shohei9:33 am

    I would feel sad if my main language became my second language. I want to express my feelings in Japanese to my Japanese friends and family. Although if I had more English friends than Japanese friends, I would take English as my main language. To speak both Japanese and English as my main language is my ideal. It`s difficult to become a reality, except if I were a bilingual. So I need to choose my main language.

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  2. Chihiro11:43 pm

    I think that Achille had a difficult time in his childhood.
    Although it will be hard for me to move in even home land, he must move to foreign country where different language be used.
    My second language is English, but I can hardly speak English.
    Therefore, if my second language became my main language, I will be at a loss for word in English.
    Situation that expression isn't understood well will makes me gloomy and irritable.

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  3. J10122-Tomohiro Yamada12:02 am

    I would feel weird if my second language became my main language. The idea which my second language become my main language reminded me what Michael said in the lesson last week.
    Micael said that part of him is changing to Japanese. They are really close situation, I think.
    I really want to speak English well and make a lot of friends and understand differences in global culture.
    I'm not sure that someday my second language become my main language. This means that second language ability is as the same level as main language. So I'll learn and plactice English more to reach the level ...someday.

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  4. Natsuki1:29 am

    This is such difficult thing.
    If my main lunguage became my second lunguage, I would have negative outlook on life.
    my second lunguage is English.
    I have stuied english for 7years but I have never spoke english very well.
    but It is important for me to study english. because The language used in the world is not Japanese but English.
    It is necessary for me to study second lunguage.

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  5. Kunika1:37 am

    I think that I do not want to experience similarly to him.It is troublesome that the second language becomes the main language.And it is regrettable that it becomes impossible to use the mother tongue.

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  6. emori mizuki3:47 am

    I want to speak English feather more.
    But if I speak English well,follow that I can't speak Japanese,I'll stop to learn English.
    I LOVE my mother tongue.

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  7. Izumi4:15 am

    I think that main language makes my identity,because main language is culture that built myself.In other words,main language is a part of myself.Therefore,it means that a part of myself vanish and I would be puzzled about expression if my main language became my second language.So I think it would be better to leave nature take its course about linguistic culture.

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  8. Takuya4:39 am

    I'm surprised at Achille's experience because although he went to French school when he moved to The States, his main language has changed to English from French easily. I think even if I went overseas from now on, my main language wouldn't change because Japanese is my first language to express myself. So japanese is the symbol of my identity. If English became my main language and I was unable to express myself in my mother tongue, I couldn't help missing Japanese. Even if my main language changed to except Japanese, my true main language is only Japanese for me.

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  9. I think that Achille have special experience.
    If I will experience that,I will take very hard time.It is horrible that main language become second language. Because main language is mother tongue.I have mother tongue since I'm baby.

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  10. Yusuke8:48 am

    I think that the language is the culture. So it is not easy to change language like machine. He may think difference between mother tongue and second language when speak English.

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  11. Yoshihiro8:48 am

    I think He had a hard experience in his childhood because official language was changed for him.
    If my second language became your main language and I was unable to express yourself easily in your mother tongue,I would feel sad.I don't want to lost my native language,Japanese.

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  12. Erika8:54 am

    From the video I want to talk about identity problems. What is the most interesting for me is that Achille’s mother wanted him learn both English and French. Although his mother was eager to send a new life in New York, she didn’t want him ignore French identity. As for Achille, he was ashamed of being from Quebec and reluctant to use French in public. Especially in his interview he said that he minded speaking English with a strong French accent.
    Today the concept of “intercultural society” spread throughout the world. Racially homogeneous nation are already rare. I think not only emigrants but also all the people have various backgrounds. Moreover people who speak second language as main are not so unusual. Many people move to other countries for economical reasons. Now those who move frequently have the problem of the identity; what I am? Their identity is sometimes uncertain. As for Achille, his identity is always wavering between French and American. How can he pass his identity to his descendant?
    One of the thing that he can pass as his identity is a language. Generally speaking, a language is controlled by a thought. Moreover the way of using language reflects also individuality. Therefore I think that language leads the way of following the personal history and accents of the language also represent oneself.

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  13. Miyuki9:05 am

    It is difficult for me if my main language become my second language.
    Because there is an attachment in the mother tongue and long time is necesary by the time it comes to be able to master a ianguage that seems to new freely.

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  14. Yuma Hayakawa9:05 am

    I like Japanese,but I want to speak well!
    So I think we study English more well/

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  15. tetsuya9:07 am

    I thought that his experience was very surprised.
    If my second language(English) become my main language, I feel so sad. Moreover,because I can't speak English little, I can't express myself in English. To express myself ,I want to be able to speak English by a lot of English.

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  16. Ryotaro9:09 am

    If Jpanese became my second language,i'm very sad.Because i can't speak Another language very well.My speaking it can't express my details of identity.

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  17. ryoichi9:11 am

    I feel wonderful and amazed to Achille`s experience,because he thinks his language is immportant when he went to The State`s.
    I would feel sad if my language became second language,because I wouldn`t be able to speak Japanese well than now. But, conversery, I think good in getting rights that gain global rings.

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  18. yukihiro9:18 am

    I can speak Japanese and I can't speak English well. But I want to speak English well. So I keep studing English.

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  19. Sayumi6:43 am

    I would feel annoyed if my second language became main language. It is difficult to change my main language from Japanese to English because I'm not familiar with English. If I had been Achille, I would have chosen speaking English as main language. Because English is the universal language and it is convenient in business.

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  20. I don't want to do such his experience.If my second language became my main language,I would feel lonely.This is because I think English words don't necessarily correspond with Japanese meanings. Also, I use a lot of Japanese words to express myself when I speak English.Therefore I could not communicate with other people in foreign countries.If only I spoke English as well as the mother tongue!

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  21. Ryoji Yamada4:29 am

    I'm afraid to forget some mother tongue vocabulary from watching this video.but I must study English very hard because I want to speak English well.So in the future,I'm going to use English as my main language,Japanese.

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