Hello everyone,
Today we are going to start our first unit of study.
Let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Unit 1 - Identity Vocabulary
Now please look at the image below. What is it. What information is printed on it?
Now click the link to download the course outline.
Today we are going to start our first unit of study.
Let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Unit 1 - Identity Vocabulary
Now please look at the image below. What is it. What information is printed on it?
Now click the link to download the course outline.
Finally, let's 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. Click the link to watch the video.
See you next week!
I think his experience was sad but also valuable.And he was great as he was hungry to learn English.I think his feeling to English is need for me to improve my English. If my second language became my main language anod I couldn't express myself in my mother tongue,I would feel that's life.Of course it is sorry to forget my mother tongue,but it is important to learn second language to live.Even though I forget my language,it is essential to love my country.
ReplyDeleteI think Achille's effort is wonderful. I envy him. I want to enjoy studying another language as him.
ReplyDeleteIt is very stress for me that my second language become my main language. Japanese often has difficult phrases and I usually use them. When I talk, I think of those phrases but I don't know what to say English.
I should effort to express in easy Japanese and English and talk in English positively.
I am sad if I cannot express myself easily in Japanese.
ReplyDeleteAnd I may feel whether I am Japanese or not.
To forget Japanese seems to forget Japan.
I want to go abroad and speak English well,but I don't want to forget Japanese.
To do so, I feel much effort is needed.
First I just think Achille's experience was valuable because he had a chance to learn two languages.
ReplyDeleteOf course I understand it was hard for him but I have wanted to speak English and other languages except Japanese.
So I feel that way.
Also I'd not care if I couldn't express myself in Japanese.
I don't mind how to do that.
I'm sure it is difficult for me to express myself in other languages but it won't affect my identification.
Although Achille's mother told him to pretend French, I needn't to give up being Japanese.
Perhaps I'd be so confused if I lost my citizenship.
My name is Shoko.
ReplyDeleteI think Achille's experience is sad.
If I can't use my mother tongue freely, I would become uneasy and keep my words to a minimum.
Because when I express my self in Japanese, I sometimes speak before I mediate how to say.
But I think Achille's effort is good.
It's important to accept one's destiny.
I think his experience is sad.
ReplyDeleteWhen he couldn't speak French in United States,he might feel he was not French yet.
But I think he is grete because he studied hard to speak English.
So I also think his experience is precious.
If I can't speak Japanese in other country,I can't bear that life.
So I want to speak Japanese regulaely with Japanese frinds.
Of course I study hard to live that country.
When I want to improve my English,living in United States is best.
It is important to keep balance between mother tongue and second language.
I think his experience is valuable beause he could know two culture and learn two language.
ReplyDeleteIf my second language became main language, I would be a quiet person and feel lonely.
But I want to make friends!!
So I'll learn the language very hard as if Achille.
But I don't want to lost my Japanese friends, so I try not to forget Japanese.
If i was put in the same situation as Achille, iI would be impatient of it. I would be sad not to tell my friend my true feeling in my mother tough and might be disappointment.
ReplyDeleteAchille made an effort to live in foreign country. It is fantastic for me because i have a difficult time learning English and Spanish.But i cherish Japanese
best,because it is only my tough.
I think his experience is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteTo learn other language is very good because we can communicate more people of other countries.
If my second language becomes my main language, I can’t express myself at first.
However I think I will able to express little by little.
So I don’t care about my language.
I want everyone not to stick only their own culture.
And I hope so myself.
Then I think people don’t feel resistance about languages.
I think its kind of sad how Achille and his mom pretended that they did not came from Quebec. But I think I can understand why they did that. Maybe making a good impression of themselves are very important to them.
ReplyDeleteI understand how he feels. I, too, am having the same problem as he was. Well, maybe not as tough as what he had gone through though. At least, in a way, I have chosen this problem myself, while Achille had no other choice.
Not being able to express yourself to other people is a really sad thing. Sometimes it makes you wanted to run from the reality. But you know that you can't run from it. The only thing you can do to survive in a new environment is to blend in as much as you could, including changing your language and culture.
I hope that I would be able to blend in with my new environment, and at the same time, not losing my own identity.
I think he had so many sad experiences
ReplyDeletebecause there was a language barrier.
But he changed this difficulty to be a good chance
to learn English.
He didn't ran away from hard face of situation.
I think he is very tough.
If I were him,I would struggle to express my feelng,
but probably I would give up to do.
I don't have any confidence to keep up
making efforts like him.
And he seems that he thinks both French and English
are important to progress his language ability.
I think he treats two languages equaly and importantly
as his own culture.
Now, I sutdy English as asecond language.
I feel I should study harder like Achille.
I think it takes so long time,I try to make efforts.
Hello , I am Ayaka.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video , I think it seems stressful for me to be in such a position.
If my Japanese could not be understood by my friends or my teachers , I would be very sad and feel lonely.
So , I think Achille got tired from express himself to others.
I think Achille's experiences would trouble him in his daily life.
ReplyDeleteThe language difference would cause the confusion when he expressed his emotion. Perhaps it made him introvert a little.
However, it is said that using English is the most effective way to study English.
As you know, English is the useful language, which can convey our think to anyone in all over the world.
Therefore we can say that the experiences fostered his internationality.
Of courese, that's a difference story wherether I can change my mother tongue to English for my advantage because I love my mother tongue, Japanese.
Our language are not the mere symbol which can convey our think, but our pride as Japanese.
ReplyDeleteI think Achill's effort to learn English is wonderful and valuable.
It's very sad for me to be unable
to express myself easily in Japanese.
But I must learn my second language to live.
He was hungry to learn English.
I want to have such a strong heart.
I think he was sad because he couldn't tell people his feelings.
ReplyDeleteI stayed America few years ago,and I couldn't communicate with my hostfamily very well.
So I understand his feelings.
But if I can speak English frequently,I can communicate with other countries people.
How interesting it is!
So I think his experience is sad but valuable.
And I want to be able speak English to communicate foreign people as if English is my first languege.
I think he was sad because he may not want to move.
ReplyDeleteI also think he had a hard time living in foreign countory.
But that experience made him strong.
Although living in a foreign countory and lerning foreign language aren`t easy,such experience make people tough.
I guess what Achill exprienced was hard for him when he was a child.
ReplyDeleteHe made a lot of effort to get to able to speak English.
However, it is very valable for him, I think too.
If I had to speak in second language, I would struggle to express myself and study the language hard or cultivate nonverbal commuication, for exsample music.
On the other hand, I guess I would stick to Japanese because it's my significant identity.
I think Achille is very positive and has a strong and indomitable mind.
ReplyDeleteHe talks about his past story with smile.
His experience seems so hard for other person but he overcame these difficulties.
If I were unable to express myself easily in Japanese, I would make an special effort to communicate in other langage like Achille.
I would have troubles in saying anything if our second language became our main language. I want to keep up Japanese as a Japanese. But Achille was put in such a environment. He had to pretend to be from Paris, not from Quebec. Where someone come from is their identities, so I think he felt worry about his own identity when he was young. It was lucky that he could take advantages by keep up French, but he might not so happy in using French as a French not a Quebec man.
ReplyDeleteEnglish is used in communication, academic situation, business and so on. It was a global language. On the other hand, what is Japanese? Why we use it? What is identity? By watching the video,I thought such a thing.
I think it is admirable that he was hungry to learn a new language when he emigrate to U.S.
ReplyDeleteIf I were put in his situation, I'm not sure I could think so.
Everyday life wituout my mother tongue is terrible for me...
The experience must have been very hardship for him.
ReplyDeleteI also experience which resembled him now.
I belong to E.S.S.
I do the English debate there.
However,I am very weak in English.
So,it is a very impatient thing that it cannot be made language in spite of understanding with the head.
So he also must have felt what I feel that I little sympathize with him.
I guess it was a hard experience for him.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he couldn't express himself and communicate with others.
Furthermore he was supposed to came from not Quebec.
What a stressful situation for a child.
I think this means loss of his identity.
I guess language and hometown are very important for one's identity.
So, after watching this video, I think what we can do for keep us identity when we were exposed such a situation is important thing.
I think being unable to speak one's native language is irritated for me.
ReplyDeleteIt is fearful to have an experience like Achille , but I think that it is good for the language which can be spoken to increase.
If my second language became my main language and I were unable to express myself easily in my mother tongue , I am in trouble.
In Japan, the talk may not pass by the difference in a dialect.
As such time , I would like to talk in the language which I want to speak.
English as second language is important , but I hope to value a native language.
I think achille had a great experience about language.
ReplyDeleteI may not need to learn other language because I am a Japanese.
But Achille`s emvironment is different:he ia from Quebec.
He had atrouble to express his feelings.
I think his experience is valuable because by this experience, he had knew two cultures. Language is also culture. So, if you know two languages, you can think by two way. Then, you can be flexible than person who can speak only one language. I think it is wonderful. But, pretending his from is sad thing. Maybe he loved his hometown Quebec. I love my hometown, Fukuoka too. So, I feel sorry to him.
ReplyDeleteAnd, for second question, I think second language cannot exceeds mother tongue. I think mother tongue is your identity. So, lossing this means lossing yourself. Even if I forced to such a situation (second language become main language), I'll cherish Japanese and my accent of this.
What I admired is his strength.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that Achille is the man who has strong mind and energy to effort.
If I were faced with such a situation, I would become uneasy and confused.
He helped me to think that I want to consider about problems of language.
I think Achille's experience is sad. If I could not use my mother language freely,I didn't know what to do and wanted to cry. So I respect him because he has very strong mind. Although he put such a situation,he overcome it. I moved it.
ReplyDeleteI think Achille had a difficult time before he can use second language. It may be very hard to be unable to communicate with others normally. But,that experience made him strong.
ReplyDeleteIf I were in such a situation,I would try to communicate with others in second language little by little,and never give up.
Achille had a hard experience.
ReplyDeleteI cannot express my feeling by second language.
So,I cannot stand that situation.
I respect him.
I think mother tongue is one of the most important things of one's identity.
ReplyDeleteMother tongue is not only for communication but also use thinking. The changing in Achille from one country to another must be serious.
I can't express my emotion fully without my mother language.
ReplyDeleteSo,I think Achille's experience is hard for him.
He is very nice man, because he studied English hard while his mother tongue is French.I want to act like him!
ReplyDeleteI think his experience is sad.
ReplyDeleteIf my second language became main language,I could not express all of my feelings and thoughts.
It is great to learn some languages but speaking them is not so easy.
Experiences about languages have a great influence on one`s identity.
I think moving to U.S whithout ability to speak english was not comfortable for Achille.
ReplyDeleteBut he overcomed his difficulties by his effort.
That experience maybe gave him confidence.
So he looks satisfied,for me.
If I can't speak my mother language freely,I must feel depression because maybe I can't tell my opinion enough.
ReplyDeleteBut I hope I can do my best in such situation.Though I'm not good at speaking second language,I want to try to communicate with others in that language.
ReplyDeleteI think his experience is hard.
BUT,it is good for his life !
I would like to be like him.
Because his mind became powerful through his hard experience.