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FINAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 1

Final Comprehensive Exam

Curriculum and Instruction: English as a Second Language Master’s Program

Megan Rowan

Arizona State University


Abstract

The study of languages, or linguistics, is a grand endeavor with over six-thousand

spoken languages in the world. Even so, people have dedicated their lives to learning more about

linguistics and all the subtopics that it contains, such as language loss, code switching,

bilingualism, and even language extinction and preservation. However, there still exist many

questions and untested theories on how to improve bilingualism, language classes and

preservation, and also on how to stop or prevent language loss, language extinction, and even the

death of a culture through the death of its language. This paper will address questions that the

author has concerning these topics in linguistics and how these questions can be answered.

Keywords: Linguistics, language loss, language extinction and prevention, code switching,

bilingualism


IntroductionBilingualism is steadily becoming more common in our world’s societies, growing as

these societies expand and the need to communicate internationally increases. There are many

reasons for bilingualism’s constant growth; a more prominent one is as more and more countries

undertake the endeavor to incorporate new language programs into their society, new language

opportunities arise. In addition to this, as more people with monolingual backgrounds move to

unfamiliar yet opportunistic places, the need for effective and successful bilingual programs

increases. There are a multitude of other reasons, yet there an obvious need that can be taken

from this: bilingualism, and everything that it encompasses, needs to be studied more and used to

help answer questions.

The questions being addressed throughout this paper are as follows: First, can bilingual

education be utilized in standard (non-pull out) classrooms to produce students that are fluent in

two different languages, regardless of their native language? Second, should teachers be allowed

to use a student’s native language in order to assist in teaching, if it is a language other than

English? What are the benefits and drawbacks to this approach? Third, how is code-switching

viewed throughout the world; is it commonly seen as natural, or is it viewed in a more negative

light? Lastly, how can language loss be avoided? Is there a way to ensure that a language remains

strong, even if it is not used by the majority, or even if you are the only speaker?

Bilingual Education in the Classroom


Can bilingual education be utilized in the classrooms to produce students that are fluent in two

different languages, regardless of their native language?

Bilingual education is not something new and was most certainly not started in the

1960s in the United States, as many have come to believe. It has been a part of the United States

before it was even established and remains a part of it to this day. Even though there have been

periods of time where bilingual education waned and the need for a single, monolingual culture

arose, such as the time during World War I, there are still many cases of successful bilingual

education in the United States, as far back as the 1600s. Why is it then that in modern times, in a

country that boasts the title of the “Melting Pot”, the United States struggles with bilingual

education; something that it has had experience with for over four hundred years?

There are many instances of students successfully learning two languages at the same

time in their schools. Both private and public educational institutions utilized both the German

and English languages in their schools in the early 19th century, producing bilingual students, yet

currently most of the schools in the United States do not properly implement or utilize these

types of bilingual programs (Baker and Kanter 1981). These programs would allow for schools

to teach in multiple languages, such as through structured languages sessions where half the day

is spent using English and the other half a different language of choice. This would provide great


opportunities for English language learners (ELLs), as bilingual learners are now called, to learn

English as their English speaking peers learn a new language as well. As mentioned before, this

type of bilingual education has been a part of the United States since the 1600s (Baker C. 2011),

however, other programs have become more widely accepted.

One of these programs is called a pull-out language program, and it designed for ELLs.

These pull-out programs create a separate time period for ELLs in school to have English

instruction, therefore missing class time with their regular class. Another program is titled

“structured immersion programs/structured English immersion” (SIP/SEI), which has instructors

teaching using only the English language, with little to no input in the students’ native language.

To extend on SEI programs, a quote from Clark (2009, p. 4), “Structured English immersion

programs (follow that) teaching in English is the same as teaching English and that complex

language skills can be learned through osmosis.” These programs, though holding good

intentions, often bring about poor results; slowing children down with their educational needs

and adding to the causes of many students dropping out of school as they constantly fall further

and further behind their classmates (Clark 2009, Baker C. 2011).

Essentially, these programs are great on paper and seem almost too good to be true. It

really would be wonderful if all students could learn a new language as if through osmosis, only

having to listen to English is order to learn it, and due to this, these programs are written in as


requirements for many school districts. However, they do not often reach the goals they so

convincingly promise. There are needs for better programs that allow students to learn their

required subjects (math, science, history, etc.) as well as the English language without as many

consequences as SEI or pull-out programs can create.

To return to the question posed for this section, can bilingual education be utilized in the

classrooms to produce students that are fluent in two different languages, regardless of their

native language? An excellent example that strives to prove this to be true is found in Lundy

elementary school located along the border between Texas and Mexico in the city of El Paso.

The community around the school, realizing the importance of bilingualism, decided to

incorporate a newly established dual language program to teach in both the English and Spanish

languages to produce bilingual students. The results of the practice can be understood in the

follow quote by Murguia (2010), “By putting both groups of children together, they learn to read,

write, and speak 50 percent of the time in both languages through the Dual Language Program.”

This is, again, not a new type of program and it has been utilized in a number of other schools,

such as in the school that revived dual language programs in the United States: Coral Elementary

school in 1963 (Baker C. 2011). These sorts of language programs have been utilized in the

United States since the early 19th century with German, Dutch, French, Irish, and many other

languages (Baker C. 2011). They are not experimental or untested; they are simply not utilized,


as the importance for English language growth seems to outweigh the benefits of bilingualism.

This school, although it proves that dual language programs work, as they have in the

past, does not present the possibility of teaching students languages regardless of what their

native language may be. If the school only comes in contact with students that speak either

Spanish or English, then there would be no problem, but if a new language were introduced,

there would likely be difficulties. For example, if a child who only speaks Korean is introduced

into this school’s environment, he or she will have twice, if not more, difficulty understanding

class lessons. This is due to the fact that the child would be learning two new languages instead

of just one, which poses a great problem. This is, however, where Dr. Krashen’s theory on

comprehensible input comes in to provide an opportunity for all students to learn new languages

regardless of their native language.

Dr. Krashen’s theory on comprehensible input is part of a collection of five different

hypothesis proposed by Dr. Krashen himself on ways of improving bilingual education.

Sometimes called the “Input Hypothesis,” it is described in the following quote from Dr. Krashen

(2009), “It amounts to the claim that when the acquirer does not understand the message, there

will be no acquisition. In other words, incomprehensible input, or "noise", will not help.”

Therefore, comprehension is required for anything to actually be retained.

For an example, if a person who doesn’t speak any Spanish, and has a native language


that in no way related to it, then listening to a radio broadcast given completely in Spanish would

be incomprehensible. The listener would not be able to understand or learn any of the Spanish

being spoken on the radio. However, if the listener were to be watching a TV show in Spanish

instead, then there would be instances where Spanish could be learned, as long as there was

something comprehensible to relate it to. For example, on the TV, the person would be able to

match what was being said with the pictures and actions being presented on the screen. This is

the same for language education; if students are only spoken to in their language of study, and

given nothing to relate it to, then nothing can be retained, but add in comprehensible materials,

and a great deal can be learned and understood.

In order to get a first hand view on how comprehensible input works from the viewpoint

of a student, the author of this paper sat through a science class, meant for students of the 3rd

grade level, that was given completely in the Japanese language. The author knew going in that

the topic would relate to science, as it was the next topic on the day’s schedule, and having a

small amount of Japanese language ability, she was able to understand simple things such as

where the classroom was and where to sit amongst the other students.

The author had no idea what was going to be learned, even though the topic for the day

was written on the board in Japanese. It was as if she was looking at incomprehensible pictures,

which the Japanese kanji characters can easily be described as. When the class started, the


teacher explained in detail the most important word using comprehensible input; he pointed to

his shadow and stated in Japanese, “kage.” Then he pointed at the student’s shadows and asked

what they were. Everyone answered with “kage,” including the author who then understood the

word and what the lesson would entail.

The rest of the class’ lesson was done utilizing pictures, with the teacher stressing

important words such as the sun, “taiyo,” which verified the author’s original thought that the

lesson would deal with how the sun affects shadows. To better understand the lesson, the teacher

turned off all the lights and passed out flashlights to the students. Everyone then used blocks to

test how the flashlights would affect the length of the block’s shadows. This was by far the

easiest part to comprehend and helped to enlighten the author about other new words and ideas.

Throughout the lesson, the author was able to learn a lot of new Japanese words, such as

directions, names of planets, vocabulary words dealing with shadows, and even how to ask

simple questions. Although it was difficult going in, with even a small amount of comprehensible

input, the author was able to unravel what the lesson’s main topic was, and was even able to

participate in the class, asking questions and answering others. It was a very enlightening

experience; one that the author feels all educators of bilingual learners should experience.

To completely answer the question posed for this section, yes, bilingual education can

be utilized in the classrooms to produce students that are fluent in two different languages,


regardless of their native language. What is required are teachers with proper training on how to

utilize bilingual language tools, such as comprehensible input, and resources that expand upon

these tools, such as pictures and videos. The most important necessity, however, is for people to

realize the meaning and value of bilingual education, as well as the benefits of not only knowing

English, but other languages of the world as well. This would allow for more bilingual programs

being brought into schools for students of all language backgrounds.

Native Language Use in the Classroom

Should teachers be allowed to use a student’s native language in order to assist in teaching, if it is

a language other than English? What are the benefits and drawbacks to this approach?

Submersion programs aim at taking students with little to no English background, and

make them fluent by the end of a 3-5 year period, some even being so short as a single year. The

methods that are used, as described earlier, involve completely immersing the students in the

English language, in a way trying to teach English through osmosis. Students hear and see

everything in the English language, and may sometimes have no way of relating it to anything

they can understand. Krashen (2009) argues that, “The best methods are…those that supply

comprehensible input in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to

hear.” This goes against the idea that completely immersing a student in a foreign language is


one of the best methods of teaching a new language to students, as it can often be high

tension/stress and are often not related to topics that are interesting to them. Students need

something they can understand and relate to in order to retain any part of a new language, and

what better way than using their native language as a tool and an asset in the classroom?

There are many cases that show that native language use in the classroom can actually

be a useful tool, if used properly. For example, in the work by Rolstad, K., Mahoney, K., &

Glass, G. V. (2005), there is positive evidence that native language support is actually better than

structured English immersion programs. “We find an advantage for approaches that provide

instruction in the students’ first language and conclude that state and federal policies restricting

or discouraging the use of the native language in programs for ELL students cannot be justified

by a reasonable consideration of the evidence.” (Rolstad et al. 2005)

This is not to say that classes should be taught completely in a student’s native language,

just that the language should be used as a tool and shown to be something positive that the

students can be proud of. For example, the article, “English as a Second Language Learners: A

Guide for Classroom Teachers,” states that allowing students to explain something to the teacher

in their native language, but responding in English, is a good way to check for comprehension of

directions. The guide goes on to states that teachers should, “…provide translations of keywords


that are difficult to explain in English, and find out what the students know but cannot express in

English.” (English as a Second Language Learners: A Guide for Classroom Teachers 1999)

Even though there is positive proof that a student’s native language is indeed an asset to

their English language education, a local teacher in the area of the author does not feel the same

way. The author interviewed a local assistant language teacher, such as herself, who actually

experienced ESL courses in the United States when she was growing up. She had a lot to say

about how she feels about ESL courses and how they should be done. She wished to remain

anonymous and so from this point will be referred to as Sue.

Sue arrived in the United States from her home country of Ecuador when she was half

way through the 10th grade. She had a very basic English vocabulary set and skills, so was placed

in an ESL language pull-out course. She stated that there were four ESL courses that you had to

go through in that school before you could be placed in the regular courses with the other

students. She had been placed in ESL 2, since she had a small background with the English

language from her classes on the subject in Ecuador. Her home life in the United States was not

the worst that was available. She lived with her mother, but being a single parent, she was busy a

lot of the time, and so Sue had to take care of herself a lot.

Sue’s school was used to having many Latino children, and in fact, the majority of the

students attending the school were of Latino background. Most students were able to learn


English quickly, because the teachers knew, “…what they were doing” and, “…were used to

teaching like that (comprehensibly)…” (Sue 2011). What really stood out in the interview,

however, was the following statement, “…The teachers after ESL 2 were native (English

speakers), so they didn’t know any Spanish. Teachers would take away points if you spoke in

Spanish” (Sue 2011).

When asked how this affected her ability to learn English, Sue simply stated that it

worked wonderfully. The teachers were very good at teaching in ways that were easy to relate to

and understand. They would use simple words for lower levels, and explained everything using

only English. For example, if a student didn’t understand a new word, such as “huge”, the

teacher would use words they already knew, such as “very big”. It was a very “…easy to

understand teaching method…having such good teachers really made the difference…I wanted

to learn English;I was not being forced to.” (Sue 2011)

When questioned about whether or not she began to view Spanish negatively due to

being punished when she used it she stated simply, “Of course not.” (Sue 2011) They knew they

were there to learn English, not Spanish, and if you really wanted to know it, then you would use

it. Had they used too much Spanish, it would have been a crutch that would have been very hard

not to use when they didn’t understand something. Due to her desire to learn English quickly,

Sue was able to skip the next ESL course, 3, and by 12th grade was already in regular English


level classes at her high school. Although many of her classmates were unable to pass as quickly

into the English only classes, Sue stated that her desire to learn English was the main deciding

factor in getting her to the higher level courses. Had her classmates had the same desire, they

would have had to same potential to move as quickly as she had.

It can be understood from this interview that Sue viewed using her native language of

Spanish in a negative light. She felt that it would become too simple to rely on it and overall be a

hindrance to her endeavor to learn English as quickly as possible. From her experiences, it seems

that she was able to become fluent in the English language in about 2 years, with her native

language only used in the classroom during the early stages of her integration. This shows that

native language use in ESL courses can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a positive tool.

The conclusion for this section is actually not a firm one. From what was researched, it

is easy to see how the use of a student’s native language can be both beneficial, and a hindrance

when learning a new language. There really cannot be a firm yes or no answer, so, the following

is the most logical approach: It really depends on the circumstances and the types of students that

are being taught. Do the students really want to learn the new language and try their best to do

so, or are they the opposite? Are the students completely new to the language, or do they have

past experiences? Overall, it depends on each individual student, and how their teacher feels that

they would be best educated. If the student wants to learn English, then the native language can


safely be used as a tool, but if they do not want to learn, banning the native language may be the

best option, forcing the students to practice English. If they know no English, using the native

language is the best means to learn, and once they are at a moderate English level, they would be

able to handle and perhaps develop better in an all English environment.

To readdress the question, should teachers be allowed to use a student’s native language

in order to assist in teaching an ELL? Yes, they should, if the situation calls for it and the student

learns the best using this teaching method. The answer should be no, if the teaching method is

not suited for the student as he or she learns best when only using and hearing the new language

of study.

Code-Switching

How is code-switching viewed throughout the world? Is it commonly seen as natural, or is it

viewed in a more negative light?

C ode-switching is defined by Baker (2011) in the following manner, “Code-switching

has generally been used to describe any switch within the course of a single conversation,

whether at word or sentence level or at the level of blocks of speech.” For an example, the

following is a very simple code-switching conversation the author had with one of her English


language students in a Japanese middle school. The following conversation will use both the

Japanese and English language, with the Japanese portions italicized.

Student: Hello Megan Sensei. How are you?

Author: I am genki yo! How are you?

Student: Watashi wa happy! Demo chotto sleepy ne. Monday itsumo sleepy.

Author: Sou ne. Watashi mo always sleepy on Mondays.

Although the conversation was very simple, it provided one of the functions of code-

switching; to better understand the meaning of a conversation. To explain, the student did not

know the English equivalence of the Japanese word itsumo, which translates into “always”, so

the student used the Japanese word instead. The author understood the meaning and was able to

respond, providing the translation of the word the student did not know into English. Code-

switching made it possible for this conversation to be understood by both sides and even

provided a means of learning a bit of the other speaker’s main language as well.

There are many other reasons for code-switching, some that are viewed positively, such

as the type used in the above conversation, and others that are viewed negatively. To touch on the

more negative outlook in some areas, Montes-Alcala (2005) describes a view of code-switching

along the Texas-Mexico border in the United States: “Unfortunately, (code-switching) has been

social stigmatized by monolinguals and bilinguals alike, and has been given derogatory labels


such as ‘Tex-Mex’ or ‘Spanglish’. Code-switching is often attributed to illiteracy, lack of formal

education, or lack of proficiency in one or both languages.”

This is not an uncommon view, unfortunately, as many other areas of the United States,

and other parts of the world, such as in the city-state of Hong Kong on the southern coast of

China, view code-switching as a negative means of getting around not understanding both

languages completely. In the view titled “Multilingual Hong Kong: A Sociolinguistic Case Study

of Code-Switching,” code-switching is viewed by the younger generations as being a very

commonly used tool in order to communicate with friends. It is a sort of trend that allows the

speakers to use both their English language and their Cantonese language. Older generations,

however, tend to view code-switching as being inappropriate, the same negative view as

presented by Montes-Alcala (2005).

The video goes on to describe how, when asked, most people cannot take an English

phrase and correctly translate it into Cantonese. The people being asked were usually stumped,

and attempted to create a correct translation, but due to the fact that one of the words used in the

sentences did not have a Cantonese counterpart, it was impossible for them to create an exact

translation. They instead would code-switch; using an English word when there was not a

Cantonese counterpart. This lead to the conclusion reached by many of the people interviewed in

the video that code-switching is hindering the growth of the Cantonese language.


Another negative connotation with code-switching is language loss. It is often discussed

that if people code-switch, they are hurting one or both of the languages in use. These speakers

may come to forget certain words or phrases as they favor one language over the other, or they

may even lose a language over time. Montes-Alcala (2005) addressed this specific negative

connotation in her paper. She stated that, from her survey of Spanish and English speakers, that

30% viewed code-switching as being a cause of language loss, while another 30% felt that it

actually helps maintain the languages. The remaining 40% were neutral on this topic.

It is amazing to see that there is such an equally split view on code-switching when it

comes to language loss. Many people feel it increases language loss, while others feel that it is

actually saving languages. It is easy to understand both sides; if you code-switch with two

languages, then you are not utilizing both languages to their full potential, and this could

therefore lead to the loss of words and grammar skills that are not utilized in one of the

languages. On the other hand, if a language is not often used, but then is added into

conversations by way of code-switching, then it brings a new awareness to the language and

keeps in it use. It really is based on personal experiences and on the situation when it comes to

basing how code-switching affects language loss or gain.

Other prominent surveys from the study by Montes-Alcala (2005) relate to how code-

switching affects people individually. More people felt that code-switching was a part of their


identity than those who did not, however the majority also felt that it was a factor in not earning

respect from others. “When I mix languages, others regard me as less intelligent.” (Montes-

Alcala 2005) Overall, the study showed that code-switching, although it is commonly utilized by

younger generations around the world, is generally viewed in a negative light. It is seen as “less

intelligent” and “proof that a person cannot understand both languages”.

Even though it seems as if code-switching is being suffocated by negative connotations,

there are actually positive views on the practice as well. In the video mentioned earlier,

“Multilingual Hong Kong: A Sociolinguistic Case Study of Code-Switching,” many of the

people interviewed fought for the high intelligence code-switching can represent. In order to

code-switch, a person actually has to have a very deep understanding of both languages and their

sentence structures. For example, a person code-switching with English and Japanese would

understand not to say “I am ikumasu e store,” (I am going to the store). Grammatically, it does

not make sense and would not be easily understood. The speaker has to have a deep

understanding of the grammar structures in both of the languages in order to be able to code-

switch successfully.

To readdress the question in this section, “How is code-switching viewed throughout the

world? Is it commonly seen as natural, or is it viewed in a more negative light?” Code-switching

is largely viewed in a negative light around the world, although this is mostly by older


generations. As younger generations grow and utilize their code-switching abilities more, then it

may shift into becoming more valued and accepted. Bilingualism is quickly becoming a norm as

more and more countries of the world realize the benefits of having a variety of languages, and

this will mostly likely lead to a more positive view on code-switching. Also, as more people

better understand code-switching and become aware of the advanced knowledge required, code-

switching will most likely become more appreciated over time.

Language Loss

How can language loss be avoided? Is there a way to ensure that a language remains strong, even

if it is not used by the majority, or even if you are the only speaker?

Language loss is described in the following quote by Jaspaert, Kroon, and Hout (n.d.),

“Language loss can be defined as a form of individual language evolution by which an individual

loses part of his competence or proficiency in a particular language.” It is closely tied with

language extinction, which is the death of an entire language with little hope of revival. Many

languages have already become extinct, and more and more are in danger of following this same

route. In order to better understand this phenomenon, let’s look a little deeper into the problem.

Language loss can occur through a variety of ways, some unintentional and others

somewhat forced. Crawford (1996) claims that there are four main factors that cause languages


loss and they are demographic factors, economic forces, mass media, and social identifiers. For

demographics factors, some examples are immigration, intermarriage with language majority

peoples, or forced relocation. Economic forces include the employment of, mostly, language

majority peoples, and therefore with the financial ability to provide a higher education for

themselves and their children. Mass media concerns television, movies, music, etc., that use

mainly the dominant language. Finally, social identifiers are ideas such as admiring or aspiring to

a certain type of person, such as a language majority individual, which in itself can include

people who have solid professional careers and generally have easier, and apparently happier,

lives.

Crawford (1996) goes on to include a way of preventing language loss which is specific

to all of the above mentioned causes. He states that the local community has to be placed ahead

of the majority when it comes to importance and value. Doing this is a good way of ensuring that

a unique culture and language are not swallowed up by outside forces. Being sure to give the

language and culture a positive association with the children, family, and friends of the

community will help to keep it relevant to their interests. Even if there is little funding available

for courses in the community language and culture, keeping it an important part of the

household, community, and even in the society is very meaningful to ensuring that language loss

is minimal or non-existent.


There are a variety of ways in which this can be done. For example, using only the

minority language in the household can be a good way of showing younger generations the

importance of understanding their native language. It provides a strong reason; the ability to

speak with some other members of the family. The younger children will have to learn the

minority language for communication purposes. Another example is keeping cultural traditions

alive. The Mexican community in Texas continues to celebrate traditional Mexican holidays.

Some counties, such as Cameron County, label them as official holidays that receive leave from

school and work. Keeping the culture and the language an active part of the community, as well

as the schools and other public institutions, is one of the best ways of slowing, or even

preventing, language loss. Keeping the language alive in the minds of the people keeps the

language itself alive as well.

There is one point that must be stressed, however, when it comes to preserving a dying

language. “Language shift cannot be reversed by outsiders, however well-meaning…You cannot

from the outside inculcate into people the will to revive or maintain their languages. This has to

come from them, from themselves. If language preservation efforts are to succeed, they must be

led by…institutions, organizations, and activists (of the dying language).” (Crawford 1996) This

is a very important point, because it shows that preserving a language cannot be forced. Many

peoples are choosing the give up their languages in order to provide better futures for their


children, teaching them the majority language over their own. The choice to keep the language

needs to be one that the people of that language agree to; otherwise it will be met with remorse

and guilt, which can lead to a negative association with the language. To continue with this topic,

the author will use more of the interview she conducted with Sue.

The author’s interview with Sue covered a wide range of topics, and language loss was

one of the more prominent ones. Sue herself had experienced very partial language loss after

arriving in Japan over a year and a half ago. She claimed it was difficult, at first, to not have

anyone around her speaking Spanish, and she had to find a way of preserving her culture and

native tongue. The next few paragraphs include what she stated as her way of keeping her

Spanish language skills from withering away.

Sue had a lot to say about language loss; how it affects people, how it happens, ways to

prevent it, etc. She explained that she can speak and understand three different languages:

Spanish, her native language, English, her main language of use, and Japanese, her newest

language. Sue told the author a story of when she was speaking with her family in Ecuador and

how it related to language loss.

I had been talking with my family on Skype, my younger cousins in Ecuador. It was

getting late in, and since I was only using the window for light, the room was really

getting dark. I decided to joke with my cousins and ask if they could turn on a light for


me, because I was being lazy. They burst out laughing, but not because of my joke. I

had used the word for “flame” instead of the word for “light”. So, I had really asked

them if they could give me a “flame” instead of a “light”. (Sue 2011)

This was a very slight example of language loss that Sue has experienced. She stated

that it is difficult to maintain her Spanish when she is living in a country where Japanese is the

primary language of the community. There are no other people in the area that speak Spanish,

thus Sue has to rely on using Spanish when speaking with her family, yet she explained that that

alone is not enough. However, there is something else that has really helped her to keep her

native language active and important.

Making sure that I don’t lose my Spanish is actually not as difficult as you would think.

In order to keep my Spanish strong, all I have to do is keep on reading whatever I can in

Spanish. I read Spanish books, articles, stories, magazines, etc. If I can, I will choose to

read a book in Spanish over English or sometimes Japanese. This way I can keep up my

vocabulary and grammar skills. I wasn’t really worried about losing any of my Spanish

when I came to Japan, maybe had it been a long time ago, when we couldn’t use the

internet or the media, but not now. (Sue 2011)

From the interview, it is easy to see that Sue’s method of ensuring that her language loss

is rather simple: to continue reading in her native language of Spanish. She has difficulties, at


times, remembering words, so she may have to look them up, but overall she is able to keep a

competent enough level to speak with her Spanish-monolingual family in Ecuador. With the

available use of the internet, it is very easy for her to find article, stories, and other interesting

reading material in the Spanish language. Sue concluded with a statement on how important it is

for her to keep her Spanish language, as it is a part of her culture and her heritage. If she were to

lose her language, she would lose a part of who she is.

To readdress the question in this section, “How can language loss be avoided? Is there a

way to ensure that a language remains strong, even if it is not used by the majority, or even if you

are the only speaker?” Language loss on a wide scale needs to be met by the people who speak it

as their native language. Only they can really decide to preserve it, and even that may not be

enough to keep it from being pushed-out by the majority language and culture. In order to try and

stop this, people need to keep the language and culture an important and meaningful part of the

community. It needs to remain a part of the household, neighborhood, and daily life of the people

in order for the language to stay a part of who they are.

For an individual, who is the only speaker of the language in the area, the best way to

keep the language strong is to use media. Reading is one of the best ways to be sure to keep up

on vocabulary and grammar skills. Watching movies, reading articles, talking with friends and

family who speak your native language or even general practice are all very good ways to keep a


language relevant to your life. It may take time, and dedication, but it is well worth preserving a

piece of “who you are.”


Conclusion

To conclude this paper, linguistics is a varied topic of study, with many branches leading

off to areas that are rarely ever considered or thought of. From language loss, a very common

and prominent issue in the world, to the benefits of bilingualism; linguistics is a very important

and ingrained part of this world. As more people become aware of this, the importance and

meaning of multilingualism, language preservation, code-switching, and native language use will

become more noticeable and attention worthy. There is a saying in Japan that translates to, “The

life of a people is in its language;” all the more reason to be sure that people appreciate

linguistics and the many branches that stem off of it.


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Sue (anonymous), personal communication, October 22, 2011

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