Caps #3 -- Geoffrey Gross

Multilingualism

I have chosen to blog about multilingualism, porque eu so uma pessoa, que puedes hablar en:  English, Portugues, and Español. Multilingualism is defined as, “The ability to speak more than two languages fluently or at least competently” (Martin & Nakayama, 2009).  I am fluent in English and Portuguese, while competent in Spanish. Recently, I have been accepted to try the beta for duoLingo.com. This beta has allowed me to begin learning German; “Der Mann isst einen Apfel,” translates to, “The man is eating an apple.” Someday, I hope to be fluent in at least five languages; but for now, I will stick to the task at hand.

There are two interesting concepts from the reading that I’d like to discuss. The first is Fredric Jameson’s (1972) metaphor of language being a “prison house.” Basically, a monolingual person is restricted to their language’s systemic rules. Only by learning a different language, can one feel free from this restriction. In my opinion, this metaphor is accurate. My main desire in learning new languages is to be able to communicate with others in a different way and not being restricted to the use of my native language.

The other interesting concept is interlanguage, “A kind of communication that emerges when speakers of one language are speaking in another language” (Martin & Nakayama, 2009).  In thinking of how a native speaker of one language may inadvertently apply his language’s systemic rules to a foreign language, I was reminded of popular music. There are many songs that exist which artistically combine two languages. I started to think of songs that I knew and tried to determine if the lyrics followed the style of one language or the other. In analyzing four different songs, I found that music does exhibit some interlanguage aspects. This is best seen in Shakira’s Rabiosa music video. Multiple times, she switches from English to Spanish, following he systemic rules for English when finishing a sentence in Spanish. Another example of interlanguage can be seen in my first paragraph; where I explain why I chose this topic, using three different languages.

Multilingualism is a very useful concept that has applications to music, literature, movies, and travelling. There are many benefits to learning a new language, including:  delayed onset of Alzheimers, better cognitive function compared to monolinguals, and an increased social network. (Dreifus, 2011) If you want to learn a new language, I suggest duoLingo.com. The beta is currently running, but it took them four months to invite me after I sent them my email address. The service is free of charge and provides an interactive learning environment. Badges are awarded for completion of tasks, points are awarded for correctly translating real-life sentences, and you can even compete with your friends through Facebook notifications. Currently, only Spanish and German are being taught; in the near future, Japanese, Chinese, and even Klingon with be offered. Sign up today and we can begin to compete against each other.

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) -- Shakira

The World Cup of Soccer is a great example of multilingualism's application. Referees often need to be fluent in at least three languages, players need to know English, and the number of languages present throughout the games is astonishing. 

References:

Dreifus, C. (2011, May 30). The Bilingual Advantage.

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2009). Intercultural Communication in Contexts. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.