Part III. Understanding Theory and Issues in the Field
Research Paper: “Native speakers of Spanish learning English:
Phonetic problems that may arise and some possible solutions”
Research Paper: “Native speakers of Spanish learning English:
Phonetic problems that may arise and some possible solutions”
This paper was written in the spring of 2012, in my second semester at HPU. As the course was to teach us both the different phonological sounds, as well as how to address different problems speakers learning English may have, this paper was a good way to encompass both what I had learned and my prior knowledge of the Spanish language. We were allowed to choose any language that we were familiar with, and Spanish is the language other than English that I feel most comfortable speaking and discussing, so I chose that as my topic.
The beginning of this paper describes the similarities and differences amongst phonological sounds such as phonemes and allophones in both English and Spanish so that the reader may better understand their differences. Following a brief examination of some important differences between English and Spanish using the phonetic alphabet, I have addressed five different potential problems that native Spanish speakers learning English may have. The paper concludes with some possible solutions and suggested activities for teachers to use when teaching this specific group of ELLs.
I am proud of this paper because I believe I had a good amount of knowledge of Spanish when I began to address the different problems speakers have, and I was able to recognize both the problems mentioned in textbooks as well as the ones I have encountered with this group of learners. I believe that the choices I made in regards to choosing and describing the different problems the leaners face demonstrated my knowledge of both languages and of what I had learned about phonology and phonetics from this course. A final strength in this paper, I believe, is my use and incorporation of activities for teachers to use when helping students with the phonological problems noted in the paper. Although I found many of them from other sources, I was able to explain the procedures of each so that teachers may use them in the classroom.
The biggest weakness of this paper was the APA formatting. I had learned how to do MLA in another class, which I thought could be done universally, but I found out that I was incorrect. I had used footnotes throughout so that my citations would take up less space in my text and discovered that this was not the right way to go about citing sources. Additionally, I did a poor job of proofreading and editing this paper as when the paper was returned, I noticed I had misused conjunctions multiple times throughout my paper which I was able to fix in my revised version for the portfolio. Additionally, I had problems with consistency when addressing and providing remedies for the different problems Spanish speakers learning English may have. I wrote about four problems, but only offered remedies for three of those problems. To address this missing remedy, I stated in my introduction that I would be providing solutions with only three of the problems.
In conclusion, I believe I am more prepared to assist Spanish learners of English when they are in my classroom. This paper can be found here.
The beginning of this paper describes the similarities and differences amongst phonological sounds such as phonemes and allophones in both English and Spanish so that the reader may better understand their differences. Following a brief examination of some important differences between English and Spanish using the phonetic alphabet, I have addressed five different potential problems that native Spanish speakers learning English may have. The paper concludes with some possible solutions and suggested activities for teachers to use when teaching this specific group of ELLs.
I am proud of this paper because I believe I had a good amount of knowledge of Spanish when I began to address the different problems speakers have, and I was able to recognize both the problems mentioned in textbooks as well as the ones I have encountered with this group of learners. I believe that the choices I made in regards to choosing and describing the different problems the leaners face demonstrated my knowledge of both languages and of what I had learned about phonology and phonetics from this course. A final strength in this paper, I believe, is my use and incorporation of activities for teachers to use when helping students with the phonological problems noted in the paper. Although I found many of them from other sources, I was able to explain the procedures of each so that teachers may use them in the classroom.
The biggest weakness of this paper was the APA formatting. I had learned how to do MLA in another class, which I thought could be done universally, but I found out that I was incorrect. I had used footnotes throughout so that my citations would take up less space in my text and discovered that this was not the right way to go about citing sources. Additionally, I did a poor job of proofreading and editing this paper as when the paper was returned, I noticed I had misused conjunctions multiple times throughout my paper which I was able to fix in my revised version for the portfolio. Additionally, I had problems with consistency when addressing and providing remedies for the different problems Spanish speakers learning English may have. I wrote about four problems, but only offered remedies for three of those problems. To address this missing remedy, I stated in my introduction that I would be providing solutions with only three of the problems.
In conclusion, I believe I am more prepared to assist Spanish learners of English when they are in my classroom. This paper can be found here.