Writing Constructs
Writing constructs are perceptions about writing that many people see as natural and definite "rules" to writing rather than as changing and malleable according to the situation at hand. One example of a construct related to writing is the old adage that you must start an introduction with an 'attention grabber'. Certainly, some attention grabbers might be necessary given specific situations, but I can think of many situations where starting with an 'attention grabber' is not a great idea. For example, a few years back a close friend to my family passed away, and his family requested that I write the obituary. When I went about writing the obituary, I didn't think up a catchy 'attention grabbing' intro. I read through many obituaries and replicated the pattern of that particular genre. Likewise, when I recently bought a new piece of furniture that required assembly, I wasn't disappointed that the opening paragraph to my instructions didn't have an 'attention grabber'.
There are many other constructs related to writing. I remember being told that a paragraph should have five to seven sentences, and I also remember constructing thesis statements with three parts. Whether it is related to perceived rules or taught ways to write, what we might think of as rules are actually constructs. Defining rules more accurately as constructs allows us to see that language usage and acceptable writing conventions are created rather than inevitable. Many writing constructs are culturally influenced but remain hard to notice because cultural analysis is difficult unless one steps away from the home culture for a significant period of time.
In standard American English, you are often taught to be concise and precise in delivering your point. This is reminiscent of the three part five paragraph essay that so many of you are familiar with. In many other parts of the world, there are other writing conventions that dictate what is or is not appropriate for different writing situations. Your task here is to research some different approaches to writing that are NOT typical of standard American English. Certainly, if you traverse the Net, you should find some sources that showcase how writing happens in different cultures.
In a brief report (1-2 pages), you should identify at least two writing constructs that are different from conventional American English constructs. These constructs must come from a different writing culture than Standard American English. Certainly, other places around the world will practice different styles.Your report should explore how the culture shapes the practice of writing and underscore the relationship between culture and writing practice. You should cite at least two sources in your brief report and you should write a reflective conclusion that explains why it is valuable to view constructs as created rather than as fixed and unchanging.
As a starting point, you might want to view this series of videos presented by Oregon State University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI0vq9VF-c\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koViA1gqiUs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0wbDcfltIU
You can use these videos as a starting point, but you must use other sources for this assignment. You have freedom regarding which culture or country you want to investigate. If your background is multicultural, you can use personal experiences, but you must still have at least two outside sources for this assignment.
There are many other constructs related to writing. I remember being told that a paragraph should have five to seven sentences, and I also remember constructing thesis statements with three parts. Whether it is related to perceived rules or taught ways to write, what we might think of as rules are actually constructs. Defining rules more accurately as constructs allows us to see that language usage and acceptable writing conventions are created rather than inevitable. Many writing constructs are culturally influenced but remain hard to notice because cultural analysis is difficult unless one steps away from the home culture for a significant period of time.
In standard American English, you are often taught to be concise and precise in delivering your point. This is reminiscent of the three part five paragraph essay that so many of you are familiar with. In many other parts of the world, there are other writing conventions that dictate what is or is not appropriate for different writing situations. Your task here is to research some different approaches to writing that are NOT typical of standard American English. Certainly, if you traverse the Net, you should find some sources that showcase how writing happens in different cultures.
In a brief report (1-2 pages), you should identify at least two writing constructs that are different from conventional American English constructs. These constructs must come from a different writing culture than Standard American English. Certainly, other places around the world will practice different styles.Your report should explore how the culture shapes the practice of writing and underscore the relationship between culture and writing practice. You should cite at least two sources in your brief report and you should write a reflective conclusion that explains why it is valuable to view constructs as created rather than as fixed and unchanging.
As a starting point, you might want to view this series of videos presented by Oregon State University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI0vq9VF-c\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koViA1gqiUs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0wbDcfltIU
You can use these videos as a starting point, but you must use other sources for this assignment. You have freedom regarding which culture or country you want to investigate. If your background is multicultural, you can use personal experiences, but you must still have at least two outside sources for this assignment.
Make sure that you reference your outside sources using MLA style.
When most people ask me where my accent is from and I tell them its from being born in America, they give me a confused look. My first language was Spanish, then hebrew, and then English. It wasn’t until I was 6 years old that I learned how to speak english, and when I learned you can imagine it wasn’t that great. It took me almost 5 years to be able to speak close to perfect english but even to this day there are things I still struggle on and thats because, to me, english is an extremely hard language to perfect.
ReplyDeleteIn the English language there are lots of rules to follow that just don’t exist when writing and talking in Spanish. In Spanish, words just seem to flow but in the English language there is a certain way to put a sentence together and if you don’t follow that order (Subject- Verb- Object) your sentence just sounds wrong. Also, the Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters rather than 26 and there are different versions of the same letter so you have to know when to use the right version of a letter.
When I finally learned English I remember learning 5-7 sentences in a paragraph and if there weren’t, it wasn’t a paragraph. In Spanish there really isn’t such a thing you can write for as long as you want or as short as you want. English is a very precise and strict language. A sentence has to either be plural or singular all the way through and it has to have the same tense and if not your sentence just doesn’t make sense. While all of this is true in Spanish, there are no rules that state so since Spanish is a much more flexible language.
While going from speaking Spanish to learning English was hard, going from speaking English to learning Spanish is much harder. This is because in the Spanish language you can say things such as “No, I don’t have anything” because in Spanish that makes sense. Also in English there is no gender but in Spanish certain objects and words have a specific gender attached to them. For example, a curtain in Spanish is a feminine noun but in English a curtain is just a curtain. Also, in the Spanish language there is no possession of nouns, in English you would just add an “S” to something and it would become Denise’s hairbrush but in Spanish it does not work like that.
Works Cited:
Coe, N. in Swan, M. & Smith, B. Learner English: A teacher's guide to interference and other problems. (1987) Cambridge University Press. Web.21 Sept. 2016.
Hand, L. R. "Learn English Grammar." English Grammar. LEO Network, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
ROSIEHILDER. "Fluent U." 5 Simple Rules You Must Learn to Build Basic Spanish Sentences. Fluent U, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
When my professor asks me what a standard essay is I think “Okay introduction paragraph with a thesis, then 3 supporting detail paragraphs for the body, and then a conclusion.” It’s hard to divert from that path when that is what teachers preach to you since middle school. I found it really eye opening to look at the different constructs of the different cultures. I chose constructs from Japan and China.
ReplyDeleteMy first construct comes from an article from Michelle Szpara and she talks about how the “Japanese and Chinese cultures” tend to “talk around a point” (Szpara 4). This is much different from our thinking because we like to be decisive and get straight to the point in our essays. Instead these cultures like to add a bunch of repetitive sentences before they get to the point. This is very strange to me because It would drive me crazy if I couldn’t just get down to the bottom line.
The second construct I found was from Jane Mattison and Högskolan Kristianstad’s article about Chinese writing. They show us that “the preferred method of thinking in China is deductive and not inductive as in the West” (Mattison and Kristianstad 3). This is different because English essays put our main point in the beginning so that we can continue to show you why we are correct. The Chinese essays assume that you know everything they have said before their thesis in the conclusion is already true. This is mind blowing to me because I am so use to giving you the facts and then backing them up and proving why they are. It is weird to think that your readers should already know what you say is true.
I believe that is it important that constructs are flexible because in Mike Rose’s article he talks about how the good writers didn’t take these constructs and points to heart. They deviated and used them more as a guideline and in turn they didn’t get writers block. This led them to become more successful writers. I whole heartedly agree with Rose’s article because I find that whenever I am caught up with staying within the acceptable constructs of a paper, I get more frustrated and it is hard for me to get out of my writers block.
Works Cited:
Mattisson, Jane, and Högskolan Kristianstad. "‘Chinese Essay Writing: A Special Challenge for Universities in the West.’ A Discussion of Chinese Students’ Essay Writing Traditions and Western Praxis.” 2014, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:174515/FULLTEXT01.pdf. Accessed 21 September 2016.
Szpara, Michelle. “Cross- cultural communication in the Writing Center and in the tutoring session: A process of sensitization.” 2013, https://www.gse.upenn.edu/wpel/sites/gse.upenn.edu.wpel/files/archives/v10/v10n2_Szpara.pdf. Accessed 21 September 2016.
I decided to research writing constructs in Britain (British English). I was prompted to do so because I have read both the original British version of Harry Potter as well as the Americanized one. I’ve always been curious as to what exactly is different between our writing other than their “fancy” spellings of favorite and color.
ReplyDeleteA majority of the differences lay within grammar and punctuation. Since we were young we were taught to add periods after titles such as Mr., Mrs., and Ms., however, in British English they omit the periods. I know this is a small thing but it is so peculiar to me. I start to think “Woah! It kind of makes sense without the period. Why do we add it and they don’t? What’s the difference? Does it EVEN matter?”
Speaking of quotations, well in quotations, in British English they use a singular quotation for quotes while we use double. For example, if I am quoting the sentence: “John exclaimed ‘There is a snake on the porch!’” it would be quoted: ‘John exclaimed “There is a snake on the porch!”’ in British English. In my opinion this version is much more logical, they use double quotes for quotations within a quote versus singular.
Many of these differences in writing style have to do with the fact that America uses Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English and British English spelling derives from Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language. I thought it was really interesting that even though we speak the same language we hold different writing constructs. I feel that since British English was developed first it has a more formal approach to writing compared to American English. I was surprised that British English used quotations differently, I had noticed it a little when reading books but I never really absorbed that they had a different way of punctuating.
Works cited:
"British vs American English." The Writer, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
British versus American Style. The Punctuation Guide, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
When you do a little bit of thinking without any outside knowledge, you’ll come to the assumption that Canadian and American English is not all that different. However, while both languages may sound the same when spoken aloud, their writing constructs can be quite dissimilar. Canadian English, for the most part, tends to lean more toward British English, but will still adopt many constructs of American English along the way.
ReplyDeleteIn a typical American piece of writing, punctuation in a sentence is generally placed in the inside of quotation marks. However, while this rule can apply in most cases when writing in a Canadian format, punctuation like colons and semicolons will always go on the “outside of closing quotation marks” (Gov. of Canada). This arrangement can also be applied when the entirety of a sentence is a question or an exclamation.
Personally, the use of ellipses gives me unwarranted anxiety in any format. However, Canadian grammar takes the cake when it comes to “dot, dot, dotting.” When writing in American English, ellipsis points tend to be connected to the related word(s). On the other hand, Canadian writers not only separate ellipsis points from their paired words, the points themselves are also not connected (eg. This is an example . . . talk about culture shock) (Translation Bureau).
While there are many differences across borders when it comes to the English language, Canadian English does not stick out too much like a sore thumb. Grammar quirks are sprinkled throughout Canadian writing, yet its constructs compare a great deal when contrasted with American English.
"Punctuation with Closing Quotation Marks." Public Works and Government Services Canada. Canada, 19 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
"7 Punctuation." The Canadian Style. Canada, 01 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Sept. 2016.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I was raised speaking Spanish so I can speak from experience how different Spanish can be from English. In English class I remember it constantly drilled into you that run on sentences are just the worst thing ever and should be avoided. However, in Spanish they can be long and still sound right. For example, in many Spanish newspapers it is common to see very long sophisticated sentences. Which I believe would make my previous English teachers shun me if I wrote one in English. Words in Spanish are very phonetic so creating sentences that sound right can be quite easy which aids in creating those long sentences. Also in Spanish, words have genders, either feminine or masculine. For example, if you are referring to something feminine the word would end in an a (“tipa”). If you are referring to something masculine the word will end in an o (“tipo”). What also make Spanish different, is the use of punctuation in contrast with its use in English. First of all, sentences asking questions are made very clear by having a question mark on both sides of the question. Whereas in English there is only one question mark at the end. Another thing is that Spanish doesn’t just use quotation marks when citing something. There is this thing called angular quotation marks («) in Spanish not used in English. For example («mi madre me dijo: “Ve a la tienda a compra leche”»). A construct associated with English in terms of punctuation, is that you must make it clear of what is being depicted in quotation and who is saying it. In elementary school up to high school, teachers would pretty much tell us to create a good quote, start by stating something like “the author from so and so article noted that (insert quote here)”. All in all, the most valuable thing to know is that the aforementioned constructs such as long sentences being a no-no, and the guidelines to quoting should be taken with a grain of salt because literature needs to be creative. In order to be creative, authors must be flexible with constructs.
ReplyDeleteWorks cited
Coe, N. (2001) Speakers of Spanish and Catalan. In M. Swan & B. Smith (Eds). Learner English. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Shoebottom, Paul. "The Differences between English and Spanish." Language Differences: English. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
When growing up, we all learned how to write essays and papers in a very specific way. I was taught to write essays with five paragraphs and the thesis had to have three points. While doing research on other writing constructs, I discovered that not all writing is the same. Two examples of writing constructs I researched were perspective and grammar. Perspective is your attitude toward something or your point of view. Every piece of writing has a target audience in mind and in order to write towards them you have to write in a certain perspective. The perspective can be either how you feel or the complete opposite. The perspective you add to a paper can determine the tone and how it will affect the reader. Adding perspective to a single piece can help the reader relate to what you are saying and find common ground.
ReplyDeleteAnother writing construct that can differ in each piece is grammar. The rules with grammar can be very strict depending on what type of piece you are writing or the target audience you are addressing. The type of grammar I researched is more about how a sentence is put together rather than where commas should be placed. Some of the rules include using concrete language, active voice; avoid using double negatives, and how you order words in a sentence. The way you put a sentence together can affect the impact that it has on the reader. It all depends on the audience that you are writing for and what you want them to walk away with. These constructs are very different from one another but when used effectively the writing can be cohesive and will be easy to read for the reader.
Sources
http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/effWrite.asp
https://prezi.com/fmiuj-octdrh/writing-constructs/
There are many differences between Chinese and English literacy. I feel empathy about that because I really took a long time to learn the differences between English and Chinese writing construction and get used to it. As a resident of both China and America, I would like to demonstrate my understandings and feelings of both countries’ literacy and writing construction.
ReplyDeleteIn Chinese writing construction, there are no such rules like “must using coordinating conjunction and a comma to connect two independent clues”. Chinese writers are focusing on the meaning of the sentences; they don’t have to be strict in order to avoid run-on sentence, because they just use the comma where is needed to end one short point and begin another. “English sentences are usually long and Chinese sentences are usually short. One should “Get the meaning, forget the words” in Chinese learning” (Orna Taub). Chinese writers do not write compound-complex sentences whereas English writers usually do, because if one writes in English “The sentence may be long and complicated, but it is still clear enough to understand. In Chinese, the situation is very different where a long sentence in Chinese would be very complicated and cannot be understood properly. Therefore, in Chinese we can only find short sentences or long sentences divided to short phrases separated by comma” (Orna Taub). Therefore, when I first studied English reading and writing, I felt so hard to understand their structures. For example, I usually understood a sentence but did not understand the meaning of it until 2 years later I got improved on my English skills.
I discover a different in the position of the writer in both Chinese and English writers. “both English and Chinese writers try to display their detached self by distancing themselves from the text and reader. But English writers are more ready to present the individual self by taking on the role of discourse constructor, arguer and evaluator, whereas Chinese writers are inclined to show their collective self and take on the role of researcher” (Geqi, Wu, and Zhu Yongsheng). Chinese writers often view themselves as a representatives of a group of people, but English writers are more likely to express their own feelings or individual opinions. I believe this difference is because most of the Chinese is Communist party, they are more likely to write about the public opinions.
Works cited:
Orna Taub, @digmandarin. "6 Major Differences between English and Chinese." 6 Major Differences between English and Chinese. Orna Taub, 06 July 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Geqi, Wu, and Zhu Yongsheng. "Self-Mention And Authorial Identity Construction In English And Chinese Research Articles: A Contrastive Study." Linguistics & The Human Sciences 10.2 (2015): 133-158. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Posted by:ziwei huang
9/25/2016
Many things can be different depending on our culture believes. People come from different cultural backgrounds have various ways of view on beauty, and have their own way to build writing construction. English is not my first language, during my ESOL and English classes in high school, my teachers always taught us that when writing papers I have to come out with a main idea first, and then write two or three different arguments to support the theme. English is influenced by Greek and Roman thinker, like many other Anglo-European languages, it often characterized by linear and direct writing style. English writing also has many guidelines and rules that students have to follow when writing essays, otherwise it will be considered as inappropriate und unacceptable. A five paragraph format is the most common way I used when wring essay in America. However, writing in eastern Asian countries, on the other hand, are usually described as indirect, inductive, and nonlinear. Chinese writing, for example, does not focus much on the paragraph organization comparing to English writing. Chinese writers are less direct when writing, they like to talk around the topic with things that do not sound related to the main thesis. Their writings do not necessary be the same length and same structure. Since Chinese writing is more a reader-responsible style than a writer-responsible style, it is usually hard for audience to grab the main point until them had read through the entire article. Unlike English which the topic sentences usually are placed in the beginning of each paragraph, Chinese writers probably will write several paragraphs as attention grabber, guide the readers step by step toward the main idea of the article. In addition, Chinese writing often contains a number of proverbs, maxims, or allusions in its content. These differences therefore explained how writing in different regions are influenced by their cultures.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Yang, Ling. "The Rhetorical Organization of Chinese and American Students' Expository Essays: A Contrastive Rhetoric Study." International Journal of English Studies 8 (2008): 113-32. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Barone, Jason. "Scholarly Overview: Non-Native Speakers of English." Online: http://www.cwru.edu/artsci/engl/emmons/writing/pedagogy/BBP_ESLHandout.pdf
French grammar and English grammar tend to overlap. Both languages are similar in terms of things like active/passive voice, past/present/future, etc. But they differ in certain ways as well.
ReplyDeleteFor one, in French writing and speech, gender is placed on different articles. This is common with a lot of languages outside of English. Words like ‘Une’ are used to describe feminine nouns, whereas ‘un’ is used to describe a male noun. In English gender is only used for personal pronouns.
Tense is a common difference between the two forms of writing. French will use a different tense to express something that does not translate grammatically correct in English. The cause of this has a lot to do with French language not using the auxiliary do. This creates a difference in how questions are posed between the two languages. Paul Shoebottom's example for this was how the French “may simply make a statement and use question intonation: He is rich? Or they may invert subject and verb: How often see you her?”
French and English are a very similar in terms of several grammatical features but differ in terms of Gender articles and different forms of tense. It is interesting to me that English is one of the only languages that does not assign a gender to every noun. I like the way French language does that, to me, it makes the sentence flow more naturally. In regards to the difference in tense, I believe it is just a language barrier that creates that difference.
Sources:
Shoebottom, Paul. "The Differences between English and French." Language Differences: English. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016. .
"Differences Between French and English Language." About.com Education. N.p., 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016. .
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteConstructs drastically effect how writing is produced, which can drastically affect the the work. Many constructs can be worked around, while some lay down very foundations for the language. There are many different writing constructs. Two apparent ones are Australian English and French grammar.
ReplyDeleteAustralian English has many conventions similar to American English, however they utilize slang more often and the diminutive in spoken and written language. Since convicts were sent to Australia in the past from England, these convicts spoke slang rather than proper English, which helped to create Australia's large slang usage today. The difference in construct is apparent. Slang is common in English, but it is still less popular than it is in Australia. Australians often utilize the diminutive of words as well. This includes shortening words or using them in a "cuter" form. For example, the word journalist could be shortened to "journo". This shortening does not occur in English. However, both languages still succeed in delivering their message efficiently. Originally, Australian writing was more similar to British English. Due to slang prevalent in American TV shows and movies. Australian English has swayed toward American English due to this foreign influence.
Another example of varying construct is grammar and the diacritics in French. French utilizes articles that match the gender of the noun in speaking and writing. In English, our articles do not have genders. Also, diacritics are mostly not used in the English language.
Writing constructs help to shape how people believe they should write. Some of these rules can actually hinder writing and the writing process. Writing is similar to an idea and working with many constructs can hinder these ideas from reaching their true potential.
Cited Sources:
By Changing Journalist to Journo, the Sentence Would Be. "Australian English; How Is It Different from British and American English?" Australian English; How Is It Different from British and American English? N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Shoebottom, Paul. "The Differences between English and French." Language Differences: English. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
This was posted by OlaToyin Olasimbo
Throughout Middle school and High school, I took 3 and a half years of the Spanish language. First it was just for the requirements for the Bright Futures Scholarship, but during my third year I really started to notice some differences in the way the English and Spanish languages conflicted. Two of the first conflicts I noticed were Grammar and the Sentence Structure.
ReplyDeleteAs for the grammar, it is a romance language and the alphabet is based off the latin alphabet. It is very similar to the english alphabet too, which makes it an easy pickup for English speakers. Spanish letters sometimes have Tildes to change the pronunciation of a word, as English does not.
The Sentence Structure of the Spanish language is also unique. Every sentence needs a subject and a verb and Adjectives come after nouns in a normal sentence. Some things we aren't used to in the English language but not something to discount. It is important to understand how all these different languages have different constructs and how they are all excepted by their native users. Most are different from one another, but seeing that there are different ways to structure sentences and different ways to express pronunciations makes me realize that constructs are created, not fixed. This shows that your writing doesn't have to follow the same old 5 paragraph essay with an attention grabber and 3 part thesis. You can make it flow the way you want it to and use any of the Constructs you want to help your writing be the best it can be.
Work cited:
Rosiehilder, By. "5 Simple Rules You Must Learn to Build Basic Spanish Sentences." FluentU Spanish. Rosie Hilder, 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Shoebottom, Paul. "The Differences between English and Spanish." Language Differences: English. ESL, 1996. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
When it comes to writing, I must say I never put much thought into different cultures and styles of writing because I guess it has never been so relevant to me. But thinking about it now, it is very interesting to think that there are other standards for writing that have become the norm for their cultures. For this reason I decided to research writing constructs in Chinese because I have grown up in a half Chinese house so I have always been pressured to the learn the language but never have.
ReplyDeleteBefore starting my research, I applied my knowledge that in Chinese culture, there are numerous dialects for language opposed to the standard one dialect in English literature. I continued on to find that most aspects of the English phonological system cause difficulties for Chinese learners. Some English phonemes do not exist in Chinese. Stress and intonation patterns are different. Unlike English, Chinese is a tone language. This means that it uses the pitch. This fascinated me because in this language, it actually relies on the speakers pronunciation and sound as to how the words will come out. I found that English has more vowel sounds than Chinese, resulting in the faulty pronunciation of words like ship and sheep, it and eat, and full and fool. Words such as in weigh, now or deer are often shortened to a single sound. Fortunately, translating the written form of Chinese is pretty simple for a native Chinese speaker because there are only two written forms, rather than the 17 form of verbal language that can be used.
Chinese and English aren’t very similar languages in terms of writing or speaking, but they do share a common characteristic with how the speaker can assign several different meanings to words depending on their pronunciation, which is very interesting to me.
Sources:
Shoebottom, Paul. “The Differences between English and Chinese.” Language Differences: English. N.p., n.d Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Elanex “Chinese- the Differences Between Spoken and Written Chinese.” Know Your Languages. N.p., Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
All throughout Elementary and Middle School, I was required to take a Spanish class each year. Most years I was very frustrated by the class because they would mostly reteach the same basics each year instead of furthering the language. Each student was taught simple words but was loosely taught how to actually form a sentence or paragraph.
ReplyDeleteBy this point in our lives, we've all heard of the most common differences in the Spanish language. I learned year after year about how some words in Spanish can be classified as either feminine or masculine. I've also learned that with each sentence there is a question mark not only at the end, but an upside down one at the beginning as well. Since i'm aware that most students know of these basics, i'd like to focus on a few things that I just learned while researching that a lot of other kids probably were not taught as well.
A large difference in these two languages is the use of passive and aggressive voices. In Spanish it is more common and acceptable to use the passive voice when writing and speaking. While English speakers are encouraged to use the active voice and refrain from the passive style. For example, the passive voice would be used as "The game is won by the best team." compared to the active voice which would be "The best team wins the game." The structure of the sentence used passively is much different than in English. For example a type of structure used is beginning a sentence with 'Hay que'. "This Spanish sentence structure has no direct English equivalent, is highly idiomatic and translates roughly to "One must... " The construction is hay + que + infinitive verb (Enforex, 2016)." So the beginning of the sentence "Hay que estudiar..." would translate to "One must study...".
Also, another difference in the languages is the lengths of the sentences. In English, it is frowned upon to have a run-on sentence, while in Spanish this is extremely common. If you were to translate a long sentence from one language to the next, it would probably not be comprehensible. But in Spanish, if the sentence is used with the correct wording then it can be well refined. This easily relates to the Spanish culture because Hispanics tend to speak faster and say everything they have to in a short amount of time, excluding pauses. This is shown in their style of writing with their use of long and detailed sentences.
I believe it’s crucial to view constructs as created and not fixed because it lets writers have more creativity in their writing instead of limiting themselves to a certain type of writing. It was proven in our readings this week with the students that had writers block that have fixed constructs can hinder our writing abilities by trying to conform to certain “rules” we are taught when we are young.
Sources:
"Making Comparisons in Spanish." Comparisons in Spanish. Enforex, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
http://www.enforex.com/language/comparisons-spanish.html
"Duolingo: Learn Spanish, French and Other Languages for Free." Duolingo: Learn Spanish, French and Other Languages for Free. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
https://www.duolingo.com/comment/2492611
Posted by: Angeleke Kelaris
During elementary school to high school, I took spanish class each year. I debated on taking italian, but i thought it would be easier to continue a language that I had been taking for so many years for my high school career. Once I started spanish in high school, it felt like a total repeat of words I had been learning each year with a few exceptions. Spanish class became my easiest and best class because I was constantly relearning the same material. A major difference between spanish and english is that in spanish, there can be run on sentences and sentences are spoken much faster than in the english language. It is very similar to many other languages, and is known as an easier language to pick up than english is. They are similar in the spanish and english both have a subject-verb-object work order, but spanish allows more flexibility in the language.
ReplyDeleteCoe, N. in Swan, M. & Smith, B. Learner English: A teacher's guide to interference and other problems. (1987) Cambridge University Press
Japanese and Standard English are extremely different, and those difference extend through more aspects of the languages than I initially thought. The alphabet, phonology, grammar, and vocabulary are all completely different. This can affect writing in many ways. It’s almost as if there are no base similarities. Even the core components of the language are different which creates contrasting aspects of literature from the start.
ReplyDeleteFor starters the Japanese writing system is complex, it uses two native scripts and then also uses Latin script for things like advertising and neologisms like “DVD”. That’s not even remotely close to the strangest part of the writing style from an English perspective. Japanese is actually written in two columns from top to bottom and right to left. Books even start from the back. Despite these divergences, it is widely accepted and reported that “Japanese learners of English rarely have particular difficulties with English writing.” This surprises me because I think that people with English as their primary language have trouble with Japanese.
Although writing is more convertible between languages, speaking and hearing are not so. Japanese has less complex combinations of consonant sounds. As a result, “Japanese ESL students find English hard to pronounce.” This is because of the lack of familiarity with these sounds. In addition, these students also have trouble hearing more complex consonant words in the English language. Stress and pitch are also differently expressed.
The next difference is my favorite, if that makes sense. Japanese verbs do not account for number or person. So this becomes especially prevalent when you get to third person. “the most common consequence of which is the omission of the –s in the present simple 3rd person: she go/ my father work…” Lastly, much of the communication in Japan is heavily influenced by aspects such as age, sex, relationship, and relative status.
Works Cited:
Shoebottom, Paul. "The Differences between English and Japanese." Language Differences: English. Frankfurt International School, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
Sensei, Betty. "Ten Differences Between Japanese and English That Make Japanese an Easy Language To Learn - ようこそ ベイティー先生のクラスへ." Ten Differences Between Japanese and English That Make Japanese an Easy Language To Learn - ようこそ ベイティー先生のクラスへ. Betty Sensei, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.