Homesteader or Cowboy?

[joe]

My naive ideas: that anyone's language, their way of representing the world, colors the way they perceive the world is obvious. Equally obviously, I think the color is minimal. I think the impact of language on perception must be in inverse proportion to that language's expressive ability. If your language is particularly expressive, y'all have more concepts to perceive. The rest of it is up to how dumb or otherwise the user is.

I think that as our students improve in language ability, so does the cultural content of the language learning activities chosen for the classroom. We promote a certain style of language use -- discussion and question-asking behaviours for example. But this is not teaching culture, it is only demonstration; and it is as hit-and-miss as any other uncoordinated, unconfirmed, ungraded activity.

That, for example, critical thinking is promoted in an upper-level foreign teacher's classroom is about as meaningful as saying laughter is promoted. I bet the students laugh more in a foreign teacher's class, and I bet equally they are not learning new kinds of comedy. They don't after all seem to be making the same kinds of comedy as the teacher.


As for "How have you been?" It's a sheep-and-goats thing, especially if spoken naturally. Aside from being able to recognise unstressed words, the listener has to be able to parse the present perfect tense; or has to have been taught more greetings than "How are you?"

I've never had anyone recongise what I was saying to them when I've used it at the beginning of classes, but they instantly respond to the Chinese English equivalent: "How are you these days?"


I think students can be taught grammar. I think they can be taught adequate usage. I think they can be given chances to use the expressive power of the new language to their own ends, and for a while we can watch over their grammar and usage.

So I say I'm a cowboy.

[con's fly is open]

I believe the same thing, Joe. My current gig doesn't give me a ton of leeway, though: worksheets must show progress. So I suppose I'm a cowboy teacher being forced to stay inside the lines.

As far as my presence in China goes, though, still a homesteader in intent.

[Lotus Eater]

joe said:

My naive ideas: that anyone's language, their way of representing the world, colors the way they perceive the world is obvious. Equally obviously, I think the color is minimal. I think the impact of language on perception must be in inverse proportion to that language's expressive ability. If your language is particularly expressive, y'all have more concepts to perceive.

I'm not certain that I agree the colour is minimal. I have not seen the German language as particularly expressive - although to be fair I only studied it for 12 months. But the concepts developed by German philosophers, scientists etc are not stunted.

The concepts carried by language are highly reflective of the society - therefore if I was an Australian Aboriginal I would have many expressions for seasonal changes. Were I, as a non-Murri, learn to speak Wokka Wokka then I would change my current perception of seasons.

We promote a certain style of language use -- discussion and question-asking behaviours for example. But this is not teaching culture, it is only demonstration;

Tell me and I hear, demonstrate and I understand, let me do and I learn.

As for "How have you been?" It's a sheep-and-goats thing, especially if spoken naturally. Aside from being able to recognise unstressed words, the listener has to be able to parse the present perfect tense; or has to have been taught more greetings than "How are you?"

I don't know what my students and friends had been taught - but they answered this question much the same as I would have - with no prompting - it was a straight question on greeting them for the first time that day. I wanted to run the test exactly as you laid it out to see what would happen.

[Mr Nobody]

I agree with a lot of what you say, Joe. I do think that culture is embedded in the language. If you don't have words for something, it is hard to have the ideas - although possible.

I think the main difference is our interpretation of Cowboy and homesteader.

I also think going around in circles is pointless.

[joe]

"Cowboy" and "Homesteader" are meant to be open to interpretation. I intended the distinction to turn on purposes, and people may have more purposes than I know.

In any case they tell me it's better to travel in hope than to arrive.

[Mr Nobody]

Better to travel in hope than arrive in .................?

[joe]

Beats me, dude. It's just something my father would always claim was Chinese. I have often taken it to say that while movement is meaningless without a destination, a destination is less than half of the goal.


It is better to roll with the circle than to rock on a point.

[Mr Nobody]

Good point, if I can make a bad pun for a moment. It's times like this I wished I listened to my mother.

What did she say? you might ask.

I don't know. I didn't listen.