"If learners "invest" in learning a language, they do so with the understanding that their social and economic gains will enhance the range of identities they can claim in a particular community." I found this quote from the Norton chapter to be a concise and impactful view on the importance and effect of learning a second language on people. As humans we use words to express our thoughts, feelings, opinions, concerns, worries, excitements and values. It is impossible to get to know a person by just looking at them. Most of our identity can only be externalized through words and with a language barrier, much of who a person is can be lost. This reality puts a very large incentive into learning a new language unfortunately, as shown in this reading, there are many aspects of being a second language learner that make the task discouraging and daunting.
I have never lived or even been to a place where the main language spoken was anything but English. However, I have worked with English language learners on a few different occasions. I would say the experience was frustrating for both parties involved. I knew that these people I was talking to wanted to understand me, they just didn't know how. They also had things to say to me, but were not able to do it in a manner I would understand. Language limited are interaction and therefore limited the potential impact of our conversation. Neither party was at fault and neither party could do anything to change the outcome.
Language is an inherent aspect of communication. Communication is an inherent part of identity. I have never really thought about this before. It is so easy to make assumptions about someone based off their ability to use language, but one's inability to speak a language does not mean they don't have anything to say. This makes me wonder though, how many people go their entire lives never really being understood by the people around them because they cannot fluently speak the language?
I have never lived or even been to a place where the main language spoken was anything but English. However, I have worked with English language learners on a few different occasions. I would say the experience was frustrating for both parties involved. I knew that these people I was talking to wanted to understand me, they just didn't know how. They also had things to say to me, but were not able to do it in a manner I would understand. Language limited are interaction and therefore limited the potential impact of our conversation. Neither party was at fault and neither party could do anything to change the outcome.
Language is an inherent aspect of communication. Communication is an inherent part of identity. I have never really thought about this before. It is so easy to make assumptions about someone based off their ability to use language, but one's inability to speak a language does not mean they don't have anything to say. This makes me wonder though, how many people go their entire lives never really being understood by the people around them because they cannot fluently speak the language?