Harrison Neil

Anth391
McArthur
11-3-14
Reflection Essay III
We live in a time and age that is media saturated. Literature, film, the
internet, and so on are all accessible and seemingly ever present where
people are found. Much of this media is not for enjoyment alone but
seeks to propagate a product or lifestyle. Because of this we see many
narratives played out in the media that portray a specific and targeted
ideal. Stories stick with us as members of society and as consumers
and so there is no shortage of them.
The narrative I would like to explore is found in many forms of
media. These forms include but are not limited to; film, advertising,
and literature. This is the narrative of the manly man, the type of man
that all sane ought to do all in their power to be type. This narrative
can be seen on billboards of cowboys smoking, it can be heard from
announcers who praise the quarterback for his manliness off the
playing field, and it can even observed passing by a father telling his
son to man up like so and so. This narrative is used to sell Ford
pickup trucks, its used to sell grills for the trucks tailgate and its
oddly enough even used to sell razors and other hygiene products.
This image sells a lifestyle or prescribed disposition which can be
hurtful for some. At least it doesnt push a specific body type like the
counter narrative on the feminine side. These narratives are on going
though they are generally perceived as negative by the general public in
our western culture. Use of these narratives in persuasion can be seen
even among those who hold the opinion that these promoted gender

roles are wrong and off putting. For example the feminist girl who still
expects her date to pay 100% of a dates expenses.
This narrative works in the creation of identities across the board. The
group who is being targeted is somehow formed by this narrative as
well(Lindhal, 143). An example of this can be seen in Malaysia where
men are told through their cultures stories and their advertising that
they are to preside over their wife, we see this in the LDS church as
well. Obviously gender identity is the most central to this sort of
narrative, but from the roots of gender identity comes the fruits of
those roles functioning within national and political identities. This
shows us that this narrative is powerful and present across the wide
spectrum of our worlds cultures.
We see that all forms of media are used to share and spread ideas
through narrative means. This is why we see certain celebrities linked
to certain products because they promote an image or lifestyle. These
narratives can be damaging but they make up much of our identities in
a range of ways.
Harrison Neil
LING 423
James
11-10-14
Essay #3
As we have discussed in class it is difficult, or perhaps impossible, to
separate the person (individual with unique identity) from the
teacher. Even for those who argue their professional persona is
separate from their personal identity still bring themselves, including

skills and experiences and so on, into their teaching. Having this in
mind I would like to present some of that which I have done to
improve, tune and strengthen myself as a person and thus a future
teacher. All of what I will be sharing here is that which I have done
outside the classroom to develop and progress.
The first thing I would like to share that I have done consciously and
diligently falls under the knowledge seeker. I feel that the more I
understand about the world, its peoples, their histories and narratives
the better I will be able to approach my future students sensitively and
at least not completely ignorantly. I am an avid watcher/listener of
historical and anthropological documentaries. I am active on the
message boards of those who discuss the content and its implications
for us today and in the future. I have noticed, throughout my life, that
being able to relate to people and have an appreciation for them and
their heritage builds good rapport. Good rapport, we know, is
absolutely necessary for us as teachers to fully connect with our
students. Along with this idea, I have sought to improve myself by
exposing myself to as much foreign stuff as possible. I expose
myself to all kinds of music and food, these are two of my favorite
ways to gain a love for other peoples. I see my personal identity as one
that I hope to evolve and progress throughout my life, I dont want to
plateau or be rigid and closed. I notice that this practice allows me to
relate and connect with whomever and shows others I dont attempt to
classify them or myself.
The second thing I have done to improve myself outside the classroom
is working on my professionalism in dress and speech. I work
showing, caretaking, and managing vacation rentals here on Oahu. I
have had the opportunity in dealing with very high dollar clients and
they expect a certain level of professionalism. This has led me to use
some training tools provided on how to be professional by my
company and fancifying my wardrobe. This has been an attempt to
grow up so to speak. Im a bit of a minimalist and have a limited
wardrobe, but I realize that I need to meet peoples expectations and
dress the part (and act it).

The third thing I have done outside the classroom to progress as an

individual and future teacher falls under the knowledge discusser. I
have joined many online forums to discuss ESL related topics and in
order to be part of the international ESL/EFL community. I have been
sharing ideas with other TESOL professionals and talking with as many
TESOL professionals as possible in order to know where I want to
travel and teach and how and when. The internet is such a huge tool
for us, and nearly all others in theirs fields, to connect and grow
together. I prefer not to learn everything the hard way (personal
experience) and so I really value those I am meeting over
social/professional networks, these are proving to be valuable
connections that will help me to have a good base knowledge of whats
out there in the realm of TESOL.
It feels a bit awkward writing all of this down because it feels like I'm
bragging in a way, and it seems That nearly everything I do outside of
the classroom can, in some way, help me improve as a person and as a
future teacher. The past three paragraphs have been the things that I
feel are the most major in my efforts outside of the classroom to
improve myself. This paragraph will be the product of the shotgun
effect to cover more of what I feel I have done that has benefitted my
inner teacher. I read a book a month, it should be one a day or week,
but its better than nothing and it helps me from all the exposure I gain
through extensive reading. I read Malaysian news in Bahasa and this
helps me to remember how different everyones L1 is from English. I
can better empathize with my students from this, and approach teaching
in the future. I watch youtube videos of people teaching to get ideas
and techniques. I play guitar and piano, these will keep my ears tuned
for language learning/teaching. I surf to stay healthy, it makes me
stoked and happy which every teaching should be in my opinion. No
one likes listening to their teacher who is negative and unhappy. I
make an effort to not have any enemies and be friendly and kind to all,
this will help me deal with students and their parents when conflicts
arise.
Well, thats 10 things. Hope thats good :)

As I have said, it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to separate the person

(individual with unique identity) from the teacher. I am working inside
and outside school to develop myself as a person as I know all of it will
help me in my career. These have been just some of the things that I
have done to improve, tune and strengthen myself as a person and
future teacher. I hope to never plateau as a person and so this life long
journey is my quest to be ever evolving.
Harrison Neil
McArthur
11-20-14
ANTH391
Essay 4
Identity is constructed by multiple facets and in a number of
ways. One of these such ways is the juxtaposition of identity A against
identity B, or in other words us and them(the other). This is to say that
the other gives one some perspective on ones self, this is done by
comparison primarily. The potential reasons behind this phenomena
are across a wide spectrum of possibilities. This is a complex issue and
its effects ripple across all cultures and identities for better or worse. I
will present a narrative that attempts to shed light on this idea from the
past. One that we studied this week about Germany during the 1930s
and 1940s.
In the 1920s Adolf Hitler and his constituents (the Nazi party) were on
the hunt for power and control in order to carry out their vision. These
men and women were smart and knew the power of folklore as
propaganda and fuel for the fire. The Nazi party recognized the need
for unifying the people they sought to rule. They did this by playing on

the Nordic-Germanic identity of their target market and by placing the

(Jews) other, in opposition to all these Nordic-Germanic people held
dear. An onslaught of slander and other negative images, stories, art
and so on flooded pre Nazi Germany in order to unify the NordicGermans against the Jews. The Jews were the other that was used in
order to push the superior race into believing that they were superior
and better than the Jews in all ways. Jewish ideals and culture were
represented as evil and problematic for the progress and freedom of the
Nordic-Germanic people.
This is done as well in our media here in the States. We are told that
Islam is the other and is the threat in order to get all us sheeple into
believing that we ought to launch a war on terror and blah blah
blah. Unfortunately, most (it seems) buy into this idea. Its a shame
we are so pathetic in using our amazing potential as human
beings. Even class opening prayers here on campus often mention
things like, help our troops in preserving our freedom (from the
other) and so on. This blaming the other and defining ones self or
ones folk group by being above, better than, more correct than the
other is arrogant and narrow minded. We also see examples of this in
the Mormon church when we say, we have the whole truth and
authority, those others are just confused and mislead. I do not
prescribe to or approve this use of the other and its unfortunate that
it will most likely continue as long as people are around.
Identity is constructed by multiple facets and in a number of
ways. One of these ways is the juxtaposition of identity A against
identity B, or in other words us and them(the other). This issue and its
effects ripple across cultures and identities for worse, in my opinion. I
hope we can progress as a genus to leave this habit behind in the future,
though it seems near impossible and absofruitly far fetched.
Harrison Neil
10-22-14
James

LING423
Essay #2_Factors in Second Language Acquisition

After reading the material we have been given about second language
learning and learner variables, Ive come to the conclusion that
teaching a foreign language is very complex. Its clear, however, that
some factors and learner differences are more influential than others,
and that I, as a teacher, can have an influence on most of them.
There are, no doubt, many factors involved in second language
acquisition and strong evidence if out there for each. To narrow it
down to one main or most important factor is difficult, but despite this I
believe one carries the most weight. I feel that self-efficacy is of
paramount importance, and this belief in ones potential best falls under
the attitude factor that we have studied.
We know that, in life in general, beliefs have a large role in our
psychological state. In order to learn a language must have a state of
mind that says, yes I can! Whether this is conscious or selfconscious it is irrelevant, with babies they know they can because they
see everyone else doing it. Adults will be forced to take a more
conscious approach in their self-efficacy. With this belief the possibly
daunting task of learning an L2 can be tackled (Gabillon). Not only
will self-efficacy have an impact on ones attitude but it will also affect
the choices make during language acquisition, the effort they put forth
in and out of the classroom, their inclinations to persist at certain tasks
that they know are beneficial for their progress, and their resiliency in
the face of failure, and all this for the better( Anderson). A student
with these traits, all of which are heavily influenced by attitude and
self-efficacy, will undoubtedly excel leaps and bounds ahead on one
who lacks these traits (Wang).
It is apparent in nature and society that self-efficacy is powerful

(Macaro). We have all met that person who seems to do more with
less and it almost always has to do mainly with that person believing
their effort will bear fruit, or in other words Yes, I can!
I knew a fellow who was learning Malay while in Malaysia who lacked
self-efficacy, and another who didnt know he could fail (self believing
guy). The first would set goals like wanting to be able to pray in this
L2 after 1 month while the other made goals like wanting to become
fluent as soon as humanly possible. The progress of these two shows
how strong a factor this self-efficacy really is. After 6 months the first
was struggling to communicate while the other was translating for
church officials who would visit. This is self-efficacy at work! Both,
in my opinion had very similar aptitude; perhaps the firsts aptitude
exceeded the second. Both had the same amount of time and
input. Nearly all other variables were identical. Self-efficacy was the
one thing that set these two apart.
The material we have been given about second language learning and
learner variables has lead me to come to the conclusion that teaching a
foreign language is very complex. Its clear, however, that some
factors and learner differences are more influential than others, as a
teacher I will do all I can for each of my students to believe in
themselves.

References
Wang, L.L.C., Nunan, D. (2011). The Learning Styles and Strategies of
Effective Language Learners. System, 39(2), 144-163.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0346251X1100056X
Macaro, E., & Lee, J. H. (2013). Teacher Language Background, Code
switching, and EnglishOnly Instruction: Does Age Make a Difference
to Learners' Attitudes? TESOL Quarterly, 47(4), 717-742.
Zehra Gabillon, L2 Learner's Beliefs: An Overview. Journal of
Language and Learning, Vol. 3 No. 2. Retrieved October 14, 2014,

Anderson, N. J. (2003). Metacognition in writing. A. Stubbs & J.

Chapman (Eds.) Canadian Plains Research Center, University of
Regina: Regina, Canada.
Harrison Neil
LING423
James
9-29-14
L1 Acquisition
People have been interested for thousands of years in how babies seem
to be so effortlessly and universally successful in learning their first
language. After many years of research, linguists today believe that
first language acquisition is the result of a complex set of factors that
make unique contributions (and which undoubtedly operate
interactively).
According to the latest research, perhaps the most important of these
factors is the innate capacity all human brains have at birth to process
language (spoken or signed). As we know, and as research results can
attest, our brains are extremely powerful. We see this evidence not in
one form but in many. We see evidence for this fact in the success rate
of all, with very few exceptions, children around the world with various
backgrounds circumstances and so on. Another form of evidence that
presents itself as valid and reputable is the fact each individual baby
learns their L1 to proficiency level that could be deemed as perfect,
whether it be slowly stage by stage or more rapid it is the result of an
awfully powerful and make capacity that all human brains have at birth.

Another notable factor in this process of first language acquisition is

that of input. There are as many variables as there are babies, for no
two babies experience is identical even when looking at cases of
biological twins. Despite the wide range of circumstantial variables
each baby, again with few exceptions, receives rich and authentic input
that provide the baby with ample foundational exposure upon which he
or she can observe patterns and let his or her powerful brain make
connections about their L1. We know the most common technique that
caregivers use to nurture verbal communication with infants is
Motherese (Lao, 2000). Motherese is typically very interactive type of
speech that encourages infants to listen to the words, observe the mouth
and the face (Neergaard, 2012), and to try to imitate or replicate the
sounds they (babies) are hearing. Motherese is effective for many
reasons. One of these such reason is the fact babies are attracted to
high-pitched noises, This makes this method particularly fruitful in
getting babys attention (Lanir, 2012).
The concept of input brings up another endorsed point of behavioral
stimulus reward. People in general love attention, and almost without
exception babies love being swooned and cooed at, smiled and laughed
at, at least thats what the babies I know have told me. This is central
to ones first language acquisition, that each is motivated and rewarded
along the way for their attempts to be part of the gang. A strong
supporting piece of evidence for this claim that behavioral stimulus
reward plays a large role in first language acquisition is the
Assimilative Motivation theory. I may be beyond a theory at this point
because the research shows how we as humans are very socially aware
and concerned if you will. We are concerned about our identity and
how we fit in to the social structure that surrounds us and is reinforced
on a daily basis. Research shows that we are so concerned about our
identity that we, with our powerful brains, master the local dialect that
we find ourselves immersed in. We do this in order to be part of the
gang, just as the baby who want to feel like the people that he or she
finds his/herself surrounded by day to day.
One point that I personally feel is left out of the conversation of how
babies have such a high success rate and mastering there L1 is the role

of our biology or simply put our body. Our body rewards us for our
language production, and for our sound production. Science tells us
that we are made up of matter that has energy and is vibrating. It is a
universal phenomenon that people like music, sound, and language in
its various forms. It is obvious that babies enjoy language production
on a biological level, and this can be seen when babies are not making
sounds they hear and then imitate but when they are vibrating their lips
or being rowdy in sacrament meeting with unintelligible noises. This is
a point J. McGlothin makes when he explains how a child/baby learns
from self-discovery (McGlothin, 2014).
Curiosity and Desire also play a large role in babies success in
becoming fluent in their L1. One piece of evidence that we have
obtained through research of linguists that suggests curiosity and desire
play a large role is found among babies whose parents use sign
language as well as verbal language in the early developmental
years. Research shows that babies, Despite being able to sign with
their parents, are very curious unmotivated to produce verbal speech
(Barnes, 2010). In other words if the baby has ears to hear they will be
curious about sound and its production, both by others and
themselves. Not only does curiosity and desire player role and
language acquisition, but we see these traits that are universally
common among babies helping them in many other ways as well. This
makes us realize that the skills and intelligence needed to participate
and language Exchange have a crossover and thus contribute to the
babys success in other realms of life.
Although the evidence for the case of babies being well-equipped for
language acquisition is vast and will continue to grow as linguistic
research progresses, the phenomenon of L1 acquisition among babies
still leaves us in awe! Listed above are some of the many factors that
contribute to our limited understanding of this occurrence, but I expect
that science will uncover more and more of the mystery that seems to
be so magical and the is so common. People have been interested for
thousands of years in how babies seem to be so effortlessly and
universally successful in learning their first language. After many
years of research, linguists today believe that first language acquisition

is the result of a complex set of factors that make unique contributions.

References

Barnes, S. (2010). Sign language with babies: What difference does it

make? Dimensions of Early Education, 38(1), 21-30. Retrieve from
http://sprechendehaende.de/cms/upload/pdf/Sign_Language_With_Babies_What_Differ
ence_Does_It_Make_Susan_Kubic_Barnes_Volume_38_Issue_1.pdf
Neergaard, L. (2012, January 16). Babies Learn To Talk By Reading
Lips, New Research Suggests. Retrieved September 16, 2014,
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/babies-learning-totalk_n_1209219.html (Links to an external site.)
McGlothin, J. D. (n.d.). A Child's First Steps in Language
Learning. The Internet TESL Journal. Retrieved September 17, 2014,
from http://iteslj.org/Articles/McGlothlin-ChildLearn.html (Links to an
external site.)
Lanir, L. (2012, January 14). How do Babies Analyze Speech? Infant
Language Acquisition. Decoded Science. Retrieved September 16,
2014, from http://www.decodedscience.com/how-do-babiesanalyze-speech-infant-language-acquisition/9171/2
Lao, J. (2000). Parenting Literacy: What Parents Need to
Know. Retrieved September 16, 2014,
from http://parentingliteracy.com/parenting-a-z/45-mentaldevelopment/97-infant-language-development (Links to an external
site.)