Module 3: Putting Research Into Action! Two Texts With Reflection

Module 3: Putting Research into Action! Two Texts with Reflection

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Module 3: Putting Research into Action! Two Texts with Reflection

Text 1: Students (Informative)

Culture and history are not the only elements that represent the heritage of any person but language also plays an important part in this regard. There were more than 7000 languages existed in the world but now only 6,500 languages are left with many getting extinct rapidly. Language is not merely the way of communication but it also brings along a whole different vocabulary with itself and diversity adding natural beauty. Ever since globalization started, the world is going towards a uniform way of communication to keep the communication simple and clear for everyone but due to this many languages are getting oppressed by other dominant languages e.g. English.

International students coming from different cultures or countries that are speaking languages other than English are often seen to be bullied by other students due to their accents. Due to this issue, many of these international students start avoiding their own language and assimilates in the dominant and popular culture speaking fluently other languages but not their own. It is very unfortunate that instead of promoting diversity, they are sometimes being oppressed by social environments and are discouraged to speak in their own language. The comfortability, shyness, and hesitation in speaking one's tribal language is playing a huge part in the extinction of many native languages. Wichita is just one of the many native American languages that are rapidly dying and the problem is alarming. Anthropologists have predicted that more than half of present languages spoken today will go extinct till the end of 21st century. The process is already on the rise as the youth today is very influenced by the modern culture and wants to integrate with that leaving the barrier of languages behind.

The problem is not the dominance and oppression of other languages over specific tribal languages but the real problem is something else. The real problem lies with the students today when they go to different institutions for learning purposes and instead forgets their own language. Even if they keep on to their language, they can merely speak them but cannot write their language leading to loss of many attributes of the language. The daily interaction with peers and classmates in the official language which is allowed in the campuses is making things problematic. If the phenomenon kept on happening like this, then the day is not far when not a single person will be alive to speak languages of other ethnicities. Numerous examples are present to prove this point e.g. people of First Nation in North America has lost many of the traits of their culture including the language also. All the knowledge is merely on papers now and not in practice or orally.

Action must be taken to save the languages from extinction as they are our assets and should be preserved and not avoided when lifestyle changes. Students should not feel any shame in practicing and communicating in their own culture and the informal communication between them must be done in their own languages. They should take the matters seriously and do not leave behind their representations assimilating completely in the dominant and popular culture. Other students should start appreciating the differences they see and feel with their classmates belonging to the other ethnic backgrounds speaking differently. Education does not take away anything, rather it adds to the existing knowledge.

Text 2: Administration (Formal Letter)

[Name]

[The Discipline In charge or another title]

[Name of the College]

[College Address]

[City, State, State Zip Code]

Dear [Mr./Dr. name],

I hope when I am writing this letter to you, you will be in the good of health and enjoying the wealth nature has given to you in the form of health. As the new session has started, many students have been enrolled, a large composition is of international students, some are locals and some beings to other states of America. As I am studying linguistics lately, I started to bring my academic research into practice and from the few months, I have been observing many changes on the campus. I visit halls every day and sit in café observing the behavior and the language many of the students speak. To my surprise, it was unfortunate for me to come to know that most of the students are only communicating in English. I am well aware that English is the official language of the campus but there are many students who do not know English but are still forced to speak even in informal communication. They might be belonging to the cultures where English cannot be considered a dominant language in the society rather they communicate in their own language there. This is not due to the fact that English is a disgrace to them but they want to preserve their own identity and language which is quite appreciative. The purpose of writing this letter is to draw your attention to the no comfortability the new policies of the college administration has created for the students leading to the avoidance of many of their languages.

Language loss is a very tragic thing to happen and it is not the death of the last speaker of that language that makes it extinct but the avoidance and abandonment of the language by the people from the fear of leaving behind in the race of the modern world. Educational institutions possess huge power and responsibility to do something in this matter as they are the ones where people from different cultures and ethnicity comes to learn something of their fields. In the process of giving education, the educational institutions have taken away the freedom of the students to exercise their culture easily by speaking their own language.

Colleges must provide positive part here by introducing many language inclusive policies and promote the use of other languages on campus as well in informal communication. They should arrange seminars for the students to make them aware of language loss and the importance of preserving their own languages. Apart from that, they should also provide a platform for the students where they are able to learn each other's languages and not degrade someone from using it. A healthy and respectful environment should be created in the campus and in classes so that the students start respecting the differences in the tone and accents of different languages. The pressure should be on the improvement of field knowledge and not on the use of one official language constantly.

Sincerely,

[Name]