Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

I didn’t really do much beyond Contrasena and discussion boards. however I have done some exams and quizzes. in our discussion boards we talked about food, family roles, etc.

these products and practices allowed me to broaden my view of the world as it had been somewhat limited to the culture of the US as I have never left the country in the course of my 26 years of life. They helped me achieve a greater understanding of Hispanic culture. I did find mastering the language somewhat challenging.

Engaging in Communities

Engaging in one’s immediate community fosters a sense of brotherhood, and encourages cooperation, thereby improving quality of life in the overall community and allowing for resources to be allocated to more important ventures that would otherwise be spent in dealing with internecine squabbles and petty infighting.

Interpersonal Communication

TalkAbroad is a service that allows for students in Spanish speaking countries to get in touch with their fellow students in other countries, as well as those in countries that may speak other languages. while using TalkAbroad I met a very nice woman by the name of Maria Isabel who helped me a great deal in our conversations as I did not-and still don’t- have a very good grasp of the language.I also did several discussion boards although those were primarily in English. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QEl0sSbH3JpCK1xSrsqQL75bkkta0f77/view?usp=sharing

through these activities I managed to marginally increase my understanding of the language. My redneck vocal cords made pronunciation difficult and I am convinced that Spanish was deliberately modified at some point to be spoken so fast as to be unintelligible to non native Spanish speakers. My only saving grace was the phrase “mas despacio, por favor.” That helped me considerably. I did, however get better at certain aspects of writing the language. The only thing I really learned is that I suck at Spanish. The only thing I could do to fix that “next time”(IE in the next life) is try to be born in Latin America, Puerto Rico and/or Spain.

Presentational Speaking

The majority of the “presentations” I gave in this class basically consisted of writing a sentence in Spanish and then narrating it.

Correct pronunciation challenged me, I overcame it by learning how to better pronounce the words. I excelled in writing the words though. what I would do differently next time is be born in a country that regularly spoke Spanish so I could be taught it at an age where it would be easier to learn.

Presentational Writing

I have created several presentational writings in the form of discussion boards. There were also at least 2-4 TalkAbroad conversations with my peers in other countries(although in all honesty it was primarily just Maria Isabel, the one I mentioned earlier). putting sentences together properly was difficult at first but became easier. I aced certain aspects of conjugation but the pronunciation speed was difficult to master. as i wrote previously, I got around this by judicious(profuse) use of “mas despacio por favor”, as well as with help from Maria when she realized she was dealing with a clueless gringo rather than an experienced and fluent spanish speaker. Here is a recording of my second conversation with TalkAbroad; be warned, there are a lot of pauses as, as I wrote earlier, my brain has trouble keeping up with a native Spanish speaker:..https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QEl0sSbH3JpCK1xSrsqQL75bkkta0f77/view?usp=sharing.

Interpretive Listening

I did several TalkAbroad conversations as well as listening to Contrasena audio clips

Keeping up with the pronunciation of the language was difficult. I overcame it by learning to listen better. What I found most interesting was that, in my entire time in Span 101 and 102, neither professor could give me a plausible explanation as to why they pronounce things so fast. My takeaway is that I am terrible at speaking Spanish.

Interpretive Reading

I read various articles and discussion board posts for this class.

pronunciation was difficult. i overcame it as much as i could by using certain commands and with help from classmates. my takeaway is that i am terrible at Spanish. however i did get less terrible at it after this class.