Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Exploring Culture

After taking spanish 201 this semester I have a whole new understanding for speaking fluently in spanish. Throughout this semester we have been learning to better our listening, communication, and reading skills in spanish. Every week we would have grammatical lessons that help us understand how and why spanish words may be conjugated the way that they are. This year taking Spanish was a little bit different than other years because it was completely online. But, being able to listen to the audios and watch the videos provided allowed me to emerge myself in the spanish speaking culture. These practices and products allow me to challenge myself by seeing thighs from another perspective. Living in America can almost cloud our views on how culturally different the world can be. So, having the opportunity to enhance my learning experience in front the comfort of my home was something that I would not take for granted. I would not be telling the truth if I said that Spanish -201 was a walk in the park. Some of the challenges that these perspectives revealed to me would have to be the grammar. Sometimes I would find myself struggling to conjugate in the preterite or imperfect form. I would have to do grammatical lessons over and over again just  to get the hang of it. I grew up a military brat so I have had the opportunity to experience different cultures from all around the world. Being able to see things from a different perspective and experience different cultures has made me the person that I am today. When we were learning about the Spanish texting abbreviations I thought it was really interesting to see how it compared to the abbreviations we may use here in america. Here in the United States the abbreviations might be a little bit different but still mean the same thing with different abbreviations in english. 

Engaging in Communities

I believe that the value and importance of engaging in my immediate and global community is very important if you want to be able to introduce yourself to a new culture. I think that once you connect to a culture it can be easier to connect to the people of that culture.. Spanish speaking countries tend to have more of a community between one another. While I was in Puerto Rico this summer in the evening people would go out and talk to one another, have drinks and just enjoy each other’s company. Another thing that I thought was actually really different was that people would show up unannounced to their neighbors and friends house and stay for hours catching up with one another. I think that Americans can definitely benefit from the type of community that Spanish speaking countries tend to have. After experiencing the type of community in Puerto Rico I honestly wish that  we had that type of community here in the United States. I also believe that if people took the time to get to know one another better and actually speak to one another then a lot of conflicts would be non-existent. If there was one thing that I would take out of the spanish culture would have to be their hospitality and their communication that they have with one another. 

Interpersonal Communication

This semester we had to complete two Talk Abroad assignments. This was not my first time having to complete assignments but it was my first time having to talk to Talk abroad in a long time.  I have been practicing my Spanish accent and my vocabulary so it was really nice to be able to speak to someone who is fluent in the language. Another thing that really helped me get more comfortable with speaking this semester would have to be the homework. With every homework assignment we would have to listen and also speak about different topics that they would assign. At first it was a little hard to be able to talk about things that I did not have a few days to prepare about but once the conversations started flowing everything I learned and understood came to me. 

This summer I went to latin first in Norfolk Virginia. Throughout this festival they were people talking in spanish fluently and spanish music playing. I found myself being able to understand what Bad Bunny was even when he was speaking so quickly. Of Course i didn’t understand everything he said but I did understand  a lot. I love to listen to Spanish music because I have noticed that it helps me with my accent and it allows me to be able to understand native Spanish speakers when they speak so quickly. I have a lot of native friends who speak fluently and whenever I visit them or go to their home I speak in spanish to them especially their parents who may not know how to speak english. Even though I stumble at times and I do not have the best accent I can tell that they appreciate that I am trying to communicate with them in a way which is better for them in their home. When I started this class I was a little bit rusty when it came to my spanish just because I hadn’t practiced it in a while but after working on the lingo learning activities everyday I would say that I have excelled in my speaking. I had a conversation with my professor for our final speaking exam and I was able to keep up with the conversation very well. I learned that I really need to study my Spanish grammar and accent marks. I have noticed that I struggle with conjugating things correctly so that it makes sense while writing or speaking, but it is something that I have gotten better doing with practice. 

Presentational Speaking

This semester I took this Spanish class completely online so it was a little difficult for me to be able to do presentational speaking because this course was completely online and asynchronous. I would say that I did some presentational speaking in this class and that would have to be when I did Talk abroad and also when I had the open conversation with my professor. 

Through my Talk abroad conversations and speaking with my professor I was nervous at first for both because I technically did not have complete control of the conversation or know exactly what they were going to ask me. I had a little information so that i could prepare beforehand but i didn’t know exactly the direction that the conversation was going to flow in. I would have to say that I excelled in flowing throughout the conversation. Even when I did not understand a word I would be able to use context clues from the description words or the words surrounding it. I noticed that at the beginning of the conversations I would be a little shy and have a hard time conversing with the other person and towards the end of the conversation I would feel more confident in my Spanish speaking abilities. So next time I would start off confidently and keep the conversation going strongly which would help the conversation even more.  

Presentational Writing

We had a lot of writing assignments in this class, through discussion boards and homework in lingo learning. These homework assignments were not timed so they allowed you to go at your own pace. I really liked that we could take our time because I do not like feeling rushed. For the discussion boards we would have to watch a video a lot of the time and then respond with our thoughts and how we interpreted what we just watched.  

For each discussion board assignment I think that I have grown with my ability to compose sentences quickly. I also am able to listen to discussions/ conversations in Spanish, understand them and elaborate on what I just heard. Since I struggled a little bit with grammar through this class that was something that I struggled with at first while writing anything. I had to complete the discussion board a couple of days in advance then come back to it to make sure that everything made sense and that I wrote everything correctly. The more I practiced the better I would get throughout my writing assignments. 

Interpretive Listening

This semester we had a lot of listening audios specifically in our homework. For almost every homework assignment we would either have to listen to an audio to and answer questions for our homework assignments. 

We would listen to a lot of conversations between couples, friendships or grammatical videos. I really enjoyed listening to these audio recordings of people talking to one another. I love hearing the different accents and how they navigate their way through conversations. One of my favorite audios that we had the opportunity to listen to would have to be the one about the famous art museum from Buenos Aires. I had to repeat the audio a few times because their accents were so beautifully strong. I just wanted to make sure that I was hearing what they were saying correctly to then be able to answer the questions. Like I said before, I found the accents very interesting. I think it’s so cool how all these different Spanish speaking countries have different accents but can all understand each other no matter what. With each activity I have found it easier to be able to understand things the first time I wouldn’t have to repeat the audio as much like I did in the beginning. 

Interpretive Reading

Reading is such a huge component in being able to understand Spanish because it helps when it comes to both writing and listening. One of my favorite assignments that we had to read this semester would have to be the story about Finita. I really enjoyed this story because  of the way that it was formatted and also how the pictures elaborate on what was going on in Finita’s life. I never really had to read anything aloud because this class is online but reading in your head can be just as difficult. 

Sometimes I wouldn’t enjoy reading because it gets a little confusing for me and it would be hard for me to pronounce words I didn’t know correctly in my head. The story of Finita was one I enjoyed reading. I thought that the font and the illustrations made it a little easier for me to read in my opinion. But the thing that I found the most favorite part of the story would have to be the ending of the story. Finita deciding that she was going to go back to her home country to find her father was very cute to me. If I was in her position I would do the same thing if I was in her position. The only way of overcoming not finding reading enjoyable would have to be to find something that sparks your interest and see if it’s offered in spanish. Sometimes I would go on social media sites such as twitter and go to the spanish side of pop culture to see if I could understand that. It wouldn’t necessarily last that long but it’s all about the effort. I would recommend listening and reading at the same time. On apple music they show the lyrics at the same time while you’re listening to a song. I would find myself learning the lyrics but also practicing my Spanish. It’s a win-win situation in my opinion. Now I know all the lyrics to Titi me Pregunto by Bad Bunny. I feel like I have grown in my Spanish  comprehension skills because of constant practicing.