Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

In the beginning of this course, I was very eager to Spanish. Some activities were harder than others, such as learning how to conjugate verbs. I struggled with that the most. When I struggled with conjugating verbs I would search for certain verbs and their conjugations on the internet. Websites such as Quizlet were especially helpful when trying to memorize certain verbs and their conjugations. Once I was able to determine certain conjugations for certain verbs, i.e, -ar and -er verbs, certain words become much more easier for me to change. Since beginning this course, I have noticed I am able to talk better. By that I mean that, when I talk, my words are not as harsh. The way my words sound, make everything flow well and sound smooth.

Exploring Culture

One of my favorite ways of exploring cultures is by eating food. Since I was in the Navy, I have met people from all over the world. One way people can connect to one’s culture is by food. My friends would take me to authentic restaurants to introduce me to their cultures. I usually like to look into what people eat and what it truly means to them. When eating food, I learned a lot about customs. However, it was a little more tricky to learn about Spanish speaking countries because there are just so many.

Engaging in Communities

Engaging in the immediate community is valuable because it exposes people to different cultures and backgrounds. During my time in the Navy I would volunteer for different events. Those events would open my eyes to cultures and their histories. It made me want to explore a certain culture. One way I was able to do that was by food. My friends, who were from different countries would take me to authentic restaurants and force me to try new food that was out of my comfort zone. However, due to the current pandemic, I have not engaged in my immediate community or the global community.

Interpersonal Communication

During this semester I was paired with a partner twice to introduce ourselves in a short video. Other times, we would watch a video and address the question that was asked. These videos informed us how to properly introduce ourselves and also exposed us to culture in Spain.

Since most of the discussion board posts were responded to in English, I didn’t see much growth in myself for those assignments. When I was with a partner, we would have to introduce ourselves in Spanish and have a quick, simple conversation. I found myself getting better and better at pronunciation as the weeks went by. I also found that my vocabulary expanded and I felt more comfortable using other words.

Presentational Speaking

A presentation speaking activity I completed this semester was on the VHL website. For these activities we had to communicate with a partner and do simple greetings which was then graded by our professor.  

During these interviews with a partner, the accent and the rollings of the ‘rs’ were kind of difficult. I would hear how a word was said and then when I would go to say that specific word, it would come out wrong. In order to fix this, I would repeat the word over and over until I felt comfortable enough to start the interview with my partner. Once we did the interview we would listen to it to ensure that it was up to our standards. Once we played the recording, I was shocked at how well I spoke and how well the words flowed and sounded as natural as I could make it.

https://m3a.vhlcentral.com/sections/934409/activities/281213

Presentational Writing

I have not done any of these things.

Interpretive Listening

During this course, as a part of our homework, we would have to listen to a recording, and answer questions based off of the recording. We were also given links to Spanish songs to listen to.

In the beginning, recordings were easier to understand and listen to. Towards the end of the semester, I found the recordings to be more difficult. The speaker would talk faster and it was harder to determine certain words. One way I was able to combat this issue was to listen very closely and pick out on word I understood. I would listen to recordings over and over until I understand the context of that word. This has helped me understand spoken Spanish more. Listening to music was also helpful because simple words were amongst the lyrics. Not to mention, it was fun to listen to modern pop in Spanish.

Interpretive Reading

The only interpretive reading that I have done in this class was when I would read VHL book, and certain assignments that would like like a newspaper clipping.

When I would have to read certain pages in the VHL book, I would become lost. I would try to focus on one word that I knew and understood, from there I would use context clues to piece together what I was reading. Often times, I found that using context clues was useful, however, as the semester went on, it was harder to complete full sentences or paragraphs with that method. Although it was a little difficult for some pages, I did find that that was the most useful. Many of the readings were about culture. I was able to learn about customs and courtesies from multiple Spanish speaking countries. I assumed that most Spanish speaking countries had a lot in common, after reading, I realized how wrong I was.