Jazz Cole

Jazz Cole

I am a multilingual American continuing to educate myself in a constantly changing world.

Location United States of America

Activity

  • I didn't know that schools still did things like that.

  • What local language was that?

  • Being told by peers of the same race as me that I talk like a white girl growing up really affected who I hung out with. I felt like I wasn't accepted or would be accepted by certain members of the black community and my friend group really revolved around white people or at least people who spoke like me.
    Also, people who spoke to me in what's classified in...

  • The term "British English" sounds very vague to me considering how accents can vary in Great Britain. Also "good pronunciation" can be subjective from person to person. It can be discriminatory during the audition/interview phase of the job.
    I remember my mom, a native of Kentucky, telling me that she was taught in broadcasting school to speak a certain way...

  • Accent reduction can be justified in theatre or film/TV when actors are portraying characters who possess certain accents. The other time would be in diplomatic situations in which something is being transcribed or even interpreted in a foreign language. It is important to stay close to a standard accent, especially when dealing with people who may not speak...

  • Jazz Cole made a comment

    My accent has never caused me any issues. As an African American woman who grew up attending private school and is currently in the process of furthering my education, I've been told by many people that my accent sounds displaced. I'm from Kentucky, but I've been told by people who aren't from Kentucky that I don't sound like what they expected a Kentuckian to...

  • In the U.S. accents can sometimes predict someone's political views, we've seen demographically during election seasons that usually people from the southern regions are more conservative and less educated. So when you listen to someone from Alabama, as an example, people can associate their accent with conservative views and bring their level of education...

  • I had a friend/neighbor from the Netherlands and I talked to him often at the time because Dutch is my 7th language and I was trying to find identifiers with his accent because I had never heard a Dutch accent before! When I started learning it, I realized how unique Dutch is to German since many words cross over.

  • I am an American from Kentucky so most people assume that I have a southern accent, but because I'm multilingual and I've lived in California during college and many people tell me I don't sound like I'm from Kentucky. I have a way of enunciating my words clearly because I like being understood, I speak with more of a medium resonance, I don't really slur my...

  • The way he pronounces the long A really stands out for me.

  • In certain settings, it is important to be salient especially when you're trying to give off a certain impression.
    The advantages of accommodation can help in understanding one another, but it can sometimes be frustrating when the other person's language skills are limited and you're trying to make sure they understand. Also, accents can prevent people from...

  • The way I see it is that the person wants the speaker to pronounce "here" in a particular way. Since the BBC does have a wide-reaching audience, my inference is that pronouncing words in a standard accent makes it easier for a wide range of people to understand. Any regional deviations could possibly hinder a group of people from being able to understand what...

  • I believe language attitudes are perceptions of the status and background of someone who speaks a certain way. For example, people who talk with improper grammar or pronunciation (in relation to what's considered standard or "correct") can be regarded as uneducated.

  • I believe the main sources of soft powers do come from their media sources. As a person who tutors French students who have relatives or close relationships with people in France, I see that French has been an outlet for many artists to come out. I can't tell you how many times I mention French music and the first person that comes to mind is Aya Nakamura or...

  • The challenge I see for these three institutes is the reception they're likely to receive from countries based on their historical background. There's a matter of their acts of spreading their language and culture can lead to other non-European nations becoming more eurocentric in competition to their own cultural identity and ideals.

  • The main thing is being cooperative with other nations, and countries that are isolated, such as when Trump came out with the "America First" philosophy promoting nationalist ideals while pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, which puts us at a disadvantage with global environmental issues. During a global pandemic, that's a crucial time to be a...

  • I believe it is possible, but there can be challenges to doing so successfully.

  • I wouldn't necessarily say that is a bad thing all in all. It cannot replace physical interactions, but technology like VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are sources that allow us to change our IP location so we can access more cultural and local information that wouldn't be available to us otherwise. For research purposes, this can be helpful even prior to...

  • The internet and social media have allowed individuals within different countries to directly interact with different cultures. For example, there are influencers who have followers from other countries and have a way of directly communicating with them (even in their own language). On Instagram, I follow several French media outlets so I can get an unbiased...

  • No, I don't because art in itself can be used (through many different mediums) to express a political viewpoint or to express their own message. I remember visiting an exhibit by an Australian artist who came to my hometown. His collection was called "Uz vs. Them" (with the -Z there intentionally). I remember it being about division and "othering" among...

  • I know that on the conservative political spectrum within the US, there are people who believe that the government shouldn't be the sole actor and regulator of everything. That's why we give 501(c)3 nonprofits tax-exempt status as well as other government benefits to Non-government organizations (NGOs) to act on its behalf. Upon application, that's why we're...

  • Yes! We have trade and commerce relations with the Netherlands and even South Korea. Moreover, our state has a bigger impact because Kentucky is home to the Kentucky Derby (in which Queen Elizabeth II managed to attend at one point in time), we hosted the World Equestrian Games one year when I was in middle school, and we hold the title of Horse Capital of the...

  • In the United States, I wouldn't say there are specific territories with a particular cultural identity, but I can say demographically states in the west and southwest (or sunbelt) regions were once territories of Mexico in which you can find many Spanish-speaking people. In cities like Los Angeles, there are territories for specific cultures set up during...

  • Absolutely! As mentioned, one of their 3 principles is to reduce external influences. Many of the listed countries are small in size so they wouldn't be able to compete or make their mark on the world stage, but as a regional group, it allows them the ability to make a much bigger impact than they would individually.

  • I can understand your point. In the book, "The Story of French" the authors discussed how the French were able to spread their language by learning the language of the natives before teaching them the French language. This is usually a longer and more education-based approach compared to the English or the Spanish during the 15th and 16th centuries by simply...

  • I actually am familiar with La Francophonie and I talk about it in my French lessons in the US. It's helpful to have a common language to perpetuate international relations in general. From my own personal experiences abroad, being a French-speaking American has allowed me to make friends, express myself, and even provide an American perspective on different...

  • After looking at all 4 notions, I think the U.S. corresponds with cultural cooperation since we're involved in so many international alliances, and supporting many foreign efforts that (in some way, align with American values.

  • In the U.S. Cinco de Mayo is acknowledged every (although it marks an individual battle it's not that actual Mexican Independence Day). Mexican food is a common type of food eaten day-to-day in America.
    Pasta, in various forms, is a common household meal in America with Italian origins, but also noodles originally came from Asia during the time of Marco Polo.

  • I believe they can, especially if they're a country with a multicultural general public (i.e. the United States, France, Germany, etc.)

  • I believe it has a lot to do with the local people, architecture, and standard of living that can make a country more attractive to other people. When I think of the reason why so many people think of Paris when anyone mentions France. There's the preservation of history through their particular style of architecture (it feels like going back in time depending...

  • I actually am a fan of foreign entertainment simply because I'm always fascinated, as a speaker of many languages, to see what's on TV in other countries, and what kinds of products or services are being advertised during commercial breaks. I would say that it helps me get some understanding of foreign pop culture.

  • From what I understand, cultural cooperation can be identified more with actions whereas public diplomacy focuses heavily on communication with the masses.

  • I know that the U.S. is due to host the summer Olympics at some point. I know a lot of new stadiums were being built in Los Angeles for preparation. I think this really depends on who's in office at any given time and how important cultural engagement is to them. It can be effective if it's done in a respectful way that doesn't communicate that they're...

  • To put it simply, I believe it's mainly to generate peace within a culturally diverse world.

  • I think it's safe to say that the U.S. is more of a cultural cooperation state since we're very active within many international alliances.

  • I agree simply because different countries have different ways of communicating, whether in words, gestures, or body language. It's essential to know how to communicate effectively or even integrate into a culture someone may not be familiar.

  • Cultural relations are about working together interdependently as part of a global community. In the U.S., I believe we 'use' culture in international relations to communicate effectively with one another especially when business and international alliances are on the table.

  • I don't think it's fully changed my perspective of othering because I don't believe that negative othering is a good thing from personal experience, but I think that othering can be a way for people to find other people with common interests and backgrounds that will allow them to have better conversations around certain topics. As an entrepreneur, it's easy...

  • There is not a lot of information in regards to othering by education level, but there are reports of discrimination based on who has access to education. There's also the othering and assumptions being made based on which higher education institute someone has attended (i.e. Harvard vs. Kentucky State University).

    The college-educated in-group can have the...

  • 1 I chose to explore the in-group of the educated in regards to higher institutionalized education. Othering based on who's obtained a higher education is not completely unheard of. The benefits of belonging to this group have linguistic distinctions based on the discussions they're having, word choices, and even their socio-economic standing.
    2 People who...

  • 1. The idea of 'national pride' in the US has been established as "the home of the free and the brave" and we pride ourselves on the freedoms that are given to us based on the Constitution that was written back in 1787.
    2. The common stereotype I see about my country is that we're a country of nationalist and racist white men, we love guns more than people,...

  • 1. I have had experiences of othering prominently from my grade school years.
    2. I hate to admit that I have, linguistically for sure.
    3. I have been a victim of othering in the negative effects due to my HSP personality traits that didn't fit in with the 'normal' behavior of everyone else.

  • 1. While out of the country, I've hardly experienced assumptions about my American nationality because of my linguistic abilities. I've had questions about the political circumstances of my country, but not any assumptions made. When I was studying in France back in 2018, I went on a date in which politics came up and I asked their opinion on Trump from a...

  • One problem that's likely to occur would be assimilation depending on who places themselves as the dominant culture where people are subject to conforming to a culture that's not their own. Different groups of people could be subject to discrimination or even segregation at the most extreme such as what we see with the apartheid culture in South Africa even...

  • I definitely enjoyed week 3 on Inspiring Language Learning since my nonprofit focuses on foreign language education support and developing effective ways to teach them. I also speak 10 languages and I'm actively using them regularly as a way to connect with other people. I'm thinking about getting my masters in Linguistics at some point with a specialization...

  • I hate teaching vocabulary words. When you're teaching words without any context of how to use them, it can be difficult to apply them to real conversations.

  • I understand. It's confusing for me as well, but I agree that artificial intelligence specialists would have better use for it.

  • I think this could be a tool used at the advanced level. I think the amount of information may overwhelm a beginner. You can use the corpus tool to have more discussions like this at a higher level of English proficiency.

  • I believe in the academic section, we are more attracted to using we, they, one, and it because they seem to be more objective pronouns. Especially if you're writing a scientific document reporting research, it's common (or so I've seen) to use neutral pronouns and language. In some scenarios, they won't use pronouns, but state the subject in its proper name.

  • I see that across all charts "need to" is gaining traction. "Must" is definitely going down on all charts, but for academics, there's a slight increase you can see between 2010-14 and 2015-17 intervals. Across the board, I can see that "have to" and "got to" remain relatively consistent and don't make any major declinations.

  • It does match my prediction. It's represented as the highest in the academic category.

  • Jazz Cole made a comment

    In school when it comes to writing, you're supposed to be more direct and concise with your words. It would be common to say "must" instead of "have to" or "need to" because it's fewer words and it's to the point. There are also auto-correct features now when writing, and it usually will make those changes for you with proper suggestions.

  • As an American, it's common to hear "to have to" in everyday speech. The only time I hear "must" is in a more formal speech.

  • A response from a university said, "Unfortunately, we cannot confirm whether you are eligible for admission to a KU Leuven programme via email or over the phone." This was an admission advisor to a prospective applicant. They're the ones with the power. The tone was formal and indifferent expressing not that my question was not possible for them to...

  • Also, I have to say that in America depending on what part you come from, the accents are totally different. We're also a very culturally diverse country so a lot of words are integrated into our language from other languages. When I lived in Los Angeles, there is about a 49% Hispanic population and Spanish is widely spoken that which does influence the accent...

  • I actually disagree with several of these statements. It's nice to achieve a pronunciation level like a native speaker, but the goal should always be to be understood by others. I don't think L1 determines their L2 pronunciation, I feel like it's also a matter of age because the older you get the more your vocal muscles get solidified into a certain accent and...

  • 1) When it's difficult to understand I try to listen carefully to what they're saying and the context to determine what they meant to say. I think logically about what makes sense for them to say and look at body language.
    2) I would tell them that it's perfectly fine and that I can understand them.
    3) I just correct the pronunciation or write it down so...

  • I'm not surprised in her assessment about the language association because statistically democratic states tend to be more educated and generally culturally inclusive so it's usually important to pronounce foreign words the way we would think they should be pronounced. Like those who say Viet-NAHM and Viet-NHAM

  • I would say Dr. Hall-Lew's assessment feels pretty accurate. It's like the difference in people saying Viet-NAHM and Viet-NAAM. Democratic states statistically are more educated than most republican states. With democrats, it can be safe to say that the political views are more culturally inclusive so therefore taking on what would be the proper pronunciation...

  • @AnnaKavanagh He was educated. I read his niece's book "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" about her uncle Donald Trump. He is college-educated, but like they said in the video. He keeps it simple because you can't assume that everyone you're talking to will understand you if you speak with more complex thoughts...

  • Jazz Cole made a comment

    I would say yes and it depends on the social setting and who I'm talking to. When I'm in professional social situations, I do change my speech pattern to a more even tone. With friends, I tend to speak a bit higher in pitch as well as with family.

  • I can see that... I'm starting to realize that I do that sometimes too.

  • The difference in accents are used with the woman to have sex appeal while the man it's a bit higher-pitched in order to express fascination and to emphasize that he likes something.

  • I agree with you to a point, but as a speaker and learner of multiple languages, pronunciation has been the one thing native speakers point out that is very good regardless if what I'm saying is correct. It's just a matter of being able to speak comprehensively to someone else. I do think that people should be empathetic toward non-native speakers, but there...

  • With pronunciation, I think it's important to achieve intelligibility because as much as we would like to be an accepting society of all accents and forms of pronunciation, we still need to be able to communicate clearly with one another. If we can't understand each other clearly in the same language in scenarios that require important information to be...

  • @AnnaKavanagh I see this point since the wording can also throw people off.

  • That's a good point in looking at which part of the word was stressed.

  • The cause of the confusion is most likely the accent if not the connection quality.

  • I don't think it's necessary to reduce or neutralize one's accent. It is what it is! I will say that if the accent prevents people from understanding then maybe it's possible to reduce it. My mom worked in radio broadcasting a lot during her early career and when she was in broadcasting school, they told her to turn her accent down because it sounded too tick...

  • I feel like depending on where you're from English is taught differently. I had a co-worker from the Congo and was taught British English in school and in coming to America he had to adapt to another way of speaking English.

  • As an American, I've never aspired to have any particular accent. I would say General American as long as I'm clearly understood and don't come across as uneducated or that my accent is too thick for non-native speakers to understand.

  • I can agree. There are so many American accents in my own country. They can not only tell what region you're from but can be used to assume your education level, race, and also political affiliation. I can't tell you how many times I've heard accents from people from rural areas and heard someone else say "oh there's a red neck" with a sort of negative tone.

  • I would say yes they can have social significance because there are connotations based on where your accent is placed. I'm from Kentucky within the US and because I come from the urban area in Lexington people outside of Kentucky tell me that I don't sound like I'm from Kentucky. But most of the state consists of rural territory and most people in those areas...

  • I think that's pretty common. It's like how babies are when they learn to talk, they pick it up from people in their environment. I know neurologically we have mirror neurons in our brains that are responsible for things like empathy and if you sneeze then someone else sneezes. It's one of the ways humans build social connections and are able to adapt to our...

  • It took me going out of the country to know that I have an "American" accent, but I've noticed that around non-native speakers I do change the speed and enunciation of my words depending on their level of English. If I'm talking to someone from a foreign country for too long, I start to pick up their accent.

  • I can agree with the results. After listening to all the speakers, Speakers 5, 6, 3, and 4 were the ones I could hear clearly (in that order). I felt like these speakers were the most likely to sound like native English speakers, but from different English-speaking countries. If one had to have made an impression on me it would have to be speaker 4 because of...

  • I always feel like people's voices are generally higher-pitched if they're smiling. That's usually been my assumption.

  • I do the same thing on the phone, but I find myself speaking more direct if I'm calling a business or on the phone with customer service for something.

  • I agree with Italian (in my mind it's like Spanish and French combined), but with the speech pattern, it sounds like lazy Spanish to me.

  • 1) With French as L2, I love the French language and culture and have definitely said the same thing about how I love the way it sounds. I feel like with German, I don't think it's so harsh, but similar pronunciation to French and it sounds very intelligent to me when I hear it. I feel like I know what I'm talking about when I speak it. I've found the...

  • I think microteaching and group work are great ideas. In group projects, they can all put their strengths together and present something to the class together as a team than as one individual in front of the whole class. It makes it easier to build confidence when you're not completely alone.

  • I agree on class size. However, if that's not in your control, teachers can do mini-lessons and then do more group work so the teacher can be more of a learning facilitator than having to control the entire class. Also in comparison, she has to refer to a seating chart to even address her students! As a facilitator, you can learn who your students are in small...

  • The contributing factors would be that the students aren't allowed to speak unless they're spoken to. They have to go over their homework in front of everyone which can be brutal for adolescents (especially if the answer is wrong), and the teacher only knows their name because of a seating chart instead of building a connection with the students. They're...

  • That's really unfortunate to hear! Did nobody give her any support?

  • I have experienced language anxiety in learning situations, however, it's more common when I've had to apply it to speaking with native speakers than anything else. I remember in a French class in high school we were going over tongue-twisters and I mispronounced a word and I ended up saying something with a totally different meaning. I had anxiety because I...

  • From my understanding, I feel like the CEFR focuses not on what you know specifically, but what kinds of situations you can survive in. It's more of a test of immersion than something like "at C1, you know how to conjugate every single verb in the language"

  • The self-assessment grid gives learners a framework to work within. There are skills that they may be better at than others. I'm very good at reading skills, but not the best with listening so I know where I specifically need to improve. Learners can figure out their strengths and weaknesses on their own. What teachers can do is create a list of activities and...

  • This chart is helpful! I think it can be very helpful for my students in establishing their learning goals.

  • I feel like that's so important in engagement because (especially with young students) it's difficult to keep them engaged for long periods of time if they're not particularly interested in what's being taught.

  • I was encouraged to take control from the very beginning of my education in Montessori school and around the end of my high school experience. As a senior in high school, I was in 3 advanced classes. I was in a literature class where we read books and got to participate in group discussions on how we interpreted what we read. In college, I had more freedom...

  • There's a technique referred to as "microteaching" in which students can teach the class or small groups what they know. As someone who does language tutoring, I notice that teaching someone else is often how we can prove what we've learned.

  • @GregoryWirch I actually went to a Montessori school my first 5 years of education, and my parents said it was the best money they spent. The emphasis is on students exploring what THEY want to learn and the teachers are simply facilitators. The classrooms were smaller and combined students of different grades/age levels so students could learn from older...

  • I would say many of my favorite classes I've taken involve autonomy. I remember being in an advanced French class in my last year of high school and the teacher allowed us to have free days to read books, show and tell, and do small group activities. The teacher was in control of the overall lessons, but we had time to explore our own learning methods. I also...

  • I feel the question is subjective. Each student has a different way of acquiring and obtaining the language. I personally enjoy learning with a group of people (smaller groups specifically) and sharing. The point of language in the first place is to communicate. What would be the point to learn a language and not use it or discuss it with others? However, I do...

  • This was an interesting exercise, but I didn't fully understand the question at first. It makes sense now that I saw the answers because I realized that I have taught French explaining that same rule to my students!

  • Jazz Cole made a comment

    It hasn't really changed my opinion really at all. I have a big phobia of tests because I could know all the right information and miss questions that I should have known. There are so many factors that can influence a person's ability to score high on a language test, there's the question of whether the testing material is relevant or not to the test taker,...

  • I got a coefficient of .84, therefore there's a high agreement here and the scatterplot shows a positive inclination from left to right. In the confidence that it doesn't matter to which examiner is overseeing the test takers, it really wouldn't matter especially if the examiners are following the same key or method of assessing their work.

  • Based on real-world scenarios, and applicable to the purpose of taking the exam (career, academics, citizenship, etc.).

  • This reminds me of one of the reasons why I never liked standardized tests because the focus was on regurgitating what you were told you needed to learn instead of challenging the students. In my early years of education, I attended a Montessori school and the focus was always on building academic independence for the kids to find out what they wanted to learn...