Entry 2

For this blog entry I interviewed my neighbor Brian Hernandez. The questions I asked were based from readings we have done in the chapters. I addressed the importance of second language acquisition, adaptation, and revitalization. The author explains that language revitalization is an attempt to counter the factors and trends that lead to the decline in the learning and use of other languages (Ortega, 2009). I asked questions about Brian's opinions of childhood bilingualism from chapter two that spoke about bilingual acquisition (Gass & Selinker, 2008). His responses depicted an importance and value in his acquisition of a second language. He feels that knowing both Spanish and English has been beneficial to his upbringing in the way that he is able to communicate with a larger population, especially growing up and currently living in a diverse city he is able to be adaptable to different kinds of people. We also discussed the advantages and disadvantages that he believe come with integrating another language into children's cognition at an early age as discussed by Ortega in chapter two. (Ortega, 2009). Brian was fortunate enough to receive assistance in elementary school in order to make his integration to the English speaking community a smooth transition. He also feels that both Spanish and English extenuate his culture and foundational traditions since he grew up with both. When asking Brian about his views of acquiring a second language as a child, I found many differences and similarities in comparison to the authors beliefs. You will have the opportunity to hear about the topics we discussed in the following video post: https://youtu.be/GQfuYy6hvbs