Assignment: Linguistic Memoir
You will write a minimum 8-page essay (not including the title page) that considers the questions about the history, culture and language use of your family. Research documents and interview a family member to discuss the questions, as outlined below. Finally, write about your own cultural and linguistic experience.
Please follow instructions carefully. You must include all components of this project and use APA format. This project should be in an essay format. Therefore, be specific, provide examples (if needed), and DO NOT use short sentences or paragraphs. Make sure you include headings and sub-headings. Revise your project for grammar and punctuation.
Please take a look at this video I created in the past.
YouTube Video: Summer 2021 Linguistic Memoir
Section I: History of your Family (minimum 2 pages)
In this section, you will research your family's background/history, cultural and linguistic development. What is place of origin of your family (e.g., Cuban, Black, AfroCuban, Native, Asian American), going back several generations (parents, grandparents, etc.)? For most members of this group, what has been their experience with... (This is not about the country but your family members.. this is also NOT a detailed narrative about how your family members moved to USA). Need Assignment Help?
- Migration patterns (Where do your great grandparents, grandparents, and parents come from? Where do they live now?)
- Privilege/oppression (Any privileges in their life? Any fear of oppression?)
- Education (Did they have any education? What type of education did they get?)
- Culture (How do you define their culture? What are their traditions, habits, ways of life? Make sure to be specific and provide examples)
- Linguistics (Phonology - Do they have an accent? How are words pronounced? Morphology - Are there special words used by your family members? Jargons? Syntax - How is their grammar use or issue? Semantics - How do they use the structure of language in relation to meaning? Pragmatics - How do they use language in context? Make sure to be specific and provide examples for at least THREE (3) linguistic components)
Section II: Interviews (minimum 2 pages)
Interview by phone or face-to-face two (2) family members (or close friends if necessary) to document their past and present around their experiences with...
- Migration patterns (Where do they come from? Where do they live now?)
- Privilege/oppression (Any privileges in their life? Any fear of oppression?)
- Education (Did they have any education? What type of education did they get?)
- Culture (How do you define their culture? What are their traditions, habits, ways of life? Make sure to be specific and provide examples)
- Linguistics (Phonology - Do they have an accent? How are words pronounced? Morphology - Are there special words used by your family members? Jargons? Syntax - How is their grammar use or issue? Semantics - How do they use the structure of language in relation to meaning? Pragmatics - How do they use language in context? Make sure to be specific and provide examples for at least THREE (3) linguistic components)
Section III: Analysis (minimum 4 pages)
- Comparison/Contrast of Family Members Experiences (minimum 1 page)
- How do these family members' experiences compare or contrast with the typical history of this same group of people?
- How do participant 1's experiences compare or contrast with participant 2's experiences? Make sure you include sub-topics: migration, oppression/privilege, education, culture, and language (a summary of the three linguistic components you selected above)
- Sharing Own Experiences (minimum 1 page)
- How do you fit into this group (or how do you not fit in)?
- What did you learn about yourself, those around you, and your future students throughout this semester?
- Class Content (minimum 2 pages)
- How will what you learned this semester influence how you teach? Use the content of this class to respond to this question (bilingualism; translanguaging; cognitive, affective, social and cultural aspects of teaching English to ELs; linguistics, etc.) Be specific and provide examples.
Linguistic Memoir Guideline:
This will help ensure you respond to all required questions above. You will also be graded based on this guideline.
This Linguistic Memoir Sample will guide and help you prepare your own linguistic memoir.
APA format: APA format video.