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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Has anything been written on this perspective of multilingual
interaction?... Is it universal that people assume that speech they do
not understand between others is negative and about them? Having lived in
multilingual societies, I don't remember that sort of general reaction, though
the context might make a big difference, and often someone in a multilingual
group conversation will take it upon themselves to brief someone who obviously
is not going to understand a particular discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>I have had the impression since long ago that it is a
"monolingual" American trait. In high school I think it was, I remember
an interaction like this: someone asks an exchange student to say something in
their language, the latter then obliges, and then the first student asks if
they did not just say something bad about them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Two excerpts from the NPR article in particular give rise to
this question now:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=article-content>"So let's say that there's
two staff members, me and another staff member, sitting in the office, and
we're both talking in a foreign language - that we shouldn't do that if we both
understand English, because it's not fair to the other people who walk in and
out of the office, who may not understand what we're talking about," [District
Superintendent Brian] Whiston says.</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'> . . .<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=article-content>"I think human nature is,
if you don't understand something, the assumption is that they're talking about
you. I think it tends to put people who are not familiar with the language in
an uncomfortable position," [president of the Dearborn Federation of
Teachers Kevin] Harris says.</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>. . .<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
owner-lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
[mailto:owner-lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu] <b>On Behalf Of </b>jbale@msu.edu<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Saturday, January 17, 2009 11:18 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Michigan: Dearborn schools leader: Foreign language use limited<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>This report on Michigan Radio,
MI' NPR station, offers a little more <br>
detail than the Detroit Free Press article - and a little more cause for
concern.<br>
<br>
Keep in mind that Dearborn secondary schools are partnered with <br>
Michigan State University's Arabic Flagship, focusing primarily on <br>
curriculum development at this point. In addition, one primary and <br>
one intermediate school use one of the largest FLAP grants to support <br>
Arabic instruction and curriculum development. Like I said, this <br>
newest report is cause for concern.<br>
<br>
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1458253<br>
<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Jeff<br>
<br>
---<br>
Jeffrey Bale, Ph.D.<br>
Assistant Professor of Second Language Education<br>
World Languages Faculty Leader<br>
Department of Teacher Education<br>
<br>
College of Education<br>
Michigan State University<br>
356 Erickson Hall<br>
East Lansing, MI 48824<br>
<br>
517-353-0750 (office)<br>
517-505-8888 (cell)<br>
517-432-5092 (fax)<br>
jbale@msu.edu<br>
http://bale.wiki.educ.msu.edu/<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
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