More deep-thinking than my multilinguistic formation. Beyond that, I find out that there is something further and Brandt’s definition of “sponsors of literacy” reminded me my journey of linguistic Her concept of “literacy” is wide thus, it is not limited to theĪbility of reading and writing, but also includes habits, skills, speaking, language,Įtc. Or experiences are shaped by anything that is called “sponsors of literacy” in In simple words, the idea of Brandt’s “literacy sponsorship” is our abilities Not notice before but has happened in my life called “Literacy Sponsorship” (Brandtħ1). 274-297.įrom Dehorah Brandt’s essay, I learn a new term that I might “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction,” Writing About Writing, edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/ St. Therefore, my secondary Discourse of bilingual was formed when I totally engaged in other culture or linguistic environment. Then my English was improved rapidly and I eventually could talk fluent English with others. During the high school years, I spoke English with others, my teachers, my host family. At that moment, I realized that I knew nothing in English.
I couldn’t even talk to them because I didn’t know how to speak a full sentence in English. However, the first year I came to the U.S., I couldn’t understand what the Americans are saying because they spoke so fast that I couldn’t catch their meaning. I learnt English vocabularies and writing in class. For instance, before I come to the United States, my home country taught us English. To put it simply, if you don’t master of something, you will not integrate within it. Discourses are connected with displays of an identity” (282). In further discussion, Gee also states out an interesting point which is the first theorem of Discourses, “someone cannot engage in a Discourse in a less than fully fluent manner. This could be my secondary discourse because I try to integrate in a non-home community as an English Language Learner and English has become my second language. Since I have been to the United States, I learn to speak English smoothly and become a bilingual. For example, my family taught me how to speak Chinese and this is my primary discourse because Chinese is me primary language. Once we go beyond our homes and reach out the outside world, our secondary discourses are developing. Everything we learn from them before independent consciousness can be considered as primary discourses. Family and parents are our primary teachers. In addition, he explains discourses are divided into two types which are primary discourse, “the one we first use to make sense of the world and interact with others (279)”, and secondary discourse, “interaction with various non-home-based social institutions that we acquire these fluently to the extent that we are given access to and are allowed apprenticeships within them” (279-280). In other words, discourses are the process of how we integrating or being used to in a community. In James Paul Gee’s essay, “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics”, he describes “discourses are ways of being in the world they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures, glances, body positions and clothes” (278).
“Activity Theory: An Introduction for the Writing Classroom.” Writing About Writing, edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/ St. Finally, doingĬhemistry labs is historically conditioned because all the chemistry labs hadīeen practiced in the past. It, such as testing the chemical reaction, or chemical formula. Doing chemistry labs is alsoĪn object-directed activity system because every lab we do has final goals on University are activity systems of long duration.