Data Sampling - Revised for final

Link to thread I am using as my data sample: http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=26764&PN=1

My question is: how do people perceive language? Does this have an impact on how they learn it? As I look at the HTLAL forums, I want to know what they think. The stated mission of the site is located on the homepage, claiming that Micheloud will provide (a) a guide to choosing which language to learn; (b) a detailed, hands-on guide to teaching yourself a foreign language (note the general language here); (c) reviews of books about language learning (interestingly, he is not at all interested in providing access to other language-learning websites); and (d) answers to frequently asked questions about language. These claims seem to bear out fairly well – I will examine them in more depth in a later post. However, the forum seems to add yet another mission to the site: it provides a space for language learners and enthusiasts to come together to talk about language – learning it, defending it, saving it, and generally celebrating it. Here I am looking at a thread that crosses a bit of (a) with the forum’s goal, successfully carrying out Micheloud’s mission.

 Learning a language is one of the most common ways individuals think to improve themselves – whether to get a better job, to sound more cultured, or to travel more confidently. So what happens when the language they learn turns into a detriment to their image? On this forum, they try to puzzle out why. A senior member, LebensForm, created a thread called “Ever criticized for learning German?” in the subforum titled “Specific Languages” to address the negative attitudes she perceived toward her target language. Started on May 19, 2011, it generated 66 messages over 6 months. Out of the 44 users who posted to the forums, only 9 users posted more than once. LebensForm posted 11 times, keeping her presence alive in the forum, but most of the other users seemed content to voice their opinions and move on. LebensForm’s last two posts seemed to be geared toward (first) ending the conversation and (second) changing the subject, but the users continued on restating what had already been said in various ways. The general tone of the thread was positive toward LebensForm and negative toward her detractors. The users continually brought up three particular perceptions that seem to color their own detractors’ opinions: the sound of the language (as “harsh” or “beautiful”; historical connotations linked with the language; and the practicality of the language. Some users’ comments went into multiple categories, as their comments touched on several categories.

Sound

Biologically, phonemes from different languages require different shapings of the mouth and valued pitches are different. The sound of a language will color a person’s perception of the culture; this seems to be particularly true of German, as it was mentioned 16 times. Keilan, one of the first posters, illustrated the problem as follows:

“I usually ask them if they think German sounds like this, and then proceed to say "nach" with the most exaggerated gross throaty noise I can make. NaCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCh.” (Keilan)

The 4 other users who commented on others’ perception of the sound of German said similar things to this; the other 11 users went on the defensive, telling how beautiful it was, that they either liked the harshness of the language or didn’t hear it as harsh, and presenting examples of literature that was “guaranteed” to change listeners’ minds. I would be curious to see how successful that technique actually was; it seems as if it would only work on those who hadn’t really heard German at all before and were parroting stereotypes.

Historical Connotations

19 comments were made about the history of German. They fell broadly into two camps: four users who mentioned that they were learning German to preserve their own heritage, and 15 regarding the negative history tied to Germany. I will focus on the negative history comments here. Most of these comments came in midway through the conversation, and most of them centered around Nazis (the other comments took notice of general, undefined ignorance on the part of their detractors). After the first few comments of this nature, Witproduct noted the fulfillment of Godwin’s Law [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.10/godwin.if_pr.html] – an observation made by attorney Mike Godwin in 1990 that if an Internet conversation goes on long enough, no matter the subject matter, someone will compare a point made in said conversation to beliefs held by Hitler and the Nazis. Godwin was trying to point out the danger of overusing a meme to the point of its power diminishing.

Though the comparisons here were entirely topical, Witproduct’s comment is valuable in pointing out the elephant in the room and trying to figure out just how important it really was. When one user suggested that everyone should just “get over the Nazi crap,” he was quickly chastised and the issue was reframed to make the point that, though what happened in the past is still important, there should be no correlation between the language and those who happened to use it as they did terrible things.

Practicality

18 comments were made on the practicality of learning the language; four users stated that they had been told how difficult the language was (most of those users responded with a remark regarding either the general beauty of the language or their preference for it). The other fourteen posted variations on the theme that Germany is an “economic powerhouse” (Remster), and therefore they were either required to learn it in school (and generally ended up liking it) or they wanted to learn it to better their chances at a job or general communication. Most noted that the importance of German varied from region to region, with it being far less highly regarded in the United States, where “you're surrounded by miles and miles of English” (Remster [Netherlands]).  

Conclusion

Learning a language, even if there are practical aspects involved, seems to be a very personal thing; one user stated that learning a language is a "love story" (JLA): it shouldn't have to be defended or justified - it should just be learned for the joy of learning. Though most users restricted their comments to stating what others didn't like about their language, those who stated real reasons for learning German generally stated similar comments to that of JLA. This community, at least, seems to perceive language as a privilege, as a hobby, and generally as a part of their identity. 

A fun side note: in her original post on this thread, LebensForm asks, “…what do you say when people in your real lives give you a bad time about wanting to learn a particular language?” (my emphasis). It’s a curiosity that she considers this forum not to be a part of her real life – perhaps this is what allows her to ask these questions and air her frustrations about negative reactions to her target language.