The Grand Finale

It seems like it was only yesterday when I started on the first blog post. Indeed, thirteen weeks have gone by in a flash. This post then marks the finale of the module. With this, there is undeniably a sense of accomplishment rather than merely heaving a sigh of relief.

I would say that there are certain teaching seminars that have seem to have left an imprint more than the others, with the obvious reason being these are the topics which I can relate to the most. The seminar which focussed on speech acts and speech events is one of the most memorable. Telephone conversations, lectures and service encounters seem all so common in our everyday life but yet little did I detect the underlying but obvious patterns or structure of the language used in these activities. It was through the teaching seminar that has allowed me to see and realize that the structures of the language have been governed by certain norms.
Also, it is interesting to learn that non-verbal interactions have various interpretations across cultures. I remember learning quite a lot from the video that was shown to us in one of the classes. Like how a nod in Japan would mean that one is listening attentively but does not imply that he is agreeing to something, the latter being the common interpretation in our culture.
Overall, I believe this module has not only served to enhance my understanding on cultural discourse, but has enabled me to become a more effective participant in various speech communities.