Hi guys my name is Hilda and I am 21 years old. I've always loved learning new languages which is why I am in this Modern Languages program. I am currently studying Spanish and this is hopefully my last semester at Dawson. After graduation, I plan to study kinesiology or therapeutic recreation at university while I keep learning languages as a hobby. I look forward to this semester and to everyone's project for this class.

1. Personality Shifts Depending on the Spoken Language

Being in a diverse country, it is only natural that I would be surrounded by people speaking different languages. One thing that I have noticed is that when I am used to speaking to them in a language, I would get surprised by how differently they would act while speaking another language. The pitch, the behaviour, the way of thinking or the body language can change. Some may say that they are more expressive of their emotions when speaking their second language.

Link related to the subject: https://hugagroup.medium.com/do-you-feel-like-a-different-person-when-you-speak-a-foreign-language-here-is-why-61046ca3d4d3

2. ISN - Nicaraguan Sign Language

I have always been interested in sign languages and decided that I can do my project on ISN (Idioma de Señas de Nicaragua) is Nicaragua's sign language that is developed by deaf children. This is an interesting topic because linguists see it as a way to study the development of a new language.

Link related to the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaraguan_Sign_Language

I have chosen to do my final project on the cultural identity associated with the language spoken.

Works Cited:

TEDx Talk. "Both Not Half: How language shapes identity | Jassa Ahluwalia | TEDxChandigarh" YouTube, 13 Aug. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP0bAQ8J6C0.

TEDx Talk. "Identifying Yourself Through Language | Robyn Giffen | TEDxUBCOkanagan" YouTube, 7 Aug. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr68goQ1d0s.

I have found an article that can be very useful as an introduction to this project. As indicated in the title, "What is Cultural Identity and Why is It Important?" by Victoria Wilson addresses the "what" and the "why" of cultural identity. I will mainly focus on the "what is cultural identity".

What is cultural identity?: "Culture, in this context, refers to the beliefs, norms, behaviors, and values that a given group of people deem acceptable. Whereas identity is about knowing what is acceptable and true for yourself. We form a cultural identity when we subconsciously interpret and incorporate signals from the world around us into our own identity so we can belong." (Wilson)

What can influence a person's cultural identity?: Our family of origin, race, local community, geography, gender, religion, sexuality, generation, physical ability, nationality, and language can have an influence on a person's life from birth. Educational institutions, professional organizations, social clubs, online communities, political or special interest groups, and support groups can influence a person as they navigate through life.

Why is it important?: "Our cultural identity influences how we interpret and react to situations, so it is important that we become aware of our own identity in relation to the world around us." (Wilson)

People identify themselves depending on their cultural identity which is shaped by elements in their lives such as their ethnicity, gender, social class or language.

Ethnic and National Identity Development Processes: The Role of Cultural Behaviours and Gender

This academic journal is written in January 2022 in Canada by Cindy Quan and Catherine L. Costigan who are from the department of psychology and Karen M. Kobayashi from the department of sociology. All three authors are from the University of Victoria.

The purpose of this journal is to study the interrelations between Chinese and Canadian identity development during adolescence for a period of 18 months. To do so, they observed adolescents with a Chinese background and foreign-born parents. Of those adolescents, 80.2% of them are also foreign-born. This journal examines ethnic and national identity processes in adolescence and over time, cultural behaviours and identity development, gender in Asian stereotypes and its identity development, experiences of identity belonging and exploration, and cultural behaviours that facilitate identity development. It is concluded in this study that both males and females have a good sense of cultural identity and similar patterns of interrelation among identity belonging and exploration. However, there were two exceptions. Males would not always have a strong sense of Chinese identity belonging. The other exception is that if a male has a stronger sense of Canadian identity then their sense of Chinese identity will also increase while it is the opposite for females. If their sense of Canadian identity is stronger, then they have a less sense of Chinese identity.

Work Cited:

Quan, Cindy et al. "Ethnic and National Identity Development Processes: The Role of Cultural Behaviors and Gender." Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, vol. 28, no. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 1-12. https://dc153.dawsoncollege.qc.ca:2312/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid&db=pdh&AN=2021-66323-001&site=eds-live&scope=site

"Alice Growing up in 'Temporary Protection' Land: Immigrant Students' Identity Development as a Reflection toward Inclusion Practices" is an academic journal written by Bulent Alagoz in 2021. The purpose of this journal is to study the process of adaptation of immigrant students to a new culture, school, and ethnic identity. In this case, Syrian students arriving in Turkey. In this study, the author will interview immigrant Syrian students and ask about their adaptation process. A compilation of the most common answers was made as a result of each category of questions asked. These categories of questions consisted of what the student experimented with while adapting to Turkey, their sense of belonging in school and in a new culture, and their experiences with their ethnic identity in school.

After viewing the results, I can see how the school has a bigger impact on a young student's adaptation to a new country. I have noticed that the families are more supportive while the school environment is also the same but is also more effective in the adaptation process. They will help with the integration by accepting and teaching. The immigrant students are forced to adapt in order to be able to communicate and are learning from teachers and fellow peers.

Work Cited:

Alagoz, Bulent. "Alice Growing up in 'Temporary Protection' Land: Immigrant Students' Identity Development as a Reflection toward Inclusion Practices." Education Quarterly Reviews, vol. 4, issue 1, 2021, pp. 117-131. https://dc153.dawsoncollege.qc.ca:2312/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid&db=eric&AN=EJ1300476&site=eds-live&scope=site.

For this project, I initially wanted to talk about personality shifts depending on the language that is being spoken. However, while doing my research, I slowly transitioned into talking about cultural identity. I kept working on this topic since we all go through identity development and it would be interesting to see what shapes us into the person we are today.

Being in a very diverse country, we sometimes don't know if we identify more as Canadians, or as Chinese in my case for example. Growing up I would feel the need to neglect my culture. I even stopped learning my own mother tongue because I felt that it was useless to do so since English and French were the main languages in the city. As I did the research, I found that I wasn't the only one that felt that way and had a connection to this topic. In the end, I choose this topic because I was interested in the psychological aspect that shapes us into the person we are today and because I could relate to it.

While doing my research, I found that an individual's cultural identity is affected by elements of their lives such as race/ethnicity, gender, age, social status, religion, etc. For this project, I divided to focus on ethnicity and gender. I learned about immigrants' adaptation to a new country, and what makes them accept the new culture or reject it. I also learned about the different categories of stereotypes and how we will conform to some of them depending on our ethnicity. I also learned about gender expectations and how we also conform to them at times. I also address transgender and nonbinary in Asian communities since it is somewhat neglected in the community and found it interesting to talk about.