Reflection 5 (Week5)
(Gibbs Model)
Description
In the tutorial that was dated March 17th, one of the activities that were assigned to us was to consider the meaning of some of the slangs sayings which are peculiar to New Zealand.
Feelings
Having lived in New Zealand for some time now, I found this situation no great hardship; however I did understand that recent immigrants or visitors may have difficulty in understanding. Perhaps one of their sayings could be “no comprehii”. When talking to students from overseas, they shared the difficulties of conversing with Kiwis. I thought their way of explaining was also humorous.
Explanation
I believe the main reason that I enjoy this situation was because I learnt to put myself in the shoes of the visitor or student. By thinking in a similar way, one understands how others have difficulty with just understanding “fair dinkum English” without grappling with slang. Slang terms are often a lazy way of making a point, and yet sometimes they can be just plain humorous. The use of slang tends to be an age thing, not so common in older people, but more prevalent in young people.
Analysis
Sometimes, I have been surprised and indeed almost troubled, when using slangs words, as my job brings me in contact with older people and a daily basis who are not so familiar with slang, but I must say I did enjoy learning of slang terms from other countries.
Conclusion
It is important from now on, to be careful and selective when speaking and maybe using slangs; that I use it at the appropriate time. The dictionary describes slang as being unofficially a language, which is neither helpful, nor is it a gutter language.
Action Plan
When conversing with people, no matter what age group or background, I need to be clear in what I am saying, and to say it slowly and clearly. The saying, “keep it simple, stupid” applies. I must always be aware that our conversation does not cause offense. As has been said there is nothing...