Extensions, code switch, calques...

Throughout the semester we have read several different articles that sometimes seemed repetitive and subjective. However, as the semester progresses and we delve into the purpose behind the articles, I am able to understand better (than I did at the beginning of the semester) why the people who write these articles and do the research are so passionate about the work. I feel that there will always be some sort of personal interest in any type of research, but this is what drives investigators after all.

I am able to be less critical than I think I was at the beginning of the semester. I have been able to get valuable information from these articles for the classroom, and while I wish the articles were written for this audience, I understand the reason they are not. Perhaps more linguists will pay attention to the value of the information these articles contain and how that could transfer to the classroom or maybe even write a book or two like the one Potowski wrote about heritage learners. While I realize getting the research out in the Academia world is important, they are forgetting that the research they are doing could be making a greater difference if directed to a more complete audience.