Entry 2- Interview with Leilani

          



                                                     Interview Of Leilani
      When I sat down to interview Leilani, I realized that there was so much about her background that I did not know. I had thought that Spanish had been her first language due to her heavy accent. It turns out that her upbringing in Los Angeles and her families’ culture had the heaviest affect on her. Her second language acquisition mainly rested on her mother’s teaching by vocabulary, or by the Grammar Translation Method. This kind of teaching relies on primarily memorization. 
      It was helpful that Leilani was old enough to understand the importance of why her mother wanted her to learn Spanish. As Ortega says in her text, “…teachers can only hope to teach successfully what learners are developmentally ready to learn” (Ortega, 2011, p. 138). By being of an age that Leilani understood why she needed to speak Spanish i.e. to communicate with her family members, she was able to take the process seriously and study with the guidance of her mother. Her acquisition differs from some due to it being non-immersive like many children. Her interactions with her mother were through the reading of texts. This is not the norm for many children who have parents that are fluent in the L2. It is also of note that Leilani’s motivation was hindered by her family when she would visit them in Mexico. In chapter eight of Ortega’s text, motivation is evaluated. The “Motivational Self System” is referenced, where one’s motivation to learn the L2 is seen in “Ideal, Ought-to, and the Learning Experience” (Ortega, 2011, pg. 188). Leilani’s view of herself in the “Ideal L2 Self” was what almost prohibited her continuing to learn Spanish. She has continued on into adulthood because of her motivation and being able to immerse herself in a Spanish speaking community.