Language Lab review

 Language Lab review-

Introduction-

The word ‘laboratory’ originated in the late 15th century. Language learning has its separate requirements like all other subjects. There are four skills to master as Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The sequence of all these skills is also important. They must be acquired in a sequence for one’s proper development. After the boom in ICT a new chapter in language learning started as language laboratory. The language laboratory plays an important role in the language learning process. As it is a combination of various technological aids which gives many advanced facilities that can help a student to learn a language developing all four skills. It proves that education and technology are best complement of each other. Language lab is a class of English language learning where teaching learning process happens with computers and other technical support. For language learning students individually use a computer which is connected with a server.

History of Language Lab-

The language laboratory is an audio or audio-visual installation used as an aid in modern language teaching. They can be found, amongst other places, in schools, universities and academies. Perhaps the first lab was at the University of Grenoble in 1908. In the 1950s up until the 1990s, they were tape-based systems using reel to reel or (latterly) cassette. Current installations are generally multimedia PCs. The original language labs are now very outdated. They allowed a teacher to listen to and manage student audio via a hard-wired analogue tape deck based systems with 'sound booths' in fixed locations.

Advantages-

There are different features of language lab, which make the students to have interactive sessions. It provides equal opportunity to all the students to hear the instructor irrespective of place where they are seated. It develops the listening and communication skills, and they can learn correct pronunciation also. The language lab brought difference in teaching learning process instead of boring verbal centered teaching.

Disadvantages-

If there is no trained teacher than Language lab becomes useless. It can be engaged in a small classroom rather than huge classroom, as the teacher listens to students randomly the response can be unorganized and ineffective as there are many students to attend to. There should be good power supply in that particular area where the school is situated.

Thinking Activity on Sense of an Ending

Thinking Activity on Sense of an Ending-

1. What is the meaning of phrase ‘Blood Money’ in Veronica’s reply email?

Sarah Ford, mother of Veronica sends one letter to Tony Webster and gave him 500 pounds. In the email to Veronica Sarah mentions about “Blood Money”, which Tony doesn’t understand. In the letter Adrian wrote about his relationship with Sarah Ford mother of Veronica. It was due to their relationship that a child was a born that too mentally retarded. This novel speaks about lack of love and faith amongst each other. “Blood Money” can also be said that it was covered with Adrian’s blood covered according to Veronica and she also says it as ‘impure’. For Veronica Tony somewhere or the other was also responsible for Adrian’s death.

2. How do you decipher the equation: b = s – v x/+ a1 or a2 + v + a1 X s = b?

Firstly, according to me the first equation seems like-

B (baby) is the symbol of S (Sarah) and a1 (Adrian) relationship. Adrian cheated Veronica and had relationship with her mother.

Secondly, according to me the second equation seems like-

A2 (Antony or Tony) was in relationship with Veronica, than after they had broken their relationship Veronica and Adrian came into relationship. But when Adrian was with Veronica he was seeing Sarah Ford Veronica’s mother and at the end they both became intimate and Sarah gave birth to a baby (b).

3. Adrian’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. Why did Sarah Ford own it? Why was it in the possession of Veronica?

This somewhat indicates that when Adrian was with Sarah in his last days he was happy before he died. They both had affair so it was obvious that Sarah would know about the diary. Before she died in the will she mentioned that the diary is to be given to Tony and so it was done. That can be a reason of Adrian’s diary willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. But that diary is with Veronica because may be she doesn’t wanted to hand over it to Tony.

4. Was the mentally retarded middle aged ‘Adrian’, Tony’s friend who did not commit suicide and was suffering from trauma and thus gone mad, and was living with hidden identity?

In this novel many things are not clear. There are possibilities that Adrian is in guilt of what he has done and is living a life with secret identity. If we rely on Tony’s memory than we can see that he had mentioned that Adrian was more sensible than all in their group. So, it can’t be said that he would have committed suicide just because he made someone pregnant.

5. How was Veronica related to Adrian, the one suffering in care-in-the-community?

Veronica and Junior Adrian can be called step-siblings as Sarah and Adrian were the parents. We can also say that Adrian, who was Tony’s friend, was suffering from mental trauma and had gone mad as he can be called the step father of Veronica.

6. Do you see any missing block – some dot which is not getting connected with the whole or dot missing to get full sense of the novel - in the plot of this psychological thriller?

As this novel is totally based on memory of sixty years old Tony, so we can find many unclear things. Its like- why did Veronica and Adrian met? Why did Adrian cheat on Veronica? Why Sarah did kept on looking for different men? The novel itself doesn’t give us necessary information about the characters and so we can presume whatever we want to.

7.  Do you see any possible reason in the suicide of Adrian Finn?

In this novel one or the other had relationship. As Adrian was in affair with Sarah Ford that doesn’t he would commit such a cowardice act. But during their school days one of their friends did so for similar type of reason and can say that Adrian also came under the same influence.

8. In the light of new revelations, how do you read character of Veronica? Instinctive, manipulative, calculating, stubborn, haughty, sacrificial, trustworthy, good Samaritan?

In the novel we find that Tony as Narrator and through his point of view we look at every characters. But we perceive that Veronica’s character is different from others.  Veronica arises in our mind as instructive, Manipulative, Calculative, stubborn and haughty but as time passes the story discloses that she appears as sacrificial, intelligent, trust-worthily and Good Samaritan. It’s all from narrator Tony’s views points. It may be that this type of Veronica is not real one but narrator talk as their limitations.  Tony can’t think about beyond the boundaries that she is real or not. Or maybe something Good and shy Veronica.

9.What do you mean by Unreliable Narrator? Is Tony Webster classifiable as Unreliable Narrator?

 Unreliable narrator is the one whose narration cannot be taken as reliable or whose narration is not faithful to reality. Tony can also be called an unreliable narrator because he starts his narration by saying that “I remember, in no particular order”. We can say that whatever the narrator is going to tell is the outcome of his broken memory as he joins the missing dots with his own perspective and imagination.