"Gina's social and psychological distance to Spanish language, culture and speakers"

Social Distance

Social dominance:
Whose social groups is more dominant?

• Definitively, American culture dominates Latin culture, so the social distance is greatest between them. It is a disadvantage for Gina's learning.

Integration pattern:
How much do learners integrate, or do they do most things apart from the mainstream?

• I think Gina would have problems concerning this point because Latin Culture have not been completely integrated to the American culture.

Enclosure:
To what extent does learner's group have their own resources for interaction, such as church, publications, clubs?

• Native-English speakers in the U.S. are self-sufficient and does not need to interact with people from Latin-culture in daily life activities. It shows that it is not a favorable point for Gina.
  

Size:
How large is the group?

• The group of native-English speakers that are learning Spanish is not as big as the group of Spanish-speakers that are learning English, it means that the group in which Gina is member (native-English speakers) is not as big, but they are not learning together. It is a drawback for Gina.
  

Cohesiveness:
How much does the group "stick together"?

• In this case, there is not a group due to the fact that Gina is the only member.

Cultural congruence:
How are the cultural patterns and customs of the home culture and target culture alike or different?

• American and Latin culture are very different. It is a drawback for Gina since the social distance is increased.

Attitude:
What attitudes do the home and target cultural groups have toward one another?

• Gina has showed a positive attitude toward members of the Latin-culture. So, she would help her to learn Spanish.

Intended length of residence:
How long does the learner intend to say in the new country?

• Gina intends to stay in Chile only a short period of time, it increases social distance.

Psychological Distance

Motivation:
Does the learner want to learn the new language?

• Gina has demonstrated her motivation to learn Spanish, for example, asking us to write about her learning.

Attitude:
How does the learner feel toward the target-culture group?

• She also has a positive attitude toward the Latin-culture, if she had not have a positive attitude she would never have wanted to travel to Chile.

Culture Shock:
Is the learner suffering culture shock?

• Gina is not suffering culture shock, she is studying Spanish in her native country (U.S.), therefore, she will have success in learning Spanish.