Second Language Oral Exam - Detailed Study

[ChanChan]

Hello,

I am very new to the ATAR Notes' forums but I have a question that might be answered best through this discussion space.

So this year I am studying Japanese Second Language and German and oral exams are approaching rapidly however, I am a little unclear about my introduction for my detailed study as I have been told different things by different teachers. My Japanese teacher told me that it is not necessary for me to mention the specific names of my sources and just stating 'the Internet' as a source was fine, but I have been naming the resources during practices for German speaking and the teacher has not told me anything about that. There was one other German teacher who said that we should not name them though and I am a little confused.

If I could, I would like to not name the specific resources in the introduction (so that I can say other things during the one minute given for the introduction), but is it best for me to name them?

Thank you,

~JanChan

[Elizawei]

Hey JanChan!
First of all, welcome to AN! It's always good to see new posters around
I'm also doing Japanese SL this year, and have done Chinese SLA a few years ago.

Regarding detailed study 1 min intro, the assessors don't really fuss too much about the exact name of the sources, but rather the type of sources you used. (e.g video, article, etc.)

This is what I have for my Japanese DS intro, and I've checked it with my teacher (who is an oral examiner):

このトピックを勉強するために、ＮＨＫニュースのビデオを見たり、毎日新聞の記事を読んだり、姉妹校の留学生へインタビューをしたりしました。

Personally, just saying "internet" is a little bit vague, maybe narrow it down to the organisation? shouldn't take up more than a few extra seconds  
I guess it comes down to how you're feeling about your intro at the moment.
If you're really tight on time for your 1 min intro, then just keep doing what you're doing
If you got a few seconds to spare, it's nice to be just a little bit more specific
After all, the main focus is on your subtopics, although the assessors could potentially ask a question regarding sources, I wouldn't stress too much about it

Hope this helped
All the best for your oral!
がんばって！

[K888]

For what it's worth, I do French and my teacher has said we should definitely name the texts we have studied in detail in our introduction (as well as what the text is, eg: poem, movie, etc.), as it gives direction for the examiners to start asking you questions and shows that we've really studied our topic and won't just be saying general stuff/trying to wing our way through the oral.

I also went to a lecture that talked about preparation for the oral, and they said the three things you need to clearly state in the intro are the theme your class studied, your sub-theme (what you've studied in detail) and the texts you have studied in detail and want to discuss with the examiners.
Mentioning your texts means the examiners can ask you relevant questions and you're less likely to get questions that you have no idea how to respond to.

I personally think it helps you establish a bit control over the direction of the oral, and I'll be mentioning my texts, but in the end it's up to you. Hope this helped a bit

[ChanChan]

Thank you both very much for your answers! I decided to name them for my German oral but I will keep the Japanese as vaguer references since my teacher  (who I believe is also an examiner) has told me to do so.

I understand where @Elizawei is coming from when you say that it gives the discussion a clearer direction and I totally agree with that.

I guess I will just have to see how each language goes!

Merci and ありがとうございました！