Researchers strive to systematically collect data in order to create accurate descriptions of the social world. This allows them to draw conclusions about why people act the way they do in all types of situations and in relation to other people. For this qualitative research paper, you will systematically collect data through your interview with a functional bilingual. In going through this process, you will experience how social scientists transform data they collect into a written case study research paper.
In writing this research paper, imagine you educate your fellow students—monolingual, bilingual, multilingual alike—on the dimensions of what it means to be someone who uses more than one language. Give your readers the necessary context or background information throughout the paper to help them follow your discussion. If you use any terms that would be unfamiliar to your readers, make sure to define them.
Your task: In this research paper, respond to the prompt below:
Based on the personal perspective shared by the person you interviewed, what is the experience of a bilingual in an urban place like New York City? Select and discuss three aspects of the bilingual experience from the responses of your participant. Be sure to support your discussion with a specific reference to the words of the interviewee and to the concepts covered in class. Conclude your paper by reflecting on the central question of this assignment, “What is unique about the experience of the person you interviewed, an urban bilingual?”

Process stages for this assignment
1. Select the person to be interviewed (the functional bilingual you interview must a local bilingual, New York City).
2. Develop your questions for the online assignment; select the most appropriate for your case study from the list posted on Blackboard.
3. Schedule, conduct, and audio-record the interview; transcribe the answers.
4. Select three themes/aspects of the bilingual experience in the responses of your participants to be discussed in your paper and select appropriate quotes from your participant. Submit the transcript and the three aspects as your next online assignment.
5. Make sure to end the paper with a reflection on your research process and what you learned through this primary research study.

Interview Questions:
1. What languages do you speak?
2. What language or languages do your parents use when speaking to you?
3. When did you notice that you were capable of speaking different languages?
4. How different is the language you speak at home from other languages?
5. When in school, what language did you use?
6. How did you learn other languages?
7. How difficult was it to learn other/foreign language?
8. Do you find it helpful to be bilingual?
9. Do you prefer speaking one language over the other?
10. What language do you think in?
Note: Interviewee can be any of the following first language speakers:
Spanish, Nepali, Chinese, Tibetan, Hindi, Vietnamese, Philippines (I will do the audio record but need transcript on a separate paper)