If you are bilingual, or have attempted to learn a second language, write your own language learning story. Tie your experiences to the ideas, theories, and methods discussed in this chapter which helped you to understand your experience. What are some lessons based on your experience that might influence your instruction in your classroom? Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Spanish language has always been around, but not spoken in the household when growing up. While attending W.B. Ray High School, I took three years of American Sign Language. This was incredibly interesting, and because I went to a school that had deaf students from all the surrounding areas, practicing the language was easy. Since being out of practice, I only remember bits and pieces of American Sign Language, but every now and then I get the opportunity to use it again. …show more content…
I was shocked to learn how popular the language was. It became clear that I would need to learn Spanish very quickly, especially considering how intimidating it is to go to a store or a restaurant and not speak the same language when ordering your meal or asking for help to find something. Even after five years of being surrounded with Spanish, I have learned very little. One of the most challenging parts of learning the Spanish language or any other language from the people around you is that slang is being used. This can be confusing because there are different words or phrases to say the same thing or two different words can sound very similar depending on the accent of the person saying it. For the most part, any Spanish that I have picked up over the years has been thanks to coworkers and friends. That being said, I have found that I understand my coworkers and friends a lot better than someone I might meet at a store that is asking me a
When I was at work I would only speak English. Most Spanish people adapt to a new norm and (thrown out their old norm) not know if a person can speak to them by their native language. Since I knew some Spanish I woul...
When it was my time to go to the U.S., I was eight years old, fluently only in Spanish with a Dominican accent. You see there is Spanish but then there's Dominican Spanish, and from there
disadvantaged child, I considered Spanish to be a private language. What I needed to learn in
When I first started school, I remember how difficult it was for me to make the transition from Spanish to English. My Mom left me at the door of the school in the morning, but since I was placed in an English-only classroom, the next time I opened my mouth to speak to anyone was when she picked me up again that afternoon. I didn't know what anyone was saying around me, and to make matters worse, my teacher didn't speak a single word of Spanish. That day, like every other day, I came home crying because I felt like an outsider. That year was very difficult for me because I ended up in the back corner of the classroom not participating. As a result, I had to take several years of summer school in order to catch up, something that could have been avoided if I had been placed in a bilingual program. Several key advantages to bilingual education are that it allows for an emotionally safe transition, students don't fall behind in their lessons, and parents are not alienated from their children's education.
Spanglish is known as a hybrid language combining words and idioms from both Spanish and English especially Spanish speech that uses many English words and expressions. Around the US, millions of citizens in major cities are speaking what some are calling a third language. According to an essay forum on Spanglish, some consider Spanglish a language disease, slang that should be taken care of immediately. A threat to the purity of both languages as a whole. To others they seek to develop their Spanglish speaking skills. Spanglish has changed the world, corporations have discovered it and it’s on television, radio, novels, rap and rock music. In this essay I will explain the significance the language ‘Spanglish’
An ongoing battle of culture, freedom, and language occurs in America today. The battle is commonly called Bilingualism. The dictionary definition: being able to speak multiple languages. Though, when you dig deeper, you discover the hunger of differing tongues. Many people believe bilingualism should have a certain role in the public and education. One of these figures is Martin Espada who believe that bilingualism is also respecting one's culture. He believes that there should be more effort put into understanding different cultures and languages. An opposing figure to this is poet and author, Richard Rodriguez, who believes bilingualism should not be emphasized in the public and education system. Rather being able to speak one language and communicating is superior.
This exploration of the educational issue of bilingual education will focus on these four questions.
Individually, when bilinguals bear in mind the fact that their ability to speak two languages helps their cognitive skills in strengthening development and function of attention, their self satisfaction should escalate. This is a blessing, not a hindrance. In America, people wrongfully look down upon foreigners as they arrive in the States, learn a second language, while also cling to their native language and cultural values. Monolingual Americans unjustifiably believe they have the advantage over these future bilinguals. What they do not know is when bilinguals master two languages and put into practice brain plasticity and cognitive development they will surpass and excel monolinguals with flying colors. It is proven through research that bilinguals outscore their monolingual peers again and again by more quicker, attentive, and accurate results. They should take pride in their hard work and consistent pressing motives to master a new language, hold onto their first, and do not compare themselves to the native monolinguals surrounding them. The Associated Press reports that up to 66 percent of the world’s children are raised bilingual (2001). Consequently, with those numbers society is humbled in understanding the bilingual advantage. It is comforting to be reminded of such an enriched advantage in bilingualism, even though monolinguist society disputes otherwise. Honestly, respect and acceptance in understanding the role of bilingualism plays an influential performance in bringing individuals and society
Most of the time at school my lexicon is in English, I speak Spanish all the time at home.At times it is hard for me to switch my languages up because in Spanish we speak so quickly. My quick Spanish speaking always sticks to me and when speaking English I can slur a lot because of the speed in my voice. Adjusting the speed of my voice based on which language I am speaking is what I have been focusing on when communicating.
In the United States, the language we know as Spanish is so prevalent that most automated voice messaging systems use it as a second option, the majority of stores feature it as another language option on their pin pads, and more importantly it is in fact considered the second most widely spoken language in the U.S. Spanish is part of our everyday lives not just as far as the people who live here and speak it, but the cultural traditions we have adopted from other Spanish speaking countries. America would not be the same without Spanish cultural influence, and not only that, there are beneficial reasons behind learning the Spanish language and the meanings and influences of its culture
Being bilingual implies a process in which everything looks so difficult at the beginning, but at the same time it is easier than what it looks like.
The product of two years of a foreign language class in high school graduates, is less than one student who graduates, fluent in the language they studied (Caplan). Being bilingual has proven to show many advantages that don’t only improve a students educationally life but also how shaped and cultured the person can be in every day life. It has also been proven to show a slower unset of some diseases. It can also strengthen the mind making one able to think more efficiently. If bilingualism is proven to show advantages the school district, parents of students, and students themselves should care about the advantages that bilingualism holds. The public should be educated on all the advantages being bilingual have on the child’s future. Even
Bilingualism The English language has grown to be the world’s most significant language and its increase to the status of globally spoken language must rank as one of the most significant facts in the educational times gone by of the twentieth century world. It is conceivably suitable, as the new millennium comes closer, that we ought to pause to reproduce on how English reached this point, what might take place next, and what it all means, both for those who converse English and for the large proportion of the world's inhabitants who do not. Uniformly, we need to think the insinuations of these changes on our own position as language education professionals. David Crystal's book, English as a Global Language, (Crystal, 1997) aimed to point out that “English became the world language not because of any intrinsic linguistic qualities, but because at significant moments in history it happened to be 'in the right place at the right time'”. "The Future of English?" (Graddol, 1997) suggests that “English is at a turning point in its development as an international language: it has become a global language at a time when the world itself is undergoing rapid change. Indeed, English is very much a part of the process of transformation, which is creating a more closely interconnected world in which people and machines talk easily to each other across vast spaces.” Reviewing Barbara Mayor and David Graddol, evident is the fact that there are two key indicators of this changeover point in the progress of English. First, the number of people speakers using English as a second language will rapidly outnumber those who articulate it as a first language. Secondly, it is obvious that added people learning English as a foreign language do so in ...
I have had experience with learning two languages, Spanish and Arabic. The first time I was exposed to Spanish was when I was in kindergarten and I did not study it again until high school. I did not begin learning Arabic until my last year of high school and decided to major in Arabic once I got to college. The experiences I had learning these languages were completely different.
Knowing nothing about the language and then suddenly having to learn how to read and write gave me big obstacles to overcome. During, elementary school through 6th grade I went to a bilingual school. We had a month of all English courses and then one month of all Spanish courses rotating along the school year. During, this time I learned how to read and write in English. Also how to use past, present, and future tenses while incorporating them into sentences. Not only was this difficult for me, but also having to read in front of classmates was embarrassing. Every time I would have to read out loud I could feel my face get hot and red. However, not only did I have to learn a new language and have an accent with it, but I also had to face the criticism from others who knew the language and had no struggle with