Focus On The Learner: Jose Angel Fuentes

964 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: American culture and its influence

Focus on the Learner Page 1 Introduction American culture has to be one of the most, if not, the most popular and sought after way of life in the world. From their food, to their typical mannerisms, the United States is one influential country. Their speech is no exception, in order to compete or join into the U.S. market or culture, one must be familiar or an expert in the language. This is why, if not already taught in school, English is in high demand in countries whose primary language differs. Many countries welcome English speakers to teach their interested citizens. Mexico is one of those countries. However, it is not as simple as many think. Just because a person can speak English does not mean that they can speak it. On …show more content…

This is based on their background, desires, and influences. Jose Angel Fuentes Espinosa for example. Angel as he prefers to be called, is in his late teens to early twenties, and was born and raised in Guadalajara where the first language is Spanish. He is a member of a family of nine so it is probably difficult to standout. No one in his family has an English background and he is currently not in school and is awaiting the next session of exams as he did not reach the requirements of his University in the previous year. He explains that the IMAC school is the only place that he receives English exposure which is 10 hours a …show more content…

Angel learns the English language best through music. Words behind a repetitive melody helps words transfer from his short term memory into his long term memory. This is a popular learning method for many youths considering music is a crucial part of cultures around the world. If one is exposed to American pop culture music it would be easier for that person to learn current American slang quickly. There is a downside to this as well. When pop songs from the U.S. and other countries are sung, the words tend to be over exaggerated or modified in order to fit the melody of the song. This means that the phrases or sentences in the song are not used in everyday speech. So the catchy phrases learned will most likely not ever be used in real

Show More
Related

  • Richard Rodriguez's Theory Of Education Analysis

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unlike Freire’s conclusion of education as liberation and exploring one’s historical background, Rodriguez’s conclusion involves removing oneself from ones historical background. Rodriguez believes in complete alienation from home, childhood, and family in order to develop new ways of thinking. He believes this process to be a loss, but a necessary sacrifice to achieve academic success. He states that the student “must move between environments, his home and the classroom, which are at cultural extremes, opposed” (Rodriguez 547). He believes that the two environments cannot coincide until the student has gone through many years of education to finally “achieve desire” and look back on his or her life to reconnect with the person they were before

    Read More

  • Bilingual Education in Richard Rodriguez' Aria

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...

    Read More

  • Client Counseling Theory

    1596 Words  | 4 Pages

    Miguel resides with his mother, father and grandmother. He is a 16 year-old male Latina of Mexican ethnicity. His parents are legal immigrants from Mexico but met and eventually, got married after they arrived in the United States. His mother is pregnant, which means that Miguel will soon have a sister. Miguel has been struggling academically even though he loves literature and writing. At home Miguel’s family speak Spanish but Miguel is fluent in both English and Spanish. He has been having challenges with his identity, which is the reason he identifies himself as “Chicano-American and not Latina.

    Read More

  • Do You Speak American?

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    United States of America, small in history but large in diversity continues to face new challenges with language as time continues to turn. In the documentary “Do You Speak American?” Robert MacNeil analyzes the English language and reveals many dialects that culturally defines us. Regional dialect is one of the many strongholds of all cultures and now it has reached its’ zenith and today it is slowly declining because it does not possess the human nature of advancement. Optimistically, it allows people to learn how to cooperate with each other. In order to advance and adopt a person has to change; I believe that the acceptance of cultural adaptations, diversity, and industrialization can prove that the decline of speech does not cause a decline of culture.

    Read More

  • English Should Be the Official Language of the United States

    1713 Words  | 4 Pages

    Not Only English: Affirming America's Multilingual Heritage. 1990. The. ERIC. Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • Hispanic Cultures, Culture, And Diversity In The United States

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    The term Hispanic is used to describe Spanish speaking natives. Spanish is one of the fastest expanding languages in the world and accounts for 21 different countries as their official language. About half of Hispanics originate in Mexico, and there is a lot diversity within the 21 Hispanics countries, therefore even their own traditions and heritages will be specific to them. It is also important to remember that most Hispanics do not like to be referred to as Hispanic but instead from where they reside; for example, Mexican American and Puerto Rican. Hispanics are very family oriented and they consider the oldest male to be the figure of authority, although when it comes to important decisions, the whole family contributes. Other important

    Read More

  • Gloria Anzaldua's Borders/La Frontera

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Chicanos, after 250 years of Spanish/Anglo colonization, have developed significant differences in the Spanish we speak” (1025). Spanish has been around for many years but Anzaldua writes that there are essentially eight languages in the Chicano culture. She names standard English, working class English, standard Spanish, standard Mexican Spanish, North Mexican Spanish, Chicano Spanish, Tex-Mex, and Pachuco. Depending on which one someone is speaking, another Chicano can almost identify where they are from. There are little differences and significant ones one can use in their language that will self-identify them. For example, “We collapse two adjacent vowels into a single syllable and sometimes shift the stress in certain words such as maiz/maiz, cohete/ cuete” (1025). This is one distinct thing one can notice when they are speaking the Spanish language. Another thing Chicanos commonly do as well is they “shift // to y and z to s. We leave out initial syllables, saying tar for estar, toy for estoy, hora for ahora {cubanos and puertor-riquenos also leave out initial letters of some words)” (1026). These small qualities distinct someone and shows how language could affect our identity

    Read More

  • Educating Hispanic Students

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Education is the key to individual opportunity, the strength of our economy, and the vitality of our democracy. In the 21st century, this nation cannot afford to leave anyone behind. While the academic achievement and educational attainment of Hispanic Americans has been moving in the right direction, untenable gaps still exist between Hispanic students and their counterparts in the areas of early childhood education, learning English, academic achievement, and high school and college completion.

    Read More

  • Tino Villanueva Analysis

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tino Villanueva was born on December 11, 1941 in south-central Texas in a town known as San Marcos, where both of Villanueva’s parents worked as migrant field workers which embarrassed him (Tino Villanueva Biography). Although his parents were identified as Mexican, many people deemed Tino Villanueva has “Chicano”.

    Read More

  • Changing Perspectives on Love in Modern Women

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    They were both born in the United states, Alvarez was born in New York City, and Selena Gomez in Texas, but they were raised extremely different. Alvarez was born here, but for only “three weeks before my parent’s returned ‘home’”(Alvarez). Because Alvarez was born here,but not raised here she grew up more traditionally latin. She wrote “An American Childhood in the Dominican Republic” describing her childhood, but it seemed as if “Her ‘American childhood’ is shaped by historical dependency on the United States” (Suarez). In her writing, she had to “invent (her)self to negotiate her double cultural affiliations”(Suarez), which can be easily noticeable because of what she chooses to write about. Selena Gomez on the other hand was raised as an American girl. She grew up learning that women can do anything in today’s world. Not that you cannot grow up like that in Latin countries, but it is a lot less common. Learning a little about both of their backgrounds teaches the readers possibly why they wrote what they

    Read More

  • English: The Official Language of the United States

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    The statistics of those not speaking English could lead to the idea that English is diminishing in certain sections of the United States. An example of this is shown in the article “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Languag...

    Read More

  • Should Immigrants Learn English

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    This should be the United States so that the country can be more inclusive to the immigrants who live here, however, many people believe that immigrants should learn English. Miscommunications can occur in international business because people do not know the other language well enough. This causes

    Read More

  • English As A Second Language Essay

    1565 Words  | 4 Pages

    International students may be sent to America to study, speak, write and read in English but the chance of encountering difficulties and struggles is high. According to researchers, learning English in America especially for foreign students is a difficult decision because one may not be able to become accustomed to the environment, behavior of difference culture and the acts of other around. English learners will also encounter reading disability because one cannot read English in a short time; additionally, international students usually struggle with reading English even though one may have the knowledge of the English language. No matter how many disadvantage the English language has, the world most common language will not be extinct because jobs, education and many other parts of the world use English as a primary

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On English As A Global Language

    1810 Words  | 4 Pages

    It has been adopted by different sectors making it one of the most used languages in the globe. This has been attributed to its effective nature, easy learning and rich history. However, conservative groups exist who argues that there should be global language since it may cause the emergence of superior cultures. Nevertheless, it is evident that different cultures ranging from the early polish immigrants, the African American community, the advertising and media will greatly benefit from the globalization of the English language. This will prove in the end that English is indeed a global

    Read More

  • English as a Global Language

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the years English inarguably has reached a status of a global language and commonly is characterized as a lingua franca. It has become the language that is spoken by millions of people all over the world; as the mother tongue, as the language used for international communication and as the language learned in the millions of schools.

    Read More

More about Focus On The Learner: Jose Angel Fuentes

Open Document