CUANDO Y DONDE: THE USE OF MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
When do we use multiple languages and where are they accepted. The release of the 2015 American Community Survey by the Census Bureau, states there are approximately 25,002,191 households in the United States that speak a language other than English at home (. This translates to 21% of the nation. If 21% of the United States is speaking another language besides English, where are they using these foreign tongues? For on example, the use of foreign languages is culturally acceptable in for the educational purpose of learning an L2 when, of course, the L1 is English. The exact opposite is prevalent for immigrants and those whose L1 is not English. Then, English is pressed upon them in hopes of
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In the United States, we see the use of bi- or multilingualism in two ways: a socially elite powerful status or a poor, bottom of the totem pole status. This split view is due to the origin of the L1. If the first language is representative of English, the bilingual is considered sophisticated or well educated. “Multilingualism is a sign of intellectual achievement and sophistication.” (Tobar 2016) On the other hand, if the L1 is a non-English language than the bilingual is considered to be of a lesser social status and not of cultural norms. Socially the status of a bilingual is solely determinant on the first language which proves the monolingual ideology within our society. If an immigrant with an L1 of Spanish and L2 English and an English L1 speaker with an L2 of Spanish were compared, the English L1 speaker would be considered to be significantly more elite socially. “Supposedly, we got smarter by forgetting Spanish.” (Tobar 2016) Thus, the underlying monolingual ideology follows a social expectation and stereotype of the linguistic traits of the …show more content…
For the perspective of bilinguals, it is not a matter of obstinacy towards English, but a desire to maintain one’s culture and individuality without suffering the wrath of English ideals. The monolingual ideology in the United States presides due to the interpretations of bilingual implications. Monolinguist supporters believe language to be harmful to the representation of the United States as a whole. The influence of the ideology is even prevalent in media as seen by an article produced by PBS. The article asks “does bilingualism in America threaten the English language?” (¿Habla español?) Such a question shows the radical view of monolingual ideologists and its evidence in today’s society. Supporters also believe foreign language cultures will take over the “American culture” as well as alter the economic and political status of the country. The educational implications argued by supporters evidently contribute the monolingual ideology as well. Our nation supports the use of a foreign language only on English terms, meaning English is the first language. The prevalence of the monolingual ideology in today’s society not only is prevalent but is
Bilingualism should be celebrated and encouraged, rather than stamped out. Anzaldúa recalls that a teacher told her, “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong” (2947). The irony in her teacher’s statement is that Mexicans and Native Americans inhabited North America long before it was colonized; so, technically speaking, Anzaldúa belonged in America more than her teacher did.
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...
The technique relies on a holistic approach that adopts instructions that allow students to actively participate in the learning process. This is easier for children that feel that the society appreciates their diversity through bilingualism and biliteracy. The society and parents need to encourage children to take up bilingual classes because they offer a lot of benefit to the society through favoring critical thinking, rationality, and sensitivity to other cultures, empathy, and detached or balanced awareness. However, Sonia Nieto mirrors a society that is made to fake being American and become ashamed of their family. It helps appreciate that it is not by choice that anyone speaks any other language as the first language and that the society and community influence the language of choice. Therefore, bilingualism cannot be detached from any community that freely promotes and accommodate the language spoken by the other community. Children and community members learn each other’s language without disregarding each other favoring effective learning that influences bilingualism and biliteracy in the long
In the essay “Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the Official Language” (1989) by Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, he claims that if America wants to be a truly unified country, then there English needs to be set as the official language and wants every person including immigrants to speak it on a normal base. Hayakawa supports his claim by appealing to pathos in the description of how children who are not taught English from an early age will always be behind their peers, he discusses how countries such as Belgium and India have several official languages and how it is “a chaotic mess”, and explains how bilingual programs in California do more harm than good because they start the child off in their native language and never allow them to fully
Not Only English: Affirming America's Multilingual Heritage. 1990. The. ERIC. Web. The Web.
Wiley, Terrence G. "Language Planning, Language Policy, and the English-Only Movement." Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-first Century. Ed. Edward Finegan and John R. Rickford. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2004. 319-38. Print.
Bilingualism, a very controversial topic to debate in today’s United States. People generally define bilingualism as the ability of using two languages that individuals have. However, this is not the reason why that bilingualism becomes such a debatable issue. In this case, bilingualism is defined as the government’s use of languages other than English for public services in order to support the immigrants’ lives in the United States. People who support bilingualism want the government to continue having this kind policies. They think that bilingualism helps immigrants to assimilate into the American culture and moreover, it will unify everyone who are on this land. Although bilingualism provides some kind of benefits toward immigrants, they cannot solve the problems in the deep root. Bilingualism should not be continued in the U.S. Why? It reduces the immigrants’ incentive to learn English, threatens national unity, and costs so much.
In the article, “Public and Private Language”, Richard Rodriguez argues that bilingual education delays learning a “public language” and developing a public identity”. I can relate to Richard’s story because my family and me moved to America when I was young and we also had the same struggle learning a new language. I agreed with Rodriguez when he expressed that he didn’t feel like a true American until he mastered the English language because English is the first and main language in America.
According to the 2011 census, over 20.8 percent of the United States population spoke another language other than English (www.us-english.org). Language barriers, cultural differences, and immigration have been a part of life in the United States for decades. Language is considered a vital tool in the construction of someone’s identity and an expression of culture. In the last 200 years immigrants have chosen to make the United States their home, but some proceeded with caution by slowly adapting to the English language and culture.
Language can bring people together but can also isolate. The United States is known as a melting pot, not only does that refer to culture but also the many different languages. We know of language barriers, but very seldom do we think of the language barriers within our borders. Even with the language barriers it solidifies the need for a national language, the United States of America should allow the freedom to express one’s culture while maintaining English as our national language, therefore offering common ground to its citizens.
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...
In today’s society, especially in the United States, most people are monolingual English speakers. As a result, these monolingual speakers are at a significant disadvantage compared to those who speak more than one language fluently. This disadvantage is crucial to realize since it is important to learn how individuals and the nation can be enhanced. Multilingual speakers have an advantage in global affairs that involve countries that speak different languages. Speaking multiple languages makes it easier to communicate with people when involved in foreign affairs. Those who speak multiple languages are also more aware of other cultures in society. Monolingual speakers are not as exposed to other cultures and have difficulty understanding or even recognizing them. Furthermore, being multilingual increases your
Being bilingual always made my life differ as if I lived two lives, speaking Spanish at home and English everywhere outside of home. On the daily basis at my house, my family speaks Spanish. When we communicate we speak very fast, at times we can not even understand one another. After this occurs we all burst out in laughter super loud, no boundaries are enforced in our lexicon. The enforcement changes when entering a different discourse community.
“If you speak to a man in a language he understands, it will go to his head, if you speak to him in his language, it will go to his heart” -Nelson Mandela. Although recognition of one’s language can be a recognition of one’s own self, and language unites people into communities, recognition of one’s language has little impact on identity and legitimacy as one’s identity is comprised of things far greater than just language. Language is part of identity, not the identity itself. Identity is made up of experiences, desires, dreams, culture, and yes, language, but language is only a part of it. People who value and recognize a language can be quite far from being the same, as Orwell (Source B), who clearly speaks English holds views completely polar compared to his fellow Englishmen and criticizes them with “… because they are especially bad – I could have quoted far worse if I had chosen.”
Language has pioneered many interracial relationships and historical milestones. Language is a necessity for basic communication and cultural diversity. Being multilingual is a skill proven influential to a successful future. Due to rapid globalization, countries all over the world are stressing the importance of learning a second, or even third, language. With the exception of time and lack of resources, adults have very few widely applicable disadvantages to learning multiple languages. However, language learning as a child presents more complications. Some of those include not having enough funding at the elementary school level to introduce a program for secondary language, academic overload for the youth, stress for both the parent and student parties, and the mixing of languages. Not all of these complications are true in any or all situations, however, and the absence of them provides multitudes of opportunity for future career and academic success. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the parents or the education legislation to decide whether they encourage the learning of a secondary language at the young age necessary for retention. “The general consensus is that it takes between five to seven years for an individual to achieve advanced fluency,” therefore the younger a child begins to learn, the more likely they are to benefit to the maximum potential (Robertson). Keeping the language learning in high school or beginning the process earlier is a greatly controversial discussion that is important to address because of the topic’s already lengthy suspension.