People from foreign ethnic group have names that is difficult to pronounce for native people. A typical response they get when they introduce themselves is a curious look and subsequently a question-- How do you pronounce your name again? The way a name is pronounced, it can shape how individuals see us and define our accomplishments. When an ethnic name is Americanized or changed or given nickname, it can change how people view his/her identity. Even in the job market, the employer is likely to hire candidate like them and sometime they judge a pool of potential candidates with the familiarity of name. As name can be connection to self identity and related to ancestry, people should not be biased based on name and how it is pronounced; people …show more content…
For immigrant, minority, or English learning student, name has historical and hereditary significance. They may have stories behind their name which are suppressed when they are regularly compelled to adjust to an “Americanized” setting. However, that transition forces students to take name that do not define them. Yee Wan moved to United States from China when she was 17. When she enrolled to a school at United States, she was forced to change her name-- she had to decide whether to keep her native name or change to American name so that it would be easier for her teachers to pronounce her name. Realizing that there was no choice, she had to change her name to Winnie. (McLaughlin 1). Similarly, Michelle-Thuy Ngoc is a US born teen …show more content…
John L. Cotton argues in a paper that “Extensive research in social psychology has demonstrated that when we perceive others as being similar to ourselves, we are attracted to them”(Cotton 19). Although there are law against racial discrimination, white Americans are more likely to get job offer than black applicant, or an immigrant. When Jose Zamora applied for job at several companies, he did not get any job offer. Later, when he dropped a letter “s” in his name and changed it to “Joe” and applied for jobs at companies at United States, he got interview at several companies. Numerous job applicants and studies have found that employers subconsciously or consciously make discrimination against name that sounds Latino or Black. Broad research in social psychology has demonstrated that. How attitude relates to attraction is a major part of this research. We prefer what is similar to our character and what is known to us. (Cotton 19) Minorities are at disadvantage because they lack representation at many levels. As the discrimination is started at early hiring process and if all the employers are inclined to hire employee similar to them, people of different ethnic group and races have very little chance of getting hired. The current hiring process is the reason people like Jose are forced to change their name. As it is easier to secure a job with American name,
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Show MoreThrough out Lawrence Hill's novel names are often linked to identity and have importance for his characters. For example, Aminata's character attaches huge importance to her name. For Aminata it is an inextricable part of her identity. It links her to her homeland and her family. When Chekura says her full African name she is overwhelmed that someone knows her name and describes how this makes her want to live. Having her true name be known is a way of having her identity affirmed and helps her feel connected to her family, home and to Chekura. In fact, Aminata's character defiantly makes reference to her full name, including the name of the town she was born in. Holding onto her name helps her remain connected to the land and people she has left behind and to her own life story and origins. Further underscoring the importance of names in one...
Teachers should make personal efforts to research preferred terminology for students and use language respectfully. For Native American students, this can be a challenge because there is controversy both within and around the Native American community about self-identification and ethnic markers. I have used the group marker “Native American” throughout this case study because this is Eva’s preferred term, but there are a variety of ethnic names individuals and particularly teachers should be aware of within the Native American population. Historically, Native Americans have had the group name “Indians”, resulting from a mislabeling during colonization (Lowe 2005). While some Native American individuals consider this to be an ethnic slur, others have chosen to re-claim this title and identify as “Indian” or “American Indian”. “Indigenous”, “Aboriginal”, and “First Nations or First People” are other variations of ethnic identification that some Native Americans have chosen to adopt. Still other Native Americans disagree with grouping all tribes under a single ethnic group, and instead argue to identify by regional markers. These include ethnic markers such as “Pueblo-dwelling People”, “Plains Indians”, “Inuit”, and “LDN Peoples (Lakota, Dakota, Nakota Peoples)”. When I asked Eva on her personal opinion on how to address self-identification of students who are Native American, she advised that I “not be afraid to ask students what they prefer to be called”. For educators, being aware of these discrepant identifiers and being receptive to students’ individual identity choices should be considered for Native American students, and educators should keep up to date on research and professional language standards for these populations of
There are many reasons why people may feel self-conscious; in which, others may or may not, be able to relate to. “My Name’’ is the fourth chapter in The House on Mango Street and in this chapter, Esperanza and I share some similarities. Being named after a relative, born in the Chinese year of the horse, and a dislike in our own name are similarities we share in this chapter. [Esperanza] “In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means to many letters’’(10). Esperanza expresses a dislike in her name due to the length stating, that her name it is too long. When I was younger, I felt the same as my parents placed upon me three middle names at birth. I to felt my name was too long. I would feel embarrassed when my family would address me by my full name although, they would only do so if I was
A name changing the identity of one is exactly what happened to Firoozeh “Julie” Dumas. Before her name change, Dumas was regarded as being one of those immigrants with a name no one wanted to learn. But after changing her ...
As we know, most people being immigrants to other countries have a hard time to adapt different culture in a new environment. They may meet some difficulties such as finding jobs, communicating with others and discrimination. According to the essay “The F Word” written by Firoozeh Dumas, she shows that one of the challenges for immigrants in America is their foreign names. Moreover, she also uses a lot of examples to indicate how this obstacle affects her life in different time period, such as her childhood, after graduating from university and getting married. Lastly, she chooses to use her original name and tries to respect her culture. However, Firoozeh Dumas utilizes a funny opening, circumstantial examples and coherent organization to explain the difficulty of having a foreign name in America effectively.
names are prevented from being able to reassimilate within society, they are the outcasts. It also
One more problem with race relations in the United States is employers. Some bosses/CEO’s refuse to hire a certain race, which is discrimination – according to SAGE journal articles – because members of a particular group are being excluded from certain privileges. Another article also said that “During the fourth quarter of 2012, unemployment among whites stood at 6.3 percent; for Hispanics it was 9.8 percent; for blacks, 14.0 percent”, due to the fact that racial discrimination exists where success takes
At birth everyone is given a name by their parents. Your name is part of your identity and how you are addressed by the world. The differences among the population created other names given to different races. These names are offensive, demeaning and are only used to refer to a person in a disrespectful manner. They can also cause separation among a nations people, these names are forced upon people weather they are rich or poor, old or young, male or female and are used to describe the same race of people. In the class reading "What 's in a Name? “by Henry Louis Gates he wrote about a personal experience of his that he had with his father. His father was a hard worker because of this he was in high financial standings and, he was well respected and given privileges that at the time was rare for people of his race but he was still seen as black this was what he was identified as, this is all he was seen as and is something many black Americans can relate to. One’s race is a predominant part of our identity and is what causes discrimination.
...d G. Fryer Jr., himself an African-American, has studied the “Acting White/Black” phenomena and found it stems more from education, “White” referring towards higher level of education and “Black” referring to lower levels. When race is removed from the equation a prevalent pattern can be seen within races as socioeconomic status and naming trends (Levitt 190). The pattern is able to roughly measure the education of a child’s mother depending on the choice of name and the frequency of the name within social classes (Levitt 190-204). Over time Fryer could see the way names tended to move, down. As names become more used and common they will pass on lower to lower social classes (Levitt 201).
"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez show how an immigrant from Dominican Republic learns about how people treat their heritage names in America. In the beginning of the story Julia is frustrated with the officer who's letting them into America because of the way he pronounced their names wrong. It states "How
Amy Tan’s ,“Mother Tongue” and Maxine Kingston’s essay, “No Name Woman” represent a balance in cultures when obtaining an identity in American culture. As first generation Chinese-Americans both Tan and Kingston faced many obstacles. Obstacles in language and appearance while balancing two cultures. Overcoming these obstacles that were faced and preserving heritage both women gained an identity as a successful American.
Aguirre, Adalberto, and Jonathan H. Turner. American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
My full name is Jose Leonardo Yax. In a biblical meaning, Jose is described as “raised; who pardons.” However the Spanish meaning it is defined as “may god give increase.” My last name, Yax, is believed to be “an Americanized spelling of the German (Frisian) surname Jaacks.” Jose was assigned as my first name since both of my grandfathers had Jose as their name. I personally don’t believe my first name is a representation of me, for it’s a common name. On the other hand, I believe my last name is a better depiction of me. Yax isn’t a last name that most people have where I live, thus it is somewhat unique. Students are still required to take British Literature for the reason that British literature is the foundation of modern literature. As
I have read an account called " 'What's in a Name? " ", which is composed by Henry Louis Gates. This account demonstrates to us a youth experience of the creator that happened amid the mid-1950s. In the article, Gates alludes to an occurrence when a white man, Mr. Wilson, who was well disposed with his dad, called his dad "George", a name which was a prominent method for alluding to African Americans in those circumstances. In any case, Gates' dad needed to acknowledge this separation and couldn't make a move around then. By utilizing sentiment to bring out individuals' enthusiastic reaction, and utilizing suggestion, Gates effectively communicates his claim that name shapes individuals' discernments
...ermine the causal factors that affect naming practice from that of a sociocultural approach. These specific disciplines depict the importance of social science in understanding “social phenomena” (Lewins, 1992, p.5) and thus understanding the social world within which all humans live.