http://youtube.com/watch?v=wgWQoZz6nEk
while I was writing my etnography and tried to find more information about codeswitching to employ it to my paper I found very interesting example of code switching on you tube. It is really interesting
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Jabari Asim - the N word
I found Jabari Asim’s conferences very interesting. One of the things I found very impressive was when he talked about the cover sheet of his book the N Word. He says that the front page is for those who do not like to use the word “nigger” and therefore the letter N is crossed out, on the other hand, on the side there is letter N that is not crossed out for those who employ “nigger” in their discourse. I think this symbolism shows his standpoint of his whole book. I see importance in using colors for the cover page titles. It seemed to me that the front page RED letter N symbolize non-African-Americans who want to eliminate this word and the crossing BLACK lines stay for the African- American culture who do not like to see the N word coming out of mouth of non-Black society. Moreover, I assume that African American people are trying to say to the people of different color “You are not supposed say this word because if you say that it will mean you discriminate me!” As we can notice lines are not going over the N. That’s what I see as the main point of this that the word “nigger” will never disappear because it has strong roots in our society.
From the side view of the book the letter N is colored in BLACK not crossed out. I assume that this symbolizes that the society is set up as only Black people can use the N word. However, it was interesting when Jabari Asim said that African American should be the last people who should use this word, which has never had any positive connotations. I definitely agree with his idea conveying that this negative and discriminative word will never disappear. It is a vicious circle because if there was not a word “nigger” there would be another word that would harmfully influence our society.
From the side view of the book the letter N is colored in BLACK not crossed out. I assume that this symbolizes that the society is set up as only Black people can use the N word. However, it was interesting when Jabari Asim said that African American should be the last people who should use this word, which has never had any positive connotations. I definitely agree with his idea conveying that this negative and discriminative word will never disappear. It is a vicious circle because if there was not a word “nigger” there would be another word that would harmfully influence our society.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Extra Blog - The Death of the Letter?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89723829
"The Death of the Letter?
'You get so much human personality on a piece of paper that has writing from a human hand on it — and that may be disappearing," Young says.
Thomas, the former White House bureau chief, wonders whether technology will mean ' the death of the letter."
Can text messages, e-mails and instant messages reflect the times in which they were written — the events, the state of the world — the way letters can? "
I came across this article on NPR's website and it made me think of our class discussions on technology and it's effect on language, specifically when we talked about hand writing and what is happening to it as our technology increases. I like how this article talks about the personality that you get from a hand written letter, the kind of paper, the handwriting, the spelling, and how many of those elements are lost with typing and other new technologies. For me hand writing will always hold it's own place, totally separate and different than typing and all other forms of communication!
"The Death of the Letter?
'You get so much human personality on a piece of paper that has writing from a human hand on it — and that may be disappearing," Young says.
Thomas, the former White House bureau chief, wonders whether technology will mean ' the death of the letter."
Can text messages, e-mails and instant messages reflect the times in which they were written — the events, the state of the world — the way letters can? "
I came across this article on NPR's website and it made me think of our class discussions on technology and it's effect on language, specifically when we talked about hand writing and what is happening to it as our technology increases. I like how this article talks about the personality that you get from a hand written letter, the kind of paper, the handwriting, the spelling, and how many of those elements are lost with typing and other new technologies. For me hand writing will always hold it's own place, totally separate and different than typing and all other forms of communication!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Gender and Language
http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/women/
Gender plays in language very important role. It sometimes can be source of prejudice and subject of stereotyping. There is a myth or maybe a stereotyping that says that women talk more than men. However, the truth is that men talk more than women. There have been many studies that have proved the point that male side of society is more talkative than the female side. In Janet Holmes article, there are shown many studies that definitely are a persuasive argument that contradicts the myth. I personally assume that the reason why people think that women talk more is because women’s arguments are really loud and powerful. They might not talk that much however when they say something it has a very prevailing meaning. On the other hand, coming out of the concept that women speak less, I think it is because they are not that confident. I personally have noticed it on myself. I am rather quiet if I am asked a question in class because one, I am scared that nobody will understand me for my accent, and two, because I am not really sure about my answer. I think it is hard for women to just make it up right away. There are two choices for women: they either know the right answer and they are definitely sure about the rightness of the answer, however they are still not confident to speak up, or they just slide down to their chair trying to be invisible. If they are asked for an answer, even though they do not know it they just say “I don’t know” and do not even try to come up with some filling.
Gender plays in language very important role. It sometimes can be source of prejudice and subject of stereotyping. There is a myth or maybe a stereotyping that says that women talk more than men. However, the truth is that men talk more than women. There have been many studies that have proved the point that male side of society is more talkative than the female side. In Janet Holmes article, there are shown many studies that definitely are a persuasive argument that contradicts the myth. I personally assume that the reason why people think that women talk more is because women’s arguments are really loud and powerful. They might not talk that much however when they say something it has a very prevailing meaning. On the other hand, coming out of the concept that women speak less, I think it is because they are not that confident. I personally have noticed it on myself. I am rather quiet if I am asked a question in class because one, I am scared that nobody will understand me for my accent, and two, because I am not really sure about my answer. I think it is hard for women to just make it up right away. There are two choices for women: they either know the right answer and they are definitely sure about the rightness of the answer, however they are still not confident to speak up, or they just slide down to their chair trying to be invisible. If they are asked for an answer, even though they do not know it they just say “I don’t know” and do not even try to come up with some filling.
British English vs. American English
Before I came to United States I was taught at school British English. Our teacher used to tell us that the only proper English is the British English. She totally refused American English as possible language to learn. She said there is too many slang employed.
When I came to United States with my poor British English speaking knowledge I was lost in a maze of totally different words, different pronunciation as well as different spelling. English placement test at SLCC put me into English 990. When my teacher gave me back my paper back, it looked like a red sea of my teacher’s pen trying to correct all of my misspelled word and also words that she marked with a note “Check the dictionary!” I felt horrible. I thought my English spelling was not that bad, however, she absolutely proved the point that I have to start all over again. My two years here, in the U.S. have taught me a totally different language and the British language I had known before is gone. I have noticed that sometimes when I watch a movie that is produced by the British I cannot understand what they are saying.
I found really interesting article or table that shows some of the differences. How would you feel if you have to le-learn “the same” language?
When I came to United States with my poor British English speaking knowledge I was lost in a maze of totally different words, different pronunciation as well as different spelling. English placement test at SLCC put me into English 990. When my teacher gave me back my paper back, it looked like a red sea of my teacher’s pen trying to correct all of my misspelled word and also words that she marked with a note “Check the dictionary!” I felt horrible. I thought my English spelling was not that bad, however, she absolutely proved the point that I have to start all over again. My two years here, in the U.S. have taught me a totally different language and the British language I had known before is gone. I have noticed that sometimes when I watch a movie that is produced by the British I cannot understand what they are saying.
I found really interesting article or table that shows some of the differences. How would you feel if you have to le-learn “the same” language?
FOXP2 - a human language gene
The first language gene, FOXP2, was discovered about 5 years ago. The location of the gene on the human genome is on the 7 th chromosome (see below). This gene's significance is thought to be in the control of facial movements (ability to speak clearly). One of the scientists estimates language and speech genes could number as much as some 10 to 1,000 genes.
Monday, April 21, 2008
More Thoughts
Just a side note, not really having to do with language, but definitely a lot to do with diversity and sub-cultures. First, I want to make it clear that I do not support polygamy in any way (my wife would have me killed) however, I do find there is a disparity in the subject.
With all the news swirling around the FLDS in Texas there has been a lot of attention on all polygamist compounds. I agree that if there is child abuse occurring then something should be done, but if there isn't shouldn't we just leave them alone? So many people that I have heard discussing the subject think that polygamy is so disgusting and everyone participating should be arrested, after all it is against the law right? I find the prejudice against these people somewhat unfair, considering that it can be argued that polygamy is just another lifestyle choice, just like homosexuality and co-habitation. Many people think that same sex marriage is only fair since they should be allowed the same rights as heterosexuals. Couldn't it be argued that polygamists should be allowed the same privileges? Why isn't there anybody arguing for the legalization of polygamist marriages? Why is is labeled close minded, prejudice, and homo-phobic, to disagree with homosexuality, but it is the norm to discriminate against polygamists? I just think that it's something to think about.
With all the news swirling around the FLDS in Texas there has been a lot of attention on all polygamist compounds. I agree that if there is child abuse occurring then something should be done, but if there isn't shouldn't we just leave them alone? So many people that I have heard discussing the subject think that polygamy is so disgusting and everyone participating should be arrested, after all it is against the law right? I find the prejudice against these people somewhat unfair, considering that it can be argued that polygamy is just another lifestyle choice, just like homosexuality and co-habitation. Many people think that same sex marriage is only fair since they should be allowed the same rights as heterosexuals. Couldn't it be argued that polygamists should be allowed the same privileges? Why isn't there anybody arguing for the legalization of polygamist marriages? Why is is labeled close minded, prejudice, and homo-phobic, to disagree with homosexuality, but it is the norm to discriminate against polygamists? I just think that it's something to think about.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Extra Blog
Just a short blog about technology and language! I was listening to a tape-recorded conversation that I created while working on my ethnography. A while ago I recorded a group having a conversation over lunch, and was on the recording a few times myself. What hit me while I listened to it was how different I come across from how I think I come across! Hearing my recorded voice, my tone is so much different than I imagine I sound when I'm talking. I sounded so much younger and more soft-spoken than I thought. It cracked me up hearing myself say "oh my gosh" and "ooooh!" and some of the other little phrases I say all the time. It was kind of cool to be more aware of what others hear when I talk!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Extra Thoughts
As I work on my ethnography project I find that not only am I busy and a little stressed/pressed for time, I find that I am actually learning more than I thought I would. I entered this endevor with a lot of pre-concieved notions and I am actually happy to realize that I am wrong in many aspects.
I chose to immerse myself in the homeless culture and had the idea that since many of them are uneducated, their language skills would be very poor. As I spent more and more time with different groups I realized that I was jumping to conclusions both that they were all uneducated and that their language skills would reflect that.
This led me to what I believe is the ultimate lesson to be learned from the project. Which is: Language has the power to teach regaurdless of what language it is or what subculture it comes from. I think that all to often we disregaurd languages and words or styles that we don't understand, instead of taking the time to learn from it. I certainly learned a lot from the languages that I studied and there is, I'm sure, infinite numbers of language groups still to be studied.
I chose to immerse myself in the homeless culture and had the idea that since many of them are uneducated, their language skills would be very poor. As I spent more and more time with different groups I realized that I was jumping to conclusions both that they were all uneducated and that their language skills would reflect that.
This led me to what I believe is the ultimate lesson to be learned from the project. Which is: Language has the power to teach regaurdless of what language it is or what subculture it comes from. I think that all to often we disregaurd languages and words or styles that we don't understand, instead of taking the time to learn from it. I certainly learned a lot from the languages that I studied and there is, I'm sure, infinite numbers of language groups still to be studied.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
its not language that matters so much as communication...
Ok blog #10, here we go!
I agree with Betty Bimer’s point of view: Spanish does not threaten American English. Look at this statement:
“English is in no danger of disappearing any time soon; it is firmly established both in America and in countries throughout the world. In fact, no language has ever held as strong a position in the world as English does today. Some people worry when they see Spanish showing up on billboards and pay phones, but in a neighborhood with a high Spanish- speaking population, it makes perfectly good sense for public information and instructions to be printed in both English and Spanish. This doesn't mean that the English language is in danger.”
In John Miller’s piece, English is Broken Here, the issue I think he should be addressing is not about whether or not we should allow ballots to be printed in other languages, or whether or not ‘English is broken here.’ His only arguments that held any validity for me were about all the money being wasted on printing ballots in other languages. I personally think that printing translated ballots is the right thing to do. No matter how much the cost our government is securing the rights of its people by giving them voting materials in the language they can understand. The real issue (once you get rid of fear, prejudice, and stupid anger that Miller wastes most of his essay on) is money. At the end of his article he does finally bring forth a solution I could stand listening to: he said: “ maybe we should expand the use of ethnic newspapers in preparing for voting season, or maybe we should let them take an English-speaking friend into the voting booth with them (like with blind voters). I would suggest that maybe one solution would be to make the English on the ballot easier to understand. Even I have a hard time understanding the language on the ballot and I was born here!! I believe that this move would make it easier even for those with broken English.
That website was wacky!! I wasn’t sure if it was joking some of the time. I mean, German almost won becoming the official language of the U.S.??—to me that seemed to say ‘look no need to worry about what the ‘official’ language is , even house of representatives knows that no matter what they say English will still be the one used all over the united states, it won’t change what choices people make.” I guess I just didn’t get it. They were trying to scare people, about how ‘English is threatened’ ooooh! The site also bothered me because I assumed that readers were already, or would soon be on their side of this ‘debate’ (I’m with Ali Mae, this is a debate?? Who cares? Is it a debate?) But on the other hand, it does make itself look very respectable and says over and over that the only effect there would be would be in government dealings. If it’s really not such a big deal then why the website, why the ‘debate’ at all? Why are they arguing? I don’t get it.
Dennis Baron’s article and the comic in the book were the best comic relief, for me! I loved them. This whole issue is just ridiculous, so, Baron went and wrote a ridiculous paper about it. I particularly liked his use of logic: “Chinese is too hard to write” and “In the end, though, it doesn’t matter what replacement language we pick, just so long as we ban English instead of making it official. Prohibiting English will do for the language what Prohibition did for liquor. Those who already use it will continue to do so, and those who don’t will want to try out what has been forbidden. This negative psychology works with children. It works with speed limits. It even worked in the Garden of Eden.”
I guess my main conclusion is who cares? So what if the language changes? As long as we can communicate, does it really matter? I figure that as problems crop up that truly impede communication, we’ll fix it. We’ll find a way through our problems. I would hope that, with language change and transformation we, as a society—as a people, will retain the language we have had, keeping respect for the past but always looking forward to the future.
I agree with Betty Bimer’s point of view: Spanish does not threaten American English. Look at this statement:
“English is in no danger of disappearing any time soon; it is firmly established both in America and in countries throughout the world. In fact, no language has ever held as strong a position in the world as English does today. Some people worry when they see Spanish showing up on billboards and pay phones, but in a neighborhood with a high Spanish- speaking population, it makes perfectly good sense for public information and instructions to be printed in both English and Spanish. This doesn't mean that the English language is in danger.”
In John Miller’s piece, English is Broken Here, the issue I think he should be addressing is not about whether or not we should allow ballots to be printed in other languages, or whether or not ‘English is broken here.’ His only arguments that held any validity for me were about all the money being wasted on printing ballots in other languages. I personally think that printing translated ballots is the right thing to do. No matter how much the cost our government is securing the rights of its people by giving them voting materials in the language they can understand. The real issue (once you get rid of fear, prejudice, and stupid anger that Miller wastes most of his essay on) is money. At the end of his article he does finally bring forth a solution I could stand listening to: he said: “ maybe we should expand the use of ethnic newspapers in preparing for voting season, or maybe we should let them take an English-speaking friend into the voting booth with them (like with blind voters). I would suggest that maybe one solution would be to make the English on the ballot easier to understand. Even I have a hard time understanding the language on the ballot and I was born here!! I believe that this move would make it easier even for those with broken English.
That website was wacky!! I wasn’t sure if it was joking some of the time. I mean, German almost won becoming the official language of the U.S.??—to me that seemed to say ‘look no need to worry about what the ‘official’ language is , even house of representatives knows that no matter what they say English will still be the one used all over the united states, it won’t change what choices people make.” I guess I just didn’t get it. They were trying to scare people, about how ‘English is threatened’ ooooh! The site also bothered me because I assumed that readers were already, or would soon be on their side of this ‘debate’ (I’m with Ali Mae, this is a debate?? Who cares? Is it a debate?) But on the other hand, it does make itself look very respectable and says over and over that the only effect there would be would be in government dealings. If it’s really not such a big deal then why the website, why the ‘debate’ at all? Why are they arguing? I don’t get it.
Dennis Baron’s article and the comic in the book were the best comic relief, for me! I loved them. This whole issue is just ridiculous, so, Baron went and wrote a ridiculous paper about it. I particularly liked his use of logic: “Chinese is too hard to write” and “In the end, though, it doesn’t matter what replacement language we pick, just so long as we ban English instead of making it official. Prohibiting English will do for the language what Prohibition did for liquor. Those who already use it will continue to do so, and those who don’t will want to try out what has been forbidden. This negative psychology works with children. It works with speed limits. It even worked in the Garden of Eden.”
I guess my main conclusion is who cares? So what if the language changes? As long as we can communicate, does it really matter? I figure that as problems crop up that truly impede communication, we’ll fix it. We’ll find a way through our problems. I would hope that, with language change and transformation we, as a society—as a people, will retain the language we have had, keeping respect for the past but always looking forward to the future.
Monday, April 14, 2008
English in America
I found the articles interesting for this blog. What I believe is that you cannot make English the official language because there are just so many people that speak different languages. We as a country, are very diverse in our language.
The article that we read called, "Do you speak American?" brings up a very good point on the matter. It brings back thoughts to where I work at and how many people come through my line to pay for their things and how many of them are not able to speak english. It seems to me more than half of the people that come through are of other origin. Alot of them don't understand english and have either a child or someone else translate. This brings up the example of children who live in a home that are bilingual and their parents or caretakers speak a totally different language. I believe that we should leave the laws on language the way that they are and focus on different things that are much more important to the counrty's well being. I would love to learn spanish myself to improve the ways that I communicate.
The article that we read called, "Do you speak American?" brings up a very good point on the matter. It brings back thoughts to where I work at and how many people come through my line to pay for their things and how many of them are not able to speak english. It seems to me more than half of the people that come through are of other origin. Alot of them don't understand english and have either a child or someone else translate. This brings up the example of children who live in a home that are bilingual and their parents or caretakers speak a totally different language. I believe that we should leave the laws on language the way that they are and focus on different things that are much more important to the counrty's well being. I would love to learn spanish myself to improve the ways that I communicate.
U.S. English
I believe that if your going to live in the United States you need to learn to speak the dominant language. I only speak english and I think it is a good idea to learn a second language but if I go out of the country I don't expect people to accomadate me. Its very frustrating when I go out to eat and I can't understand what the guy at the fast food window is saying to me. I know that english or any language is hard to learn especially if you learn it later in your life but if someone is going to live in a place where english is spoken they need to try very hard to learn that language.
U.S. English
Logically, being that English is the dominant language in the U.S., it should most definitely be the official language of this country. English has been the dominant language for centuries in this country. Don't get me wrong, because I love the fact that the U.S. is such a culturally diverse country and is so welcoming to people of other countries. However, if someone wants to come over and live in this great country, then they should try their very hardest to learn the language that is spoken here. I understand that learning to speak English as a second language is very difficult. I lived in Central America for 2 years and had to learn Spanish. That was quite difficult for me, and I recognize that English is a much more complex language to learn than Spanish. In my mind I thought, I'm going to be living in a country where the dominant language is Spanish, therefore I need to learn to speak Spanish as quickly and as well as I can. That should be the mentality of those that come to the U.S.from other countries!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
English
I understand that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. We have so many rules that really don't make sense and when you are switching from another language that can make speaking really hard. I dont think that there would be a problem in making English the national language, after all it is the dominant language. Other countries have picked a dominant language. I dont think that other languages should be banned or anything but we should encourage people from other countries to learn English. If you went to Germany and wanted to get around or do anything you would have to learn German. Same goes for Spain, Argentina, France or any other country. In high school I had to take two years of Spanish. I chose Spanish because I knew that there were a lot of Spanish speaking people in my neighborhood. I believe that schools should encourage students to take another language, but I also think that those who do not learn English should not be catered to.
U.S. English
There are many points of view how to look at impacts on U.S. English. For example, I, as a foreigner, came to United States for only reason to learn proper English language. Everywhere in Europe it is important to know at least two foreign languages in order to keep up with the world development. In my case, when I was deciding where to go to school I was considering two places, schools in Florida and in Utah. Even though Florida is a very nice place to live, I did not hesitate to pick Utah as my future school for only reason: In Utah I will be able to learn better English than in Florida because in Florida there are many Spanish-speaking people who can influence my learning process of this world power language. I simply wanted to understand the language I can use in Britain, and other countries. I did not want to learn Spanish or any other languages that here in the U.S. assimilate into English. This is the only possibility when I would suggest an idea to persuade the immigrants or foreign speaking people to learn English in a proper manner. It definitely opens door to the world’s society. From my standpoint, Spanish or other languages may be a warning for English language nevertheless, this should a concern for people outside of this country, the foreigners that do know the language and come here to learn English. For American people who are raised among American cultures English is not threatened by Spanish.
On the other hand, I have been in United States for 2 years therefore, I can look at process of learning English from other point of view. America-United States- is considered as a melting pot of the world. All races and cultures are mixed up together in one large country. People of different cultures are more than welcome to come to the U.S. to fulfill their American Dream. That’s the U.S main motto. Nevertheless, as I read the article, they are not welcome if they do not speak language!? It is horrifying to read Baron’s text saying people can be actually punished for not speaking English. You cannot force people of different cultures to stop speaking their native language. I have learned at school in Czech Republic that United States is a multicultural powerful country. That means that mix of cultures brings mix of languages.
My experience is that English is and will be a dominant official language in U.S. because of pressure of world society that will push people to know the proper English. Yes, in some parts of this country Spanish or other languages can be more employed because of appearance of many foreigners in that certain area. However, these languages will not overwhelm English in a larger scale.
On the other hand, I have been in United States for 2 years therefore, I can look at process of learning English from other point of view. America-United States- is considered as a melting pot of the world. All races and cultures are mixed up together in one large country. People of different cultures are more than welcome to come to the U.S. to fulfill their American Dream. That’s the U.S main motto. Nevertheless, as I read the article, they are not welcome if they do not speak language!? It is horrifying to read Baron’s text saying people can be actually punished for not speaking English. You cannot force people of different cultures to stop speaking their native language. I have learned at school in Czech Republic that United States is a multicultural powerful country. That means that mix of cultures brings mix of languages.
My experience is that English is and will be a dominant official language in U.S. because of pressure of world society that will push people to know the proper English. Yes, in some parts of this country Spanish or other languages can be more employed because of appearance of many foreigners in that certain area. However, these languages will not overwhelm English in a larger scale.
English only?
As I have looked into both sides of the official English debate over the years I often look at the argument in business terms. To begin with is the money and effort being put in to this worth the effort? It would seem to me that no matter what ends up happening it seems that the end result will likely never pay off for the people trying to make English the official language. After all will people just suddenly stop speaking other languages the day the law passes? Will we have to hire language police to patrol the streets making sure people are no longer making bilingual signs to say there business is open closed? I think we can all agree that most likely all that would happen is that government agencies would not be required to print papers in languages other then English, but after a short period as non-English speakers sue because something happened due to their inability to understand something the entire law would have to be reexamined. It seems to me that in spite of the best efforts of people trying to make English the official language people all over the world are attempting to learn it. I think that rather then making English the official language we should continue to make it a language that people would want to learn by being a successful globally minded country .
Seriously??!
¿Qué? Am I the only baffled one scratching my head tonight? I mean, seriously, did I miss something?!!? I had no idea that there was even a debate about which language I should speak, let alone which language my non-American husband should speak. Even as I type, he is talking on the phone in the living room, in Spanish. I can't think of how many times today I've heard him switch back and forth, nor can I count my own attempts to keep up with his transitions in English and Spanish. While I don't feel threatened in the least by his use of Spanish, I do worry that our future children may feel threatened by their use of it.
I appreciated reading so many views about English as the official language today. Indeed, it is an interesting issue to consider, but I have to say... like so many other issues surrounding immigration, this one hasn't fallen far from the tree. Meaning, I hear the same 'language' surrounding this debate as all other immigration debates; fear, hate, racism, ethnocentrism, pride, ignorance... let's call a spade a spade. What of the growing population of ex-patriots moving from the States to Mexico? I haven't heard any controversy coming from the South about English threatening to overtake Spanish as the official language.
For my ethnography, I've been observing how English is used by a group of Hispanics in a sixth-grade classroom. I think people would be surprised by how English here is first, being learned, and second, being used. These kids are taught grammar, vocabulary, spelling, writing, and reading, but those aren't the lessons they're taking home at the end of the day. What they are taking home is a bit shocking... it's a lot sad... and unfortunately, it's how 'American' is spoken and that's what they're paying attention to.
I think before we exhaust ourselves worrying about a linguistic plague, we should consider the underlying elements of "learning English" that are more worrisome, especially where youth are concerned. I don't think that Spanish is about to swallow English whole as the statistics would have me believe, but I am worried about what is being 'taught' when English is the model to follow... at least in the sixth grade.
I appreciated reading so many views about English as the official language today. Indeed, it is an interesting issue to consider, but I have to say... like so many other issues surrounding immigration, this one hasn't fallen far from the tree. Meaning, I hear the same 'language' surrounding this debate as all other immigration debates; fear, hate, racism, ethnocentrism, pride, ignorance... let's call a spade a spade. What of the growing population of ex-patriots moving from the States to Mexico? I haven't heard any controversy coming from the South about English threatening to overtake Spanish as the official language.
For my ethnography, I've been observing how English is used by a group of Hispanics in a sixth-grade classroom. I think people would be surprised by how English here is first, being learned, and second, being used. These kids are taught grammar, vocabulary, spelling, writing, and reading, but those aren't the lessons they're taking home at the end of the day. What they are taking home is a bit shocking... it's a lot sad... and unfortunately, it's how 'American' is spoken and that's what they're paying attention to.
I think before we exhaust ourselves worrying about a linguistic plague, we should consider the underlying elements of "learning English" that are more worrisome, especially where youth are concerned. I don't think that Spanish is about to swallow English whole as the statistics would have me believe, but I am worried about what is being 'taught' when English is the model to follow... at least in the sixth grade.
English
I don't think there is anything wrong with being able to speak other languages, but if it is your main mode of communication it is up to you to adapt and not expect to be linguistically catered (if you live in the country), me and my family weren't and didn't expect it either. Dennis Baron's idea of banning English seems oddballish. He's not serious. If we didn't have an official language, or a language we should all learn, think of how troubling it would be trying to communicate to a person from another country or community who doesn't speak your tongue? It leads to misunderstanding, frustration, error, guilt, anger, etc.
English
I think that there is a whole lot of argument and focus on who and where and how to use English. It's ridiculous. English shouldn't be banned or made an official language for the U.S. It seems to me dominant enough. Those coming to the U.S. should understand they need to learn and use English to be able to communicate more clearly with the majority. Maybe, we should make it a rule to have our children learn a second language. Other countries learn English besides their native tongue, so why not have our kids learn the dominant minority language in the U.S.? I think it would help out communication-wise and make our nation more educated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)