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Short note on cultural difference
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The documentary do you speak American hosted by Robert MacNeil is profiling of a journey across various geographical locations of the United States with a primary objective of how it is easy to define people based on their language. As revealed from the documentary, a finding far from the usual assumption that all people in the United States speak English is nothing further from the truth. The reality is that there exists is that not every citizen in the country is able to speak English and those who have the capacity of speaking it have varied versions based on their location, whom they are addressing and the social groups regarding age to which they belong. Another finding from the documentary is that there are Americans who completely cannot
In the article “Do You Speak American?,” Robert MacNeil is trying to reach the american public, especially those who do not have a complete understanding of the ongoing changes that are happening to the English that is spoken throughout the United States. He uses a multitude of examples to prove this very fact. For one he wants to inform the people that one reason for this change is that average people now have more influence in the way language is spoken.Which to him is a good thing. He enjoys the new evolution that American English has undertaken. He believes that it is a step in the right direction. Another, example he uses are the changes different regions and/or group of people have made on the English language. He uses the different accents and dialect to show the growth and improvement that occurred. Even though, some linguist view these changes as wrong, MacNeil views them as necessary and as something that is unique to the United States. In essence, a necessary growth that only makes the United States grow into a better country. Thus, making it more diverse.
Throughout history society has created many stereotypes and assumptions based on race and nationality to confine us into categories. The reality is, not every individual fits a specific category because we are unique even within the same ethnic group. In “On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black person” Allison Joseph illustrates some speech stereotypes that come hand in hand with her racial background and how even people from the same racial background and house hold don’t all sound alike. The author portrays that race and linguistic has such a huge impact on our daily life and how society sees her differently to others when they see she does not fit in the stereotype of sounding “like a black person” and feels frustration to being compared
In “Do You Speak American?” by Robert MacNeil, MacNeil uses outside sources, personal anecdotes, and familiar diction in attempts to prove that the transformation of American English is a positive outcome and should be accepted.
The plot of the book, Speak is that Melinda Sordino, a freshman at Merryweather High went to an end of the summer party with some of her friends. Things take a turn for the worst when a senior named Andy Evans sexually assaults her at the party without her friends knowing about it. Melinda is frightened, afraid, and does not know what to do so she calls 911 busting the party, and causing her friends and everyone at that school to hate her, even if they don’t know her.
Throughout Richards early childhood development he quickly understood that in order to succeed in America he would have to learn to confidently speak in English. Richard is Hispanic American and although he was born in America, Spanish was the only language that he was exposed to as a young child. He grew up in a home where Spanish flowed freely, but he soon realized outside of his home the language that he primarily knew was foreign. His parents spoke fluent Spanish along with all of his relatives. The brief encounters he experienced of his parents speaking English were only in public places and the proficiency was very poor. Rodriguez’s home was as a safety net for him and his Spanish speaking family with they are his only real connections to the outside world. It wasn’t until Richards encounter with his teachers that he and his family was heavily impressed on the importance of developing a public language. After the encouragement of the visit home from a teacher as a family
Not Only English: Affirming America's Multilingual Heritage. 1990. The. ERIC. Web. The Web.
Policy in the United States towards foreign languages has long been a complicated process. The nation was founded by polyglot immigrants and welcomed, to varying degrees, many subsequent waves of immigrants speaking languages familiar and foreign. Most immigrants learned English and despite efforts to maintain their mother tongue, the “permissiveness and apathy” of American society towards second languages allowed the gradual erosion of many mother tongues. English, although the common language in schools, the courts, government, and the business community in the United States, is not the official language of our country. This fact juxtaposes paradoxically with the necessity of speaking English for success in our society, and the dying out of many languages native to immigrants after the third generation. Since no official policy at the federal level governs the official language of the United States, nor the teaching of foreign languages until after the Second World War, language education in the U.S. remained a patchwork of local policies.
In recent years, large numbers of immigrants have migrated into the USA from Mexico, Philippine, Vietnam, China, and other counties. As of 2009, immigrants comprised 12.5% (38.5 million) of the total U.S. population (Batalova and Aaron par. 7). In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau found that 50.4% of children younger than the age of one were Hispanic, black, Asian American, or belonging to other minority groups (Morello and Ted par. 2), and more than 60 million people who are 5 years old and older spoke a language other than English at home (Camille 3). Faced with the cultural diversity brought by immigrants, many nativists worry that the United States will lose the English language as an important core of a common cultural unity. With the help of organizations such as U.S. English and ProEnglish, the English-only movement is experiencing its second resurgence since the 1980’s.
In my many travels outside America, I stood out like a sore thumb once I began speaking English. The foreigners I conversed with gave me double take stare mixed with amusement. When I asked what it was they find amusing, most of them says, “You’re American.” With pride and no hesitation, I nod my head yes. It is an instinctive reaction of patriotism that I consider myself an American when the question comes up. It is only when I am outside the country I realized the weight as an American on foreign land. People from around the globe are
The first and second year after moving from China to the United States, I was afraid to talk to strangers because my English was not very well. I had to depend on my husband for dealing with my personal business, such as making a doctor’s appointment, calling to the bank, or questioning to DMV officers. Douglass says, “being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart” (62). For myself, being a dependent and helpless adult is a shame. Moreover, I lacked of extra money to go to school to improve my English. Thus, I stayed home all the time to avoid embarrassment of talking to strangers. After a while, I realized that improving English speaking skills are the essential to gain my self-confidence. So, I spent time to read various articles on the internet and watched English dialogues’ videos on YouTube. As a non-English speaking immigrant living in the U.S., I inevitably encountered a series of difficulties to integrate myself into a new
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.
Throughout Monzó and Rueda (2009)’s text, the children in conversations expressed their observation of the social order in relation to language and race. This was surprising to me since they are only in 5th grade. During a conversation with one of the children, Monzó and Rueda (2009) recorded an alarming statement, “He said that his mother could not be considered American because she did not speak English” (p.32).... ... middle of paper ...
“America First” was a speech written and given by the then Republican presidential candidate Mr. Donald Trump. He delivered this speech to not only the group of supportive followers at his rally in Washington D.C., but also to those watching at home on their television. Mr. Trump’s speech was carefully crafted in a particular format that would outline his main topic points and ideas that he felt need to be addressed and managed more efficiently in order to bring America back to the great nation it was once known to be. These main ideas and problem topics included situations like over using and destroying our given resources, how our legally bonded partners that we defend are not paying for that
In a sociolinguist perspective “the idea of a spoken standardized language is a hypothetical construct” (Lippi-Green, 2012, pp. 57). They are the form of Britain English and American English that are used in textbooks and on broadcasting. Giles and Coupland observe that “A standard variety is the one that is most often associated with high socioeconomic status, power and media usage in a particular community” (1991, p. 38). Both native speakers and learners of English, where English is taught as a second or foreign language (hereafter ESL/EFL), speak dialect of English in everyday conversation (Kachru, 2006, pp. 10-11; Owens 2012, p.
One of the most controversial debates in this era is the issue of national language in the United States. Although many countries have declared English as their official language, the U.S. bicameral chambers have persisted to recognize English as the official language. In his article, “In Plain English: Let’s Make It Official,” Charles Krauthammer reflects on contrasting viewpoints in our nation regarding this matter, and supports his idea that a comprehensive plan for ensuring the rights of languages should be passed by the legislative bodies. He believes that America’s great success has been the astonishing capacity for acculturation with its influence of English language, and that immigrants are more conforming to English (LEO 707). Nathan Tabor, being another proposer and the author of “Speaking English Preserves Our National Heritage”, believes that our country has become a multicultural ground for several ethnicities with different backgrounds. Throughout his essay, he strongly emphasizes that all citizens should adapt to a common culture by accepting the English language as the official gateway to success in the American society. With the reliance on these perspectives, every citizen of the United States should accept the English language, which supports the American cultural traditions, ensures the idea of the American Dream, and preserves our union.