If you are bilingual, or have attempted to learn a second language, write your own language learning story. Tie your experiences to the ideas, theories, and methods discussed in this chapter which helped you to understand your experience. What are some lessons based on your experience that might influence your instruction in your classroom? Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Spanish language has always been around, but not spoken in the household when growing up. While attending W.B. Ray High School, I took three years of American Sign Language. This was incredibly interesting, and because I went to a school that had deaf students from all the surrounding areas, practicing the language was easy. Since being out of practice, I only remember bits and pieces of American Sign Language, but every now and then I get the opportunity to use it again. …show more content…
I was shocked to learn how popular the language was. It became clear that I would need to learn Spanish very quickly, especially considering how intimidating it is to go to a store or a restaurant and not speak the same language when ordering your meal or asking for help to find something. Even after five years of being surrounded with Spanish, I have learned very little. One of the most challenging parts of learning the Spanish language or any other language from the people around you is that slang is being used. This can be confusing because there are different words or phrases to say the same thing or two different words can sound very similar depending on the accent of the person saying it. For the most part, any Spanish that I have picked up over the years has been thanks to coworkers and friends. That being said, I have found that I understand my coworkers and friends a lot better than someone I might meet at a store that is asking me a
When it was my time to go to the U.S., I was eight years old, fluently only in Spanish with a Dominican accent. You see there is Spanish but then there's Dominican Spanish, and from there
disadvantaged child, I considered Spanish to be a private language. What I needed to learn in
When I was at work I would only speak English. Most Spanish people adapt to a new norm and (thrown out their old norm) not know if a person can speak to them by their native language. Since I knew some Spanish I woul...
It was difficult for me because I didn’t always understand certain words or phrases in English that I knew in Spanish, and sometimes I felt left out. In the middle of the year, my family moved me to a school with a Bilingual Program. Again, I had a hard time because now I had to learn all of the letter names and sounds in Spanish that I had been learning in English.
My own language learning experience as an adult, I share with my students some personal anecdotal stories of my struggles and accomplishment as a second language learner. At the same time, I include some effective learning methods and ways to study and learn a new language.
As a child, I had to navigate from an English speaking classroom to a Spanish speaking home. From eight in the morning I was given instruction in English by my professors at school. After three in the afternoon at home I engaged in Spanish conversation with my mother, father, and siblings. When the summer vacation came around, it was back to speaking Spanish only, and then I regained the Mexican accent that had faded away during the school year.
When I first started school, I remember how difficult it was for me to make the transition from Spanish to English. My Mom left me at the door of the school in the morning, but since I was placed in an English-only classroom, the next time I opened my mouth to speak to anyone was when she picked me up again that afternoon. I didn't know what anyone was saying around me, and to make matters worse, my teacher didn't speak a single word of Spanish. That day, like every other day, I came home crying because I felt like an outsider. That year was very difficult for me because I ended up in the back corner of the classroom not participating. As a result, I had to take several years of summer school in order to catch up, something that could have been avoided if I had been placed in a bilingual program. Several key advantages to bilingual education are that it allows for an emotionally safe transition, students don't fall behind in their lessons, and parents are not alienated from their children's education.
Spanglish is known as a hybrid language combining words and idioms from both Spanish and English especially Spanish speech that uses many English words and expressions. Around the US, millions of citizens in major cities are speaking what some are calling a third language. According to an essay forum on Spanglish, some consider Spanglish a language disease, slang that should be taken care of immediately. A threat to the purity of both languages as a whole. To others they seek to develop their Spanglish speaking skills. Spanglish has changed the world, corporations have discovered it and it’s on television, radio, novels, rap and rock music. In this essay I will explain the significance the language ‘Spanglish’
This exploration of the educational issue of bilingual education will focus on these four questions.
An ongoing battle of culture, freedom, and language occurs in America today. The battle is commonly called Bilingualism. The dictionary definition: being able to speak multiple languages. Though, when you dig deeper, you discover the hunger of differing tongues. Many people believe bilingualism should have a certain role in the public and education. One of these figures is Martin Espada who believe that bilingualism is also respecting one's culture. He believes that there should be more effort put into understanding different cultures and languages. An opposing figure to this is poet and author, Richard Rodriguez, who believes bilingualism should not be emphasized in the public and education system. Rather being able to speak one language and communicating is superior.
Most of the time at school my lexicon is in English, I speak Spanish all the time at home.At times it is hard for me to switch my languages up because in Spanish we speak so quickly. My quick Spanish speaking always sticks to me and when speaking English I can slur a lot because of the speed in my voice. Adjusting the speed of my voice based on which language I am speaking is what I have been focusing on when communicating.
Being bilingual implies a process in which everything looks so difficult at the beginning, but at the same time it is easier than what it looks like.
In the United States, the language we know as Spanish is so prevalent that most automated voice messaging systems use it as a second option, the majority of stores feature it as another language option on their pin pads, and more importantly it is in fact considered the second most widely spoken language in the U.S. Spanish is part of our everyday lives not just as far as the people who live here and speak it, but the cultural traditions we have adopted from other Spanish speaking countries. America would not be the same without Spanish cultural influence, and not only that, there are beneficial reasons behind learning the Spanish language and the meanings and influences of its culture
I have had experience with learning two languages, Spanish and Arabic. The first time I was exposed to Spanish was when I was in kindergarten and I did not study it again until high school. I did not begin learning Arabic until my last year of high school and decided to major in Arabic once I got to college. The experiences I had learning these languages were completely different.
Knowing nothing about the language and then suddenly having to learn how to read and write gave me big obstacles to overcome. During, elementary school through 6th grade I went to a bilingual school. We had a month of all English courses and then one month of all Spanish courses rotating along the school year. During, this time I learned how to read and write in English. Also how to use past, present, and future tenses while incorporating them into sentences. Not only was this difficult for me, but also having to read in front of classmates was embarrassing. Every time I would have to read out loud I could feel my face get hot and red. However, not only did I have to learn a new language and have an accent with it, but I also had to face the criticism from others who knew the language and had no struggle with