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Miami was a melting pot and I just blended in or at least I thought I did. I mean I looked like many of the people there but then there was always that one thing that made me stand out. “You sound so American!” one girl said. Well, that was something I had never heard before. Apparently there was some sort of secret code. People could tell where you were from just by the way you talked. American? American! How does one even sound American? I was shocked by such a claim but slightly embarrassed as well. I mean no one ever told me I sounded American. I was praised in my Spanish class in Jacksonville for having such a great Spanish accent. I mean it was apparent that I was far from fluent but American. Was that an insult? I mean you could tell Cuban Spanish from Mexican Spanish but I never thought I would be considered gringa (American). The old me might have said something like, “Soy Cubana, no es gringa,” and of course others would laugh. Then I would wonder, were they laughing at the joke or at me? I had always been a shy kid. I was always fearful of judgement and now my voice gave it away. I began to rely heavily on my parents for means of communication when the situation involved me having to speak in Spanish. I could not bear to see the look of confusion on people 's faces when I spoke Spanish, so I turned to my parents who were both fluent in Spanish. I was frustrated and fed up. It was one thing to occasionally speak Spanish but without it you couldn’t survive in Miami. I couldn’t wrap my head around such logic. I was struggling to make it by with so little Spanish while others were graduating high school with no English. This angered me so much I began to resent Spanish speakers. I abandoned what little Spanish I knew. S... ... middle of paper ... ...d in. I went around the office greeting the staff. It was just another day of internship. Nothing exciting really. I approached Riemy’s desk, “Do you need any help?” He looked up from his computer, “Um…” he wiped his hands across his face, “Yeah. Can you make some copies?” “Sure” I grabbed the master copies from the top shelf and walked over to the copy machine. The phones continued to ring as I loaded the machine. The humming of the machine was interrupted by the sound of Emma’s voice. With several files in hand she said, “Hey. Do you mind taking the Spanish speaker on line 3?” “Oh! Um. Sorry, I didn’t tell you. I don’t speak Spanish.” “Oh really? I could have sworn… Never mind.” “I got it!” said Reimy from behind us. “Congresista Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Como puedo ayudarte?” “I thought you spoke Spanish.” “It’s alright I know I look the part,” I said with a chuckle.
In “Se Habla Español,” the author, Tanya, talks about her personal experience with dealing with language issues. Tanya was born in Guatemala and moved to the U.S when she was only three years old. Tanya’s mother did not want her to speak Spanish, because they believed that when they moved to the U.S speaking only English would help her blend in. For so long Tanya believed that speaking Spanish went hand in hand with being poor and speaking only English made her feel superior. After many years she has tried to learn Spanish but has found it quite difficult because although that is her native language it was like trying to learning a whole new language for her. In “Mother Tongue,” Amy’s explains how she has come to the realization that she speaks more than one “English,” meaning that the way she speaks in front of a crowd is different than the way she speaks with her mother. The way Amy speaks with her mother is still English although it is not proper. Amy expresses how she does not really like the phrase “broken English,” because if something is broken it needs to be fixed and she does not feel that her mother’s English needs to be
How to tame a wild tongue is an essay by Gloria Anzaldua. This essay focuses on the different types of Spanish people spoke, and in this case, Anzaldua focuses on losing an accent to adjust to the environment she was living in. The issue that was applied in this essay was that the Spanish she spoke wasn’t exactly considered “Spanish”. The essay was divided into different sections as where the author tries to let people know, her Spanish speaking language should be considered valid just like every other Spanish speaking language out there.
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
The Spanish and English cultures were scarcely similar and notably different because of the interaction with indigenous people and the timing in which the interactions occurred. The Spanish and English were very different in how they interacted with the indigenous people. The Spanish main reason for coming to North America was to spread Catholicism. In the Catholic church if two people were both Catholic then the two people would receive the sacrament of marriage. After marriage the two would create a Catholic of their own. This had created 5 new races of people. The races of humanity was then looked at as social classes. The highest social class was a full white European, then a mestizos, which was a someone who was European and an Indian, followed by Indians, African slaves, and lastly a Zambos,
He also talks about if his teachers did not push him to speak English he would not have learned the language as easy. He states, “ I would have felt much less afraid. I would have delayed- for long postponed?- having to learn the language of public society” (Rodriguez 4). His teachers forced him to learn the public language, but that also encouraged his family to learn too. Now knowing the public language, they speak it more fluently and regularly. Rodriguez vocalizes “ Most of all I needed to hear my mother and father speak to me in a moment of seriousness in broken-suddenly heartbreaking- English” (Rodriguez 6). He also states “ But I had no place to escape to with Spanish” (Rodriguez 22). Rodriguez feels his family no longer carries a connection with their private language and he no longer has a safe place to speak Spanish. Because Rodriguez realises this he states “No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and the troubling knowledge of our public separateness” (Rodriguez 8). Since his family invited the public language in they have let their private language out. His family no longer has this feeling of
While reading this article one of the most shocking sections were when the students were talking to Monzó and sharing their outlook on their place and their language’s place in society. These students even at this early age are feeling how devalued their first language has been. They feel like they have to speak the right* English, only use English in public places, never their first language, and that they must assimilate to the American culture as much as possible. This reminded me of a chapter in Lippi-Green (2012)’s text. Within this chapter Lippi-Green (2012) discusses how in the United States Spanish speakers are not only expected to learn English but they are expected to learn and utilize the right* English determined by the majority and assimilate entirely to American culture. 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...
In How to Tame a Wild Tongue, a quote that made me think why are Latinos ashamed to speak in Spanish? America tends to pressure all these immigrant students into learning the language, but most of the time it 's not happening. "Who is to say that robbing a people of its language is less violent than war?" By Ray Gwyn Smith. As a country we try to proceed, but instead we are minimizing this due to the lack of action we’re having to help these students succeed. Gloria Anzaldua says “ I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess- that was good for
That shows that speaking another language has absolutely nothing to do with being “less American”. Being American means living here, being part of a community as a whole and not being singled out just because in your free time you speak Spanish with your family. This is a free country and you are free to speak your native language in your free time, but know that outside of your free time many people wont understand you, and may think you are being rude if you do not speak English. Just as Marques says she does not tolerate when bilingual people start speaking Spanish and leaves out the English-only speaker, that’s an example of being rude and what not to do
My parents did everything they knew to help my sister and I learn and respect our Mexican culture. Born into American culture but raised by Hispanic parents, often was difficult for me. Since I was little I had to manage and balance two very different cultures at the same time. There were many times while growing up that I encountered complex situations in regards to language, whether to speak Spanish or English and when it was appropriate. I felt a lot of pressure having to act as an interpreter for my parents when we were out in public. At home I was told to speak Spanish so I would not forget, but at school I was taught to only speak English with my teachers and friends. However, when we would go visit family in Mexico, I was expected to only speak in Spanish, since speaking in English in front of family members who only spoke Spanish was seen as disrespectful. So learning two languages has been very beneficial to my life and for my family. By
When I first came to this country, I wasn’t thinking about the language, how to learn it, use it, write, how I’m going to speak with people who are next to you and you want to talk to them. My first experience was in Veterans School, it was my first year in school here in United States, and I was in eight grades. The first day of school you were suppose to go with your parent, especially if you were new in the school, like me. What happened was that I didn’t bring my dad whit me, a woman was asking me a lot of questions and I was completely loss, I didn’t have any idea of what she was telling me and I was scare. One funny thing, I started cry because I fell like frustrate, I didn’t know no one from there. Someone seat next to me, and ask me in Spanish what was wrong and I just say in my mind thanks God for send me this person, then I answered her that I didn’t know Engl...
They begin to adjust to the living in America that they sometimes forget their roots. They become distracted and little by little forget their native language. In the essay Achievement of Desire, by Richard Rodriguez, the author mainly focused on his education. His parents could not help him and so he just spent time alone studying. Richard says “Proudly I announced – to my family’s startled silence – that a teacher had said I was losing all trace of a Spanish accent” (Rodriguez 174). I don’t think that is something to be proud of. Richard has lost something that he could have been identified with and that is his Spanish accent. Richard said that “The boy first entered a classroom barely able to speak English, twenty years later concluded his studies in the stately quiet of the reading room in the British Museum” (Rodriguez 173). There is no doubt that Richard is a successful person, but along the way he lost a part of his identity. Richard focused all his time on English, and his studying that he didn’t speak Spanish much. The effect of him not speaking Spanish was that he lost his accent. Now might not feel a part of the family because he does not that Spanish accent anymore. Coming to America Richard should have practiced both languages that way he could still have had his
I think my favorite thing of Miami is no one is the same; but that’s perfectly okay. When you walk down Collins Ave you are bound to hear one person speaking Spanish, one speaking English, and maybe even some Portuguese. There are so many different cultures that are all mixed together to make this beautiful city. So many immigrants come here to seek refuge and give their family better lives. The fact that all around the world people are saying there is still racism alive but in Miami we don’t even know what that word means. We have black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and even
My parents didn’t want me to be made fun of for being mexican like they were when they were in school, so they didn’t teach me how to speak spanish. If only they knew how different our country is now as opposed to when they were in school. Spanish is America’s second language, making it an extremely valuable skill to have. In the poem, I Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes, it says, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed -- I too, am America.” This poem shows how in the past, the hate against other races was extremely visible, but people knew their worth and they knew that people who treated them wrong would regret it in the grand scheme of things. Knowing multiple languages opens up a wide range of job opportunities. When employers see the skill set that you have, speaking multiple languages and coming from a culturally diverse background is desired and often looked for. These traits can show that you have to ability to bring them new perspectives, thoughts, and ideas, based on where you came from. Knowing your story is an important part of knowing what makes you an
The United States is made up of multiple cultures and race, but that’s not all, we also have different Englishes. While the main language in the US is English, people use different Englishes. What I mean by different Englishes depends on what group of people one is talking to. One English can be known as sophisticated English referring to talking to a professor. As opposed to the English we use with our friends. Everyone has a unique way of communicating. In the United States, after people learn English they realize they go from using one English to using different Englishes without knowing, in order to communicate, whether it be with parents, professors, or your own pets.
I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, where I was one of the twelve Asian students in my grade of three hundred and fifty and the only Chinese student in my class. I struggled to understand what my classmates, friends, and teachers talked about because they spoke primarily Spanish outside of the classroom, and I could barely count to ten. Fitting in was hard not only because of the language barrier but also the racial and cultural differences. Making friends with people who have little or nothing in common is difficult, so I attempted to copy whatever my classmates would do. I ate what they ate, watched what they watched, and played whatever sports they played. I took Spanish lessons with the family who lived below me, and in exchange I taught them a bit of Mandarin. By the second grade, I had eased into the community around me despite only having two close friends. They helped me to embrace my Chinese side while being assimilated. I could stop being someone I wasn’t, and I was not scared to be myself with them because they were fascinated by my unique characteristic from having Chinese heritage. I enjoyed living in Corona, since everything I needed was so close, and this i...