blog #8
"Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted them and responded with ease. But I would have delayed-for how long postponed?-having to learn the language of public society."
What I got most from this reading is the way language affects identity. I only speak English so I haven’t thought about language this way. I think this reading really opened my eyes on what ESL learners are going through. Also, I think it’s interesting to call English the language of public society. Mostly everything is in English in public in the USA, the reason why I find it interesting is because there is no official federal language in America. Yet it’s treated like the only language people should speak in America, especially in public. A lot of Americans also don’t learn a second language.
“But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then. Gone was the desperate, urgent, intense feeling of being at home; rare was the experience offeeling myself individualized by family intimates. We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of Our public separateness.”
I think that it’s interesting the way language affects our relationships. The way the Spanish bonded this family before all the kids learned English was something I haven’t thought of before. It also shows how it’s possible to lose your individuality by assimilation. Although not speaking English is a huge setback in this country. It brings up the question of how can we help people balance this type of transition. I think a more popular early language learning course would help with this. Along with a society where we don’t push other languages out of the public and embrace the differences.
Your inclusion of " How the majority Americans Does not learn second Languages" in your writing is excellent.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog this week. I love that you included some quotes, and I also thought the quotes were really powerful!
ReplyDeleteThe quotes you chose were extremely powerful! When I read this weeks reading I also highlighted the quote "“But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then. Gone was the desperate, urgent, intense feeling of being at home; rare was the experience of feeling myself individualized by family intimates. We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of Our public separateness.”
ReplyDeleteHi Raine! I enjoyed reading your reflection. You bring up an interesting point about most Americans not learning a second language, and I fully agree. My family is from Portugal, and we visit every summer, so I am well versed in the country and how it runs. In schools, children are REQUIRED to learn a second language (typically English). They do not need to be taught it at home or learn it by themselves; it is already incorporated into their education. In the US, languages are incorporated into education, but it typically comes in the form of an elective in middle or high school. In Portugal however, EVERYONE learns the second language, and it comes as soon as they start kindergarten. It truly is interesting to see how far behind America is when it comes to language education compared to other countries, since we are praised on being a "melting pot".
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