Bilingual Discourse

What is the meaning of bilingualism? Even with a dictionary definition, can it be trusted to give an answer that everyone agrees with? The dictionary definition is controversial, which results in people discussing the actual definition that fits everyone’s perception. But of course, with discussions, comes arguments. Who discusses such topics, and what do they talk about? Two prominent figures who discuss this topic are Martín Espada and Richard Rodriguez. Both have contrasting views on bilingualism, and their views are shown in their essays, which are The New Bathroom Policy at English High School by Espada and Hunger of Memory by Rodriguez. Espada’s definition of bilingualism is the ability to learn a new language and the right to

“Our culture, our traditions, our languages are the foundations upon which we build our identity.” - Unknown. The concept of bilingualism represents several different ideas, two writers share their personal stories about learning being immersed into the English culture and learning the language. They both share their views of what Bilingualism means to them personally and make arguments about the importance of the concept.

By expanding ourselves past the comfort of the native tongue, we are able to create connections with other people. When learning another language, we may start to understand not only the language itself, but also comprehend new cultures, ways of thinking, and other people. From the very beginning of deciding to become a teacher, I knew I wanted to expand my ways of thinking so I positively benefit students of all cultures and language. I believe language learning allows people to view the world in different ways by becoming positively influenced by other cultures, people, and different ways of thinking. However, after deciding to become an ESL teacher, I truly believe that bilingual education is needed to help students develop and maintain high levels of proficiency and literacy in both their L1 and L2, while learning in the content areas. This is why I personally believe it is better for children to be raised bilingual instead of learning a second language later in life. One reason for this is that even though I was born in America, my parents wanted me to learn their language, which was Polish. Now, I am fully appreciative of the fact that my parents taught me Polish and placed me in a Saturday school where I was being taught both English and Polish. If I was taught Polish later in life, I think I would not use it to this day because I would not have made personal connections with the languages, as I was able to by being raised bilingual. There are many benefits of being raised bilingual instead of learning a second language later in life. It is important to understand that it takes on average 4-7 years to become academically fluent in a language; by raising a child bilingually, the children are able to use both languages more efficiently earlier than those students who learn a second language later in life. Since the child has been bilingual for a longer time, there are educational benefits commonly found. Bilingual children tend to have a higher concentration and are better at working through distractions while doing their schoolwork. Bilingual children also perform higher on average on tests that involve multi-tasking, creative thinking, or problem solving (Marian & Shook, 2012).

I’d say that being bilingual it is something that has been implemented to my life at a very young age. I come from a Mexican family, a very traditional Mexican family, we love being together and always take advantage to celebrate in any occasion and if there is not a special occasion we make up one just to gather and have a good time. Most of my cousins understand and speak clearly English. Also my aunt married an American and the funny thing is that her children look completely American, in the sense that they are blonde, blue eyes, white skin, and they speak Spanish and English fluently, they are just 3 and 4 years old. What I’m trying to portray is that bilingualism is very present not only in the bilingual school I was enrolled as an infant, but it is very present as well in all of my family. I think that the best way to learn a language is to practice it continuously, but the best method out there is practicing it with native speakers and living on their country where that language is spoken. The journey on learning English for me has been very fun and enriching at the same time.

Bilinguals in America experience unfair treatment and are looked at differently if English is not their native language. The subject of bilingualism is not a topic many are educated on. Uneducated English speakers use their dominance and popularity of their language to treat Spanish speakers like their language and culture does not belong in our country. Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez speak of bilingualism in their well published essays, and they write about the struggles that American citizens face when they are bilingual in Spanish and English. This essay will clearly show each writer’s definition and arguments on bilingualism and my argument on the topic.

Students are usually forced to go to school every day, otherwise there are consequences. I was one of those students until I found things worth going for. Learning things that I like makes me eager to pursue knowledge. This is the discourse community I am a part of, and it took me seven years to figure this out.

Starting my kindergarten at a bilingual school everything was a learning experience. I was so exposed to foreign things, like a new language. My parents thought that since we lived in the border with the U.S and that I had been born in the US, I had to learn English. I was in a several bilingual schools since kindergarten because my mom and dad always thought that introducing a new language to a child, in a certain way is an advantage, because their minds are more receptive to new things than as an adults.

Second language develops new friendships and new relationships. Last year, a new boy joined my son’s class. Later we found out that he was adapted from Russia. My son was able to communicate with him in Russian and right now they are friends. There was an important connection between boys – language that built the new friendship.

At an early age, I have always thought not having English as my first language was a disadvantage. I always wish I was born in America where I can have English as my first language so I would easily fit in at school and not have people making fun of mine accent. But now looking back I’m glad that I was be able to still know how to read and write Vietnamese. Being a bilingual is an advantage rather than disadvantage. By knowing two different languages I can be able to help translate to people in the community.

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 more effort be 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

The continued growth of speakers of languages other than English is reflected in the rapidly increasing students in U.S. schools for whom English is a second language. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (2005) show that the number of school-age children who spoke a language other than English reached almost 10 million in 2004. Such a dramatic increase continually challenges educators to provide effective language programs with quality instruction for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Some educators choose to view these challenges as opportunities by offering a dual bilingual program as an educational option for meeting the needs of monolingual speakers.

I grew up with both of my parents who mostly spoke Vietnamese. Vietnamese was my primary language at home, and I became very fluent in it. A majority of my friends also spoke Vietnamese. I put a lot of effort towards my education. Learning English was by the far the most difficult challenges for me and I felt that it held me back from my education. I found it difficult to practice my English such as learning grammar, reading, writing, and speaking. These factors along with other limitations made English one of my most difficult subjects. I started to find ways to improve with my English like by adding subtitles when watching films. English is still one of my biggest challenges today but I strive to do my

A few years ago, when I just came to the united stated, I had a hard time understanding and talking in English. I used to feel bad when people made fun of my accent. As the time flew, I learned English and I can talk and understand perfectly. Now I speak four languages and I felt lucky and proud, and I have greatest advantages of helping my family and relatives. There is no doubt in my mind that being a bilingual is the greatest advantages that I am having in my life such as getting a better job and helping other people.

The gift from the birth for human beings are innate talents. There are many talents people are born with such as ability to move, to think and to express emotions. In every side of the world where the society is formed, people can communicate with unique language of their own. I was born in South Korea in 1993. The first language I was introduced with and caught on was Korean. However, as my parents had to go around the world I had to follow and live in many countries as well. Since from the young age, interacting with different language speakers helped throughout my life. In other hand I had to go through difficult time of adjustment. The language has affected in my life by offering a chance for me to survive in the new environment.

61.8 million people in the United States speak more than one language, this means almost one in every five people are bilingual. And 43.3 million people are immigrants or children of migrants, which means twenty-seven per cent of the United States population. Two of those bilingual people, Martin Espada and Richard Rodriguez, help portray just two of the different opinions about the issue of bilingualism in the United States. The U.S. is a country of immigrants, who come from different cultures, backgrounds and speak different languages than those in the United States. People who have the courage to leave their home to move to another country with a different culture and language deserve to be welcome in the U.S.A..