Growing Up In America With English My Second Language

All languages are important and realizing it will make you become a stronger, more diverse human being. We need take make an effort not only for ourselves but for other citizens living in the United States who don’t speak English; we need to make them feel welcomed into our country. Marjorie Agosín described that,”here in the United States, where I have lived since I was a young girl, the solitude of exile makes me feel that so little is mine, that not even the sky has the same constellations, the trees and the fauna the same names or sounds, or the rubbish the same smell. These are the dilemmas of one who writes in Spanish and lives in translation”(Agosin 599). Agosín has lived in the United States for quite some time now, yet still feels like she is living a life through “translation”. She should not feel this way, Agosin should feel apart of our country and feel as if she is a citizen. It is important for us to take a stand now to make language become apart of the curriculum within our school systems starting in Kindergarten, so that our children have a more diverse life filled with opportunities. One thing we know about the future for sure is that we will still have our knowledge about language, but it is how we use that knowledge that will depict how we will succeed in life and as a

Judie Haynes’ article, “Stages of Second Language Acquisition”, clearly states five stages that a new learner of English may go through. In Haynes’ theory, there are five stages in total, and they are pre-production, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency, and advanced fluency. According to Haynes, new learners of English acquire language by going through the same stages. However, how much time each student spends at a particular stage may be different. Despite the different time length, the stages of people acquiring new language are worth discussing.

Everyone in America has had to learn a second language in order to obtain a high school diploma, however this ‘learning’ of a language is merely a short class that does little to tie one down to a second language. There are few students who continue to seek more and more knowledge about their intended language. Some lose interest, while others make excuses by saying that it is too hard. However, learning more than one language has so many benefits that it is mind boggling to me that more people like to remain monolingual. Obviously time and resources are a concern, but there are so many ways to learn a language that can be catered to one’s individual needs. Think about all of the people in our nation whose first language is not English.

It's a regular Tuesday morning, just like any other. A Hispanic mother is called to the school for a meeting for a consultation about her son’s performance. While in the meeting, the principal tells her that her child is in the 2nd grade, but is very behind. He adds the fact that her child does not understand the language the teacher speaks, and consequently, is not learning. The mother feels helpless since she cannot help him by reason of not understanding the language either. Hence, this is the difficult reality for numerous Hispanic families.

❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞ According to Nelson Mandela the apartheid regime of South Africa with a multi-racial democracy, and was the country's first black president. Large amount of immigrant coming to America today and continue to growth. The biggest issue they're facing was language. English is their second language, yes it is hard for the person to learn two language when theyŕe already in an old age and even in kids are struggling with this at school. Not only adult people but children are also affecting, without communication and understanding makes them felt discourage and depress living in new society. Most immigrants

The aim of this action research is to find and develop the book corner with the use of stories to support children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) within an early years setting. Recommendations in the form of evaluation to show the best methods which will help to improve the way support is given to children with EAL within the early years setting.

With nearly 30 million immigrants crossing our borders in the last three decades, the United States education system has seen a dramatic increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) entering the classroom (Migration Policy Institute website, n.d.). With this influx of non-native English speakers has come the need to find the best ways possible to meet them where they are academically and teach them accordingly. However, after years of research, education gurus are still divided on how to best meet the needs of ELLs. While there is no clear-cut approach, there are several strategies and programs that schools can implement in order to help immigrant learners and their families be successful in our school system.

Most people think languages are different from one another. The languages origin, pronunciation and grammar. That in fact is not true. Many languages have similarly spelled and pronounced words that mean the same or similar thing. Most languages around the world use Latin and Greek words, for example in the medical field but not only. Being a bilingual student I think sharing origins of words can be very helpful in learning a new language.

Most people who come from a family that is not from the United States of America or England do not know how to speak english. When those certain families migrate to the U.S.( if they choose to) or any other country that doesn't speak their native language decide to start a family, the children who they give birth to and raise are going to be able to speak both their native language and the language that is spoken where they live.Being bilingual can help you by opening up more job opportunities, having the pleasure of accessing more than one culture and it can improve your multi-tasking skills.

So having a lot of languages, shows our diversity. With the Multiculturalism Act, our people have become diverse as well. This diverse culture runs through ordinary citizens. After the act was established, there have been many cases in schools and outside where we have shown a respect to our diverse culture. In my school, if a person has to pray, they can go to a separated room and pray however many times they like.

America is a prime example of liberty that laid the foundation for multiculturalism. Ever since the discovery of the new world, America has always been a melting pot as immigrants from all parts of the world come to America. They come to seek a better life while inadvertently cultivating the area around them. For an example, in the diary, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” by William Bradford, a group of puritans who journey to the Americas struggle to survive during the cold and harsh winter. Luckily, they meet an indian called Squanto, who readily teaches them survival skills and make peace with hostile indians. Most immigrants don’t immediately make a positive impact and are shunned upon for their poor communication and lack of social norm. However, assimilation will always eventually happen and is tenacious to America and will perpetuate as different cultures intertwine into what we know of today as an “American”.

The United States is continuing to grow in the number of families that are immigrating to our country. According to Washington State Institute for Public Policy (2007), “As of 2000, there were approximately 107,000 immigrant elementary students and 100,000 middle and high school students in Washington State, based on U.S. Census data.” Children from these families enter our educational system knowing very little English and they are considered to be an English Language Learner (ELL) defined by “those whose primary language is a language other than English and who have English language skill deficiencies that impair their learning in regular classrooms” (Malagon, McCold, Hernandez, 2011, p. IV). While parents truly believe their children will receive a better education in the United States as oppose to the country they came from, English Language Learner students face a number of everyday challenges while at school. These challenges go beyond learning the English language; they include the struggles that are faced not only academically, but socially as well. English Language Learner students face these day-to-day problems due to their inability to express their ideas and thoughts, along with not being able to communicate substantially and identify with the people in their community.

"America's strength is not our diversity; it is our ability to unite around common principles even when we come from different backgrounds, we can still unite with those bilingual people that have the same dream. The American Dream..." That is what Raj answered when I asked his opinion in regards of bilingualism and how diverse the United States is becoming. Bilingualism is the use of two alternative languages that are interchanged depending on the situation the speaker wants to convey or communicate (Myers-Scotton, C. (2006). Multiple voices: An introduction to bilingualism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.) In this Bilingual Profile I will share my interviewee's background, explain the reasons of his language of choice, and explain

Why is the United States a multicultural nation with an alienated multi-cultural environment? “It would be nice if every citizen was literate in English, but that’s not the case” (Mercer). There are different situations that are still in debate within the American Nation. One of them is the bilingual ballots, which allow non-native English speakers to participate in the elections and contribute with their votes. Another topic is the United States not having an official language as do other countries since it is currently considered a multi-cultural nation. Lastly and foremost, the nation should find ways to focus on educating immigrant children and adults in order for them to fully contribute to the country.

For me, learning a language is a complicated process. It is different from learning other subjects. It involves a lot of practices and follow up. When I talk about my personal experience, I would say that I have a rich experience in learning English as a second language. English was taught to me for ten years starting from grade seven till graduation from university. After graduation, I felt that I should improve my language skills. Therefore, I did a lot of efforts personally to increase my fluency. Until now I still learn the language. Indeed, learning a language takes a lifetime.