Pidgin Language

Teachers are forcing kids away from taking specific classes due to bias opinions, which is why for many schools in the United States language is not looked at as a priority. Picture growing up in a small town, in Maine, which in the data table from Shin and Kominski’s report showed to be a state with the least amount of citizens that spoke a language other than English as their primary language, shows that for some people language is hard to see has being important. In High School some have found a passion in language but don’t receive the proper curriculum that would allow them to succeed. Instead of introducing language in High School, our school systems should focus on adding it into the curriculum that is taught in elementary school and middle school. By starting when you are young, the time you are graduating high school you can speak at least one other language and classify yourself as bilingual. Dianne Steinbach explained it as, “Something that many of us took for granted when we were younger people is now disappearing” (First Speakers:Restoring). Since there is such a large increase in language diversity

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).

Ken Wiwa presents several ideas pertaining to language and culture within his essay, Get Beyond Babel. Wiwa explains that every language has a chance of dying out over time. For any language to survive through years of societal changes, it must be adapted so it can be used to embrace other cultures, new technology and new perspectives. Wiwa presents the concept that language is the same as culture. I do not agree with this concept because I believe that culture is carried by the people, not by the language.

There is substantial information about the benefits of students learning better in their primary language the book “Growing up Hispanic” by Landale, McHale and Booth has important data on the reason why the Latino students are not making adequate progress in academia like their counterpart whites, Asian and Afro-American. One of the reasons is that United States schools contrary to Canada and Sweden don’t have a consistent and systematic bilingual and second language acquisition policy in place to support students that speak other language than English (Landale, 2010). There are third world countries such Philippine that are making adjustments to their education policy because they want their people to be proficient in their mother tongue language, but also be able to compete in this global economy. According to President Aquino “Philippines should learn English to connect ourselves with the world, Filipino to connect ourselves to our country, and our mother tongue to connect ourselves to our heritage” (Inquirer, 2010). While there are international initiatives to revitalize native language and promote multilingualism United States is stock in the obtuse idea of one standard language. Although according with Melvyn Bragg the 80% of modern English vocabulary does not have English roots, which demonstrates that the power of a language is its flexibility to

I am very fluent in Spanish now and I my young children are as well. So even speaking another language is helping us grow. Diversity in society helps us grow as individuals and opens our minds to different ways of life.

They leave school with frustration, insecurity, and the desire not to return. They wonder, as I often did, "Am I stupid? Why am I not getting this?" Having a bilingual education program would make school a more positive experience for many children.

Across the United States the amount of people who speak english as a second language or do not speak it at all keeps growing. This means some people could have neighbors that they cannot even ask for a cup or sugar from. There are even sections of the U.S. where immigrants have their own communities and they mostly do not speak english with each other. It is crazy how in a country whose foundation is english has portions of the population where it’s not spoken at all. A foreigner goes to a foreign country and expects to meet people that know the native language. It should be the same for the United States. Although not having english as the official language make coming into the U.S. easier for immigrants, english should be the official language of the United States.

I can relate this to an organization called Ararat. Ararat is located throughout different cities within the Unites States like Glendale, CA and countries like Armenia and Iran. This is where my grandparents and most Armenian parents would place their children after school so they can maintain the Armenian language and culture. During my parent’s time there was not a school for just Armenians, they had to mix with the Iranian children. The main problem in these schools were that, you were only allowed to speak Farsi and were taught to read and write in Farsi. The way today’s generation is raised has a direct effect on the future

If immigrants were required to learn the English language, it would be beneficial to them in the long run. To begin, knowing two languages can help the students at school. If a new student moved to Butler County High School, it would be difficult to make friends if they could not speak English; therefore, knowing English can help make friends at school. Also, knowing English can make classes easier to understand, and easier for teachers to lecture to the immigrants. If the teachers do not know much about the language, it will make their job of teaching them very, very difficult. Next, immigrants who are bilingual have a better job experience. Working in a care-giving facility, the employees’ job becomes complicated if a patient speaks a

Sedaris argues that language skills come in many way by stating, “Understanding doesn’t mean that you can suddenly speak the language. Far from it. It’s a small step, nothing more, yet its rewards are intoxicating and deceptive.” Sedaris argues that vocal language is not the defining factor when learning a language but it is important because he understands that to communicate successfully one needs to fake proper language skills. Proper language skills that Tan’s mother does not fully possess, “Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that… as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness” (292). Her mother’s form of English opens doors for judgement because of her choice of words this judgement also opens way for problems to arise from the people judging her. “She said she had spoken very good English her best English, no mistakes. Still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing.” (Tan 292). Tan brings up this huge issue of respect in this quote explaining that the biases and expectations of people are so high that they cannot even show forms of respect to those who do not speak their language as well. In such a serious scenario these professionals could not look past the language “issue” causing a detriment to the patient and degrading her form of language. This degrading of language is also explained by Anzaldua, “‘Pocho’, cultural traitor, you’re speaking the oppressor’s language by speaking English, you’re ruining the Spanish language,’ I have been accused by various Latinos and Latinas”’ (2948). By speaking both languages she is isolated and oppressed but her argument is

Language is unique to the human race and it is vital to communication. Language varies from land to land but the point is to get the message across and every language was made to do so, even creole. Creole language is a language that is specific to a community or even state. Although, nations argue that one language should be central to the whole world. That’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed. In Lisa Kanae’s novel, “Sistah Tongue”, it was very inspiring when she stated that “Speakers of Creole languages should never be perceived as mere casualties of insularity, ignorance, and social isolation” (Kanae ?). This is inspiring because I myself speak Hawaii Creole English (HCE) and it is based on a foundation of many historical and

There is no argument that students will do better academically when the school provides material and instruction according to the native language. For school districts that deal with one other language like Spanish that requirement should not be extremely difficult to accomplish. However, not all school district are not alike. For example, Spanish makes up only 23% of the TOP TEN languages that students speak in our district (Anchorage School District). Hmong comes in at 21% (Anchorage School District). Just between those two languages you still are under fifty percent mark. Add to the mix, the ten percent that the district classifies as “other” which could include anything like Arabic, Hungarian, Japanese, Chinese, and not to mention

Language is an important part of our lives. I remember when I arrived to USA I could speak a little English. I went to school to improve my language, reading and writing skills; even now I am learning my second language, without English I cannot survive in this new environment. Now I am raising my own kids and I want them to have this important skill, this privilege of knowing a second language, language of their parents and grandparents. By looking at studies of bilingual children, research shows how important it is for a child to learn a second language. Raising a bilingual child is a benefit because it improves social skills, academic proficiency, introduces child to a different culture, and prepares for the future.

Over the span of three decades, Everett and his family live with the Piraha for a total of seven years learning their culture and language. What he found their really changed the idea of how we perceive languages and the different theories behind them. The Pirahas, do not have a counting systems, or clan system, nor a fixed terms of color or ritual, along with one of the smallest set phonemes in the world, along with hum and whisper speech. They have no concepts of future or past ideologies, totally living in the present and are relatively very happy people. One unfavorable aspect about this novel is that it lacked the life of the women and children within the villages. Everett only really interacted with the males of this society, whether there was any cultural boundaries that restricted him from interacting with the woman is unknown, but it was something that caught my attention while reading.

From my readings to research from Edutopia to literature courses, I have gained a deeper appreciation for language. In order to understand what one is speaking, a person needs to spend time listening to one’s language and before responding must reflect and analyze what the other said and how to respond. If a person wants to love another person they have to listen to their language in order to speak their language, and the core part of learning another language is by listening. According to Joan Blaska, author of The Power of Language: Speak and Write Using “Person First” the language people use shows one’s bias and prejudices.  Beliefs and another’s performance fall under the influence of language. Blaska claimed “ the degree to which children are able to perceive themselves as competent and worthy, or the opposite, is heavily influenced by the verbalizations used by their teachers...Studies have found that labeling of students does affect teacher expectations which in turn affects student progress”. People have heavy influence with their words, because of this, our language must be intentional in a way, that breaks down negative stereotypes and helps one gain empathy as well as seeing others capabilities. Communicating and reading others comments and inquiring others has helped me to accept