Spanish In Texas

In the classes I teach to non-native Spanish speakers, students whose Spanish skills are unequal to their English ones oftentimes decline to participate in class, inhibited by insecurity. Although Jacob had privately confessed to me that he struggled with such insecurities as well, they never stopped him from regularly discussing with his classmates topics as linguistically demanding as poetry analysis, U.S. foreign policy, and gender theory. Nor did they prevent me and the class from getting to know Jacob's intellectual sophistication, sense of humor, tact, and likeability, which are personality traits very dependent on nuance and which more often than not withdraw when the possessor must communicate extemporaneously in a second language.

I now have that part of Texan culture in my life. It’s been helpful in history, communicating with other people who don’t speak very fluent English, and understanding what a Texan is. In school there are even other students who ask “What does this sentence mean” or “What are the months and days in Spanish”. When I teach them, it reminds me of the struggle I went through to be able to understand the Spanish language.

I believe that Hispanic influence is evident through much of the architecture and food found in Texas. Through architecture, Hispanic influence is noticed through construction materials, colors, and design styles. Examples of Hispanic influence on architecture are clear in many of the buildings in San Antonio, Texas, including the Alamo. In addition to architecture, I think there is an obvious Hispanic influence on the food found in Texas. Texas is well-known for our "Tex-Mex", and Hispanic-influenced cuisine can be found in nearly any city. Food has a way of bringing people together and bringing insight into other cultures. I believe that the Hispanic influence in Texas through ranching, and even architecture and food, allows for an intermingling, appreciation, and growth of both

Both were trying their best to cope with the fact that the they’re schools would not let them speak Spanish, as Anzaldua says,

Spanish is my native language, however, my mother advised my siblings and I to speak only English. This was because she was afraid that we would be rejected from professional careers if our English wasn 't unaccented, fluent, and similar in refinement to the working class whites. With time, I became a fluent English speaker with a developed Central American accent but like, any other young girl, I thought nothing of it. That is until one event, in particular, occurred that would cast a shadow of embarrassment onto my Spanish language. This event not only led me to desert my entire native language but a sense of my cultural identity, as well.

Even though my mother was Mexican it was hard for me to speak to my friends who knew mostly Spanish and a little English because Spanish was not my first language. As years went on, I went to high school, where now I can have a full conversation with my Spanish speaking friends, and since it is an international high school, it brings in more cultural diversity. With this international high school in El Paso, it has helped me learn new cultures and experience the dozens of traits they do for activities or how they celebrate

My first language learned and spoken at home was spanish. Although us Salvadorians speak spanish we say and pronounce certain words differently. It?s almost like the difference between the American and British english. We speak spanish but have different words which sometimes causes confusion to other spanish speakers. I remembered one day me and my mexican friend were talking about her upcoming quinceanera. I remember telling her, ?It?s going to be so much fun learning the dance moves for the special dance! Although I bet some of the bichos are going to be messing around and acting immature?. The confusing in her face after hearing me say that was priceless and I couldn?t help but burst out laughing. ?Did you just call the boys insects??, she

Texas is a true melting pot and it is the differing cultures that make Texas great. Although there are many native Texans born each day, there are just as many that migrate across the country to make Texas their home (Wyly & Wyly, 2012, p. 29). In the beginning, Texas was settled by Scots-Irish, Germans, Czech, Poles, and Italians. However, the greatest influence on the identity of Texas was shaped by the Hispanic culture when they left Mexico behind to make Texas their home (Wyly & Wyly, 2012, p. 15). This cross-cultural influence in Texas creates an open atmosphere, a friendly environment, and a sense of pride that others want to be a part of and that tradition continues today with immigrants arriving from the Middle East, Southeast Asia as well as other parts of the world (Wyly & Wyly, 2012, p. 15).

The students' characteristics are that most of them are taking the class because it is an elective and they don't really need to take it and also for the Spanish-speaking students it is more of a burden to learn the more of the language as they "already know it" and his parents would rather have them speak English than Spanish. They are in America, so they must speak English and not Spanish anymore. I was, also, able to see some of the ones that are proud taking that class and happy that they can share and learn more of their

English should not be declared Texas' official language. If English were to be declared as the official state language, I feel that it would be very limiting for the state. Although some argue that by declaring it official it will be an incentive for all the non-english speakers to learn English at a faster pace. Even though that might be true, it could also become detrimental for English speaker's education. Therefore people not only need to learn English, but also learn other languages that would help the state grow as a whole. The state of Texas has a very diverse population that for the most part speaks English, therefore, Texas' unofficial language is English, there is no need to make it law. We are told that in a few years the population's

My stepson spent a few years living in Mission, Texas, so I asked him about the pride of the Texas people. He informed me that living in Texas

While America’s tongue speaks mostly English, the Spanish language can be found immensely spread across forty-five million people. In the American Southwest, while Hispanics may speak English, they maintain their tradition, their Raza, every day. Often times, this tradition is seen as a mixture of the two different languages better known as Spanglish. There is a large population of Chicanos and Mexicans in America, and it is important that they know and keep the customs and culture of their people. You can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. Hispanic Culture has had a major impact on America over each generation.

In high school, I took half a year of American Sign Language. Learning ASL after the critical age in a classroom, made it difficult for me to memorize the grammar rules. On the first day of class, the professor came in and only communicated through sign language. After explaining the expectations of the curriculum, she highly encouraged the class to speak in sign language for the semester. My professor stressed vocabulary and word order and spent very little time on facial expressions, which effect the meanings of signs.

For some reason I was considered to speak Spanish better than most, that’s not true. My vocabulary is not as extensive as others; I think it’s simply that I am willing to speak.

Finding jobs should be relatively easy to get by knowing Spanish. Imagine not needing to pay a translator to guide you throughout your vacation. When you’re able to communicate with people that doesn’t speak English, it truly is satisfying. Learning Spanish is a superb way to advance your tuition and academics. Students taking a Spanish class should be compulsory by cause of it supports you in your career, it’s neat exercise to the human brain, and vacationing around the world would be much more simple.