Taking a Look at Brooklynese

This description of a melting pot is now heard frequently in America to describe its citizens. The cultural assimilation that occurred in the colonies of the New World gave the people a great sense of identity and the unity as all being Americans.

The film “American Tongues” documents a variety of English accents that are present across the United States and highlights a lot of the opinions people have about accents and people who speak these accents. A large majority of the people who express opinions about other peoples’ accents tend to express negative views, as they see their own accent as the superior one. The film focuses on showing the array of accents found in the U.S., but also how a lot of people who speak these “inferior” accents work to learn “Standard American English” to increase their chances of getting jobs and communicating in more official domains. Although the film was made in 1988, it expresses views still present in today’s society towards different accents, as people tend to continue judging others based not only on what they say, but also how they say it.

First and foremost, South-Central Brooklyn is one of the most overpopulated community within Brooklyn, it is extremely diverse with many rich cultures and traditions. Within it, lies seven neighborhoods which are Flatbush, Borough Park, Ditmas Park, Midwood, Kensington, Manhattan Terrance, and Prospect Park South. It serves Community Districts 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17. It mostly consists of densely populated African American, Hispanic and West Indian neighborhoods. According to the 2015 U.S census bureau, the population of Brooklyn stands at 2,504,700 out of which South-Central Brooklyn has approximately 804,982 residents and it is expected to have grown gradually through the one year-period that has elapsed (United States Census Bureau, 2014). This is more than double the amount of the total number of people that was living in South- Central Brooklyn in 2000, which was only 317, 300. Presently there are 37% Caucasians, 36% African American, 16% Hispanic, 10% Asian, and 2% other (Indian) living in South-Central Brooklyn. The female population is 54.6%, and the male population is 45.4% (United States Census Bureau, 2014).

The United States of America used to be known as the world’s largest melting pot. Meaning many different ethnicities and backgrounds coming and living with one another, and sharing each other’s culture. This can also be defined as assimilation. The United States of America has slowly drifted away from assimilation to isolating those who are different and diverse.

It seems that dialects all boil down to early childhood language development and who a child’s first influences are when they learn to speak. These influences primarily come from a child’s immediate care giver which is usually their parents. The New York dialect therefore is passed down from one generation to the next in a traditional sense. I will make a mental note to resist correcting other people’s English, which is a bad habit of

Surprisingly, the melting pot is a unclear piece of the American Identity. The melting pot is an idea about how people (immigrants) all over the world come in one place and share their different cultures. America is one example of a melting pot since immigrants all over the world visit, live and share thoughts and ideas to create one big unique culture. While most Americans are proud of the United States to be a country of big culture, some Americans do not like the notion of immigrants coming from other countries to live in America. Although many writers demonstrate that the melting pot exists, some authors show that there are Americans who don’t want the United States to become a melting pot. To examine

In American society, there are multiple cultures and races exist. Since immigrants bring the various cultures to America, Americans face a highly controversial problem. Some of the Americans believe all of the ethnic groups assimilate into a common culture can help Americans distinctly identify themselves. Others argue that ethnic groups should not abandon their cultural heritages background. As a result, merging different cultures into one new culture will cause America lose its cultural diversity which is one significant charm of this country. On the contrary, if every ethnic group only focuses on building their own community and resists communicate with others, it will aggravate the separation of a nation. Although people often argue about these two ways which one is more appropriate to Americans, I think Richard Rodriguez's idea is more realistic in nowadays American society. Rodriguez resists the idea of the melting pot, and believes that assimilation is inevitable and reciprocal. In the essay Does America Still Exist?, Rodriguez explains his thought to us through his experiences.

Nancy Forner is a great author on immigrations and the issues that surround it. She states that immigration was one of the predicaments that covered the New York City in the early 20th Century. This immigration saw the influx of population that altered the lives of the residents as the immigration was not planned for (Foner, p1). They disrupted the social economic and environmental aspects of the city including the introduction of new cultures, new methods of cooking to Ney York City. These impacts are evident today as there are still descendants of the Europeans, Italians and Chinese in the New York City. Currently, there is a new wave of immigrants from people of colour moving to the New York City. There exists a significant difference on

America was widely known as a “melting pot” of sorts for many generations. The country earned its title by accepting immigrants of various cultures and molding, or melting, them into the American lifestyle. However, the “melting pot” idea of America is starting to dissipate. According to a Newsweek Poll on the public, “only 20 percent still think America is a melting pot” (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.4). As more Americans push away immigrants and create stereotypes against said immigrants, America continues to lose its title as a “melting pot.” There is ethnic friction in America and people have begun to have a hard time assimilating (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.18). .America is beginning to place a negative outlook on its

Living in border states such as Texas, Arizona, or California may give the illusion or appear as though the overflow of immigrants has converted these few states into a melting pot society, and actually without a doubt, is has. However, picking three states out of fifty is not equitable, because we are looking at America as a whole. States such as Ohio and New York still have predominantly defined cultures which have a rich history, and some natives have even essentially claimed these areas as their own and are not yet ready to share. A strong reason why America will never entirely become a melting pot is because we are a state “driven not by enthusiasm but by caution[...]” (376) as author John J. Savant proclaims in his article “Imagining the Immigrant: Why Legality Must Give Way to Humanity”(374). Savant makes a statement

Our next adventure was Brooklyn, NY. Although this borough was just a 20-minute train ride away I never really had many opportunities to visit it. I was excited to visit the borough because growing up I always heard that it had the best food in all of New York City. The borough is also known as Kings County and is home to nearly three million people. This makes Brooklyn the second most populous boroughs in New York. It is said that if the Borough were an independent city it would be the third most populous city in the U.S. (191).

The United States of America was founded on July 4, 1776. Seeking a life free of the British Government, a host of immigrants founded a new nation. Because the United States was created by the migration of people from various parts of the world, it is sometimes described as a “melting pot.” Along with their personal possessions, these immigrants brought their respective cultures and traditions as they meshed together into a new society. Despite being categorized together as citizens of the same country, the independent traditions and lifestyles of humankind have created challenges throughout history. It is important for Americans to share a sense of pride, patriotism and loyalty. Equally important, however, is the need for respect regarding differences and individualism. Ethnocentrism is a barrier between understanding culture and diversity.

The United States has Changed from a Melting Pot to a Vast Culture with Varying Racial Backgrounds

The U.S.A. has been a zone of language extinction in which immigrant tongues die out to be replaced by monolingual English. (Rubén G. Rumbaut and Douglas S. Massey, 2013) People came to the United States from all over the world, and as generations grew, they developed to use English, no matter where they came from. Well, except Chinese. I once met these two elderly citizens in La Crosse's farmer's market, the descendants of the earliest southern Chinese immigrants, who still use their 'Chinese' to greet me. Although I don't know their "Chinese" but

The United States is commonly know as a melting pot of nations, in which people from around the world have emigrated to form a homogeneous yet varied culture. Although we come from different ethnic groups, we are usually bound together through our common English language. This becomes an issue, however, when immigrants are not familiar with English and American culture, and instead attempt to keep their own heritage alive. They are often torn between identities through language, the one they speak at home which they are familiar with, and the one they must adhere to in public. This often leads to struggle and conflict on both sides, dealing with different cultures and how people react when assimilation occurs. Because of this, living in the United States often requires us to completely accept only one identity, even though hints of the other may spill over at times.