I was struck by the Joshua Fishman quote at the beginning of chapter one, "What do you lose when you you lose your language?" I think the cost is too great to contemplate. My thoughts immediately go to a teachers assistant that I worked with once. She was from Germany and married to an American. When she came here, she began to to learn English, it was not easy for her, but she kept on. She has two children, and I asked her one time, after a trip to Germany, how her children liked it. She said they loved it, except for the language barrier. I was surprised that her children did not speak German. After all that was her mother tongue, I thought she would have passed her heritage on to her children. When I questioned her about it, she said it was too difficult to learn English and keep up her German. I realize that I won't ever be in her shoes, but would I have made the same choice?
Joanne Dowdy's story was facinating to me. How she developed two separate "languages" or "personalities". Her mother certainly played a role in the making of her life story. But is that really so different from many of us? My grandmother, an educator, was very rigid in regards to language and enunciation. I was chastised for not speaking clearly.She believed you might be poor, but if you were educated, that was something that no one could ever take away from you. I too, had two voices, although certainly not to the extent, of Dowdy. I was raised in a middle class home with educated parents, but when I was in third grade, we moved to a very rural area. I was laughed at for the way I dressed as well as the way I spoke. It didn't take me very long to start wearing blue jeans and plaid shirts and drawlin' my words.
Ernie Smiths piece was interesting. To be honest, most of it was quite new. I have, since third grade lived in Western North Carolina and never in a major city. I have had very little experience with the black population. I tried to think of role models who might use the vernacular of which he spoke, what comes to mind are music and television personalities. Certainly not our new president. Obama is certainly going to be a role model for now and the next generation to come.
Until next time,
SuSu Watson
Comments (4)
Hi SuSu. My cousin is part El Salvadorian and his wife is part Cuban. They both speak Spanish fluently and hoped to one day teach their children both the Spanish language and the English language. With their first son, they tried hard to speak in both languages around him from the moment he was born. His nickname is even a Spanish form - Danielito. However, once little Eva came along, it became harder to change back and forth between both languages. Daniel is in preschool now where they only speak English, so Elena (my cousin's wife) tries to speak some Spanish with him at home. However, I have to say it again - it's just really difficult to speak in both languages on a regular basis - along with all the other responsibilities that all families face. Elena and Dan (my cousin) hope that their children will at least have a beginning understanding of a language that is so important to their family’s heritage. They actually didn’t get a complete grasp on the Spanish language until they took Spanish in college because their parents struggled with the same responsibilities. Their hope now is that their children will also choose to learn Spanish in school and that it will become and remain an important part of their identity. I mentioned this in another post but it fits here as well – I’ve encouraged my cousins to find children’s literature that focuses on the various Spanish-speaking cultures. Elena has worked on finding literature that uses both languages and the kids love it. Now that their third baby is on the way, they hope that they will have two more people to help the new baby appreciate their multicultural family.
Posted by Amie Snow | January 24, 2009 9:25 AM
Posted on January 24, 2009 09:25
SuSu,
I was also struck by the impact that a lack of Black role models had on Smith's perception of his language. I'm really hopeful that our students will look to our new President as a role model. Obama is a great example for our students to emulate. They really need to see more successful people outside of entertainment and sports.
Posted by Jayne Thompson | January 24, 2009 11:26 AM
Posted on January 24, 2009 11:26
SuSu,
I love the Fishman quote. It did not stick out to me at all as I read these two chapters. But, man, does it have me thinking. I think I view this whole language situation as gaining not losing a piece of your heritage. I am a glass half full kind of person. The story of your teacher assistant friend is sad. Amie's post evokes the same emotion. Is it really that a choice has to be made between a native tongue and the English so necessary in our society? Is there a middle ground? My very best friend in South Florida and her husband are raising two children in a bilingual home. The husband escaped on a boat from Cuba when he was around 11 and just became a citizen here four years ago. He is an educator at a booming high school in West Palm Beach and a tennis pro at an exclusive neighborhood country club in Palm Beach County. His wife, Tami, my best friend, grew up in New Jersey and never learned Spanish until the prerequistes of high school appeared. When she met Dan in college and his Cuban family she underwent a crash course in language immersion. She had to learn how to communicate with this family she wanted to join. Now, fourteen years later she is raising two small children and teaching them both English and Spanish. It is working for them. They have found a balance. Andres, the oldest at five, is homeschooled, so there is more flexibilty with her instruction perhaps. They began this dual language environment when the babies were still in infancy. The need for the kids to communicate with their Cuban grandparents is important. Necessity is perhaps the main reason for their decision to pursue a bilingual home. Their house is full of picture books written in Spanish as well as English. I look at their success and I ponder how can that be translated to the masses. Or can it? Is it always going to boil down to personal choice? Where are successful programs incorporating one's native tongue with the acquistion of English; where differences are minimized and validity is offered to what you grew up practicing in your home? I would love to sit in on one of those classrooms and soak up their successes!
Posted by Stefoni Shaw | January 26, 2009 8:32 PM
Posted on January 26, 2009 20:32
One reason that I like to use The Skin That We Speak in this course is that there is so much to think about in terms of the psychological aspects of language. Your question, SuSu, speaks to the psychology and the emotions of language and identity. I see so many teachers get so caught up in the cognitive aspects of language (e.g., correct grammar, passing "the test") that emotions and psychology aren't even on the radar! Certainly there is some validity in a statement like, "These students need to learn proper English" -- but taking the whole child into consideration, I think, is extremely important.
Posted by Alecia Jackson | January 27, 2009 7:30 PM
Posted on January 27, 2009 19:30