Elina - Week 9: Importance of Language
I remember watching a clip of Gloria in Modern Family, where her husband Jay had taken Manny, her child, out of Spanish class in school and enrolled him in French. Her frustration shined through her shaking, accent-heavy voice as she stormed into the room. She angrily tells him that she wished he would care more about what she thinks, instead of always having her translate what she wants to say in her head before actually saying it. As a grown adult, she feels embarrassed when she has to ask her child for the words that she wants to use.
She highlights the struggles and embarrassment immigrants often feel in a foreign country, not being able to speak their own language at home. Language differences in a family often make invisible walls, especially for an immigrant like Gloria who still struggles to learn English, living in an English-speaking family.
Jay finds Gloria a few days later to tell her that he loves her, but with a twist: it’s in Spanish. Her eyes sparkle in joy after finding out the beauty of being told that she is loved in her native language, demonstrating the importance of language and being understood.
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| Graph for Immigrants Who Speak Only English at Home |
The power that language holds, and the lack of power Gloria feels like she has in her own family demonstrates the importance of the bonds that are built through language. People who are able to speak fluent English could easily find themselves in a debate room, where any small mistake made or wrong word used could be targeted by the opposing side.
Hi Elina! There have been a lot of times where I’ve noticed that not being able to speak English well is a source of embarrassment or a sign of weakness, much like how Gloria angrily demands, “Do you know how smart I am in Spanish?” When my parents immigrated here, this was why my family–even those in India–wanted English to be their children’s first language. As a result, I identify strongly with this graph (specifically, the green bar), as throughout my childhood I almost exclusively talked in English. So, although I can fully understand my parent’s mother tongue, Bengali, I have much more trouble when speaking, and I start to feel more and more lost the longer a conversation with an extended family member continues. There are certain feelings that I can’t express in English, and it feels frustrating when I can’t seem to convey them correctly in Bengali, either. I’ve recently started making more of an effort to practice Bengali so that I can connect with my family. Even now, I view English as more academic–a language that is honed and allows me a means to speak about advanced topics that I would never know the words for in Bengali. Conversely, I see Bengali as more emotional, as I associate it with the stories that my elders sit me down to tell and with the affectionate, teasing chidings to a child or younger sibling. I really liked your use of analogy from Modern Family, as I’ve realized that I can’t really know my family members without hearing and understanding what they have to say in their native language. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Elina! I absolutely agree with your point about the importance of language, and I completely relate with your experience speaking Mandarin at home.
ReplyDeleteMy parents have always wanted me to speak Mandarin at home, so they always speak to me in Mandarin. Though my first language was actually Mandarin, I usually respond in “Chinglish,” or a combination of both languages—a common experience for Chinese speakers growing up in the United States. Even though English has become the most natural language for me to express myself in, I completely understand the importance of maintaining my parents’ mother tongue. Being unable to communicate in their native language is like being unable to see half of their identity.
Speaking my first language to others outside my family also brings them closer to me. It allows for a deeper level of connection between us, something that solely communicating in English doesn’t allow for. It’s not because I am unable to express myself clearly in English; rather, I think it’s because speaking Chinese makes me feel true to my character. For this reason, I absolutely treasure Mandarin. I still am actively learning more about the language in order to preserve this deeper form of connection with others.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Elina! As a second generation immigrant (from your graph), I think I’m quite proud to say I speak a combination of my native languages and English in my home. Although, this did (maybe still does) impact my English through a slight accent. Growing up, my accent was somewhat of a problem for me when I noticed others around me spoke in flawless English. In fact, I think I still carry hints of my past accent with me to this day which can be heard in forms of slight falters or “weird” pronunciations of words.
ReplyDeleteI think one reason I still remember and speak in my native tongues is likely due to the classes I took during my elementary school years (when I was still in India). Regardless of the said reason, I’m grateful to still be able to connect to my roots and relatives through our shared language. I feel like I have been taking such communication for granted for too long.