Advanced Essay #2: Hidden In Plain View Of A Multi Linguist

Introduction

The main goal of my written essay is to a point of view of someone who speaks multiple languages. People have different experiences with languages and how it affects their knowledge of education. I wanted to express the issues that my parents see and how I experience a daily life being a multi linguist.

Hidden In Plain View Of A Multi Linguist

Language is a beautiful way to communicate with people In both spoken and written ways. Most languages have culture behind them and sometimes are much different than others. Although, language is sometimes referred to as person’s identity because it is how others see how well educated they are. Education plays a huge part in how a person’s identity can classify how successful they might be in the future. A person without the knowledge of learning how to read, write and properly speak can effectively cause someone to look down upon them.

In Mother Tongue, Amy Tan discusses the way her mother uses English, that it is “fractured” or not as fluid as how other Americans speak. She grew up influenced by her mother’s speech and she adapted into the language of “broken” English. Tan is first generation Asian American, and readers can see the view of point of how the author experiences her mother speaking English is very different in comparison with most Americans. She believed that it wasn’t her mother’s fault for not speaking English fluidly as she is an immigrant who is making an effort to effectively communicate, and Tan claims Americans dismiss her mother’s speech just because it is not standard, writing, “I’ve heard other terms, ‘limited English,’ for example.”

Language has always been incorporated to how well educated a person can be. How well a person is taught, shows in their knowledge and their mindset. In I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose, the author’s work describes his personal experience of going to college as an Italian American. His environment was different than others. His identity was a label of how his professors would consider him as a student and the work he turns in. Rose mentions that education does not have the best system: “School can be a tremendously disoriented place.” He believes that sometimes schools can judge based on identity and the person’s origin.  

Growing up as an Asian American, there are unique things to learn that are essentials to life. My main issue is my primary language, Teochew. I was told that English was an American language, and that the only way to be able to communicate in America was to twist my tongue to English. However, my life at home is different. The language that I speak at home is Teochew, a dialect of Traditional Chinese. It is one of the Chinese dialects that still exist, but barely a fraction of the world knows how to use it. Sometimes speaking the language made me feel like I was different from the world around me. Here in America, the most common language is English

I remember a time when my dad and I were coming back from Jetro, a restaurant depot. As we came back, my dad was driving and I sat in the passenger seat. Everytime we drive back home as the sun begins to set across a highway, we have a long discussion about life and ways I can be independent. One of the discussions that we talked about was about the culture that my parents grew up with. The best conversation is when one topic become another. Though, coming from Jetro, we were tired and exhausted from lifting supplies into the trunk of our mini van. My mood was stressed and tense from lifting so often and my arms sore from shoulder to shoulder. My dad started talking about how my sister’s future would might become if she didn’t start being wise about her own surrounding.

My dad said, “I fear for her life. What might become of her when she has a husband and a child of her own. If she doesn’t start now, she wouldn’t be able to help her own family. She is powerless. Her intelligence is poor. She could barely communicate with me in Teochew words.”

I told my father that I didn’t know I feel. I told him that I have experienced times when she was being lazy and doesn’t want to do things herself.

My father stated, ”She relies on others to help her get through many things that she wants. If she doesn’t put effort in her education and worry about her future, she won’t have a future.”

I agreed. I sighed and watched the remaining rays of light glow in red and orange across the thin clouds from the sunset.

The conversation began to switch about how much of the Teochew we each knew. My father pointed out that I was fortunate that I had parents who was able to teach me to be bilingual. There were a lot of perks to be able to speak another language than English.

He told me, “When there are times of trouble, you can communicate without others knowing what you are saying. If you were hostage and you see someone with a gun, you can warn people who speak the same language to be cautious of the armed person. You don’t want to be the first ones dead. Having to learn two languages is a gift. The gift should be used wisely.”

He explained why I was lucky to be born in America and have a school to get education from. My father never had the ability to learn in a school because his parents never had the money to pay for school. He was one of the children that hid behind an open window to be able to listen to what the teachers were teaching. He ended up with a bit of education to start with. He wasn’t able to read and write properly, so speaking Thai, Teochew, and a bit of Khmer (Cambodian) was part of his identity. Now in America, he learns a bit of English to be able to communicate with the people around him. My question that I keep asking him was, “Why do not a lot of people not speak Teochew?” Most of the people that I have met spoke popular languages such as: Khmer, English, Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin. After years of researching, there were people in certain areas that was able to understand and communicate with Teochew. Not everyone is perfect in the dialect and accent but they have a sense of understanding.

Citations:

Rose.pdf. http://userwww.sfsu.edu/mmartin/rose.pdf. Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Cvq7ioloJpZGNkYTM0ZjUtNDczZC00NWE2LWEyMTQtMjgzZDRhYTAzNTBi/view