Different Language Same Family

                                Different language Same family

"I really want to meet your dad Imani, I want to hear his accent is it really strong?"

"I will let you be the judge of that, here he comes"

"Dad this is Naihema,"

"Hi I'm Naihema, Imani's friend"

"Oh nice, I’m Imani's father I have listen to a lot about you"

As she looks at me then looks at him again confused & not really understand what he meant I decide to step in like usually.

"He was saying I have talked about you before, and he recognize your name"

“Yeah that” my dad replies.

As we begin to leave Mr.Best room and let our parents "talk" or more as try to understand each other. She stops me in the hallway gives me the face of confusion again, not knowing what to do she starts to laugh. As I say I told you so & begin to laugh at how weird & awkward the conversation went. 

This a very common event that takes place only because of language & different accents, from meeting new people to asking directions. In my mind I have to be the outspoken one so I can be able to help my dad. I try my best to appreciate both sides but sometimes its hard to be known as or called the girl with an African-American mom and the Jamaican dad. It took me awhile to realize the amount of difference in my family compared to others. I’m not talking about drama, race, or becoming married makes you a even bigger family everyone family experiences these problem but solve them differently. I’m talking about the fact that one side of my family is separated because of language, but mostly the type of speech like an accent and I'm one of a few people that holds this family together.

"Come now" is the normal greeting for hello, while "you want feeding" is another way of saying are you hungry. I guess since I have been around them for so many of years, I understand it a lot easier than others. Even if I don't quite get their " broken English" all the time, its better to nod or say yes that ask them to repeat it. I learned the hard way its not something the appreciate or they don’t find in polite.

"Wait can you repeat that, I don't understand' 

Is usually the line that is repeated about a thousand times whenever both sides of the family get together for celebrations. My mom side & dad side of the family is so divided mainly because of language and how hard it is to understand each other.

 The common and very annoying questions are "really you don't look it" or "That's cool speak like them, please I want to hear the accent." As I always back out of the deal I fell as it comes off that I'm embarrassed of the other side of me. When honestly I'm just not sure I have the right to even be acknowledge as a true Jamaican because I'm only a percentage compared to my dad side. I don’t speak like them, dress like them, and I don’t even like Jamaican food at all. I think it would be disrespectful to claim a part of my me. As I got older I have learned over the years to try to appericate both sides no matter if you are close to your mom or dad side the most. It's always good to have family you can trust, talk to, and to even count on for money. I think as I get older I might change my views on the way I feel being called a Jamican, but for now I believe in what I say.

"Hey child you want feeding" my aunt would say, as I look at the rice & beans with curry chicken. Not realizing that they might not speak perfect english, but facial expressions come nature to them. I notice it looks nothing like how my dad makes so I make a face of confusion mixed with discussed. So I say 

"No thanks I’m okay"

"No come you need feeding, you need to eat more" my aunt insist

"no Im fine I'm a very different eater"

"oh I see, you need to not be child"

And as that conversation ends pretty quickly, I later on get dirty looks or even being talked about behind my back while facing the language.

In the short story “If black English isn’t a language then tell me what is?” by James Baldwin say’s “People evolve a language in order to describe and control their circumstances.” This quote means to me that for people to be able to communicate with each other sometimes that have to change there language into something new by using something old. This quote relates to me because my dad side of there family, and how they have evolved english. Jamaican speak “broken English” which means a kinda of slang with also accent. That’s why it makes it that much harder for American’s or people that are use to a certain style of words, to understand Jamaican.

When I was 10 years old I was in a preteen beauty pageant, because I would always watch Ms. USA or Ms. Universal and I wanted to have a similar experience to them. I was so nervous not only because you are being judged by a the judges and the fact that I’m not a fan of the spotlight. I was also nervous for the first time in along time my entire family was at a event for me mom & dad side. After the competition we decide to take a family picture to celebrate that night. I didn’t realize it at the time but in the picture my dad family was on one side, while my mom side was in the middle, and of course I was in the middle. This picture spoke a thousand words, about how divided one family can be and not even realize it sometimes.