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Jalisa Smith

Introduction/Reflection:

The project that I did was based on how I viewed the language dynamics in America. I thought about how we use it to communicate and how we have to take time, which is if we do not speak English, to learn Standard English. Foreigners, as they are called, have to be understood by Americans, and vice versa. In writing this piece I was grappling with the idea of saying the right things the wrong way. I struggled with telling the right stories at the right time. I knew there was a lot to say, but I didn’t want to offend anyone. Neither did I want to offend America. So in the end, I concluded with something lighter than what I intended on saying. Although, I still do believe I got my point across.

Story:

Jalisa Smith

Language Autobiography

Language is what differentiates one culture from another. A language can evolve, it can morph, it can even grow, but it will always exist. When you think about it, your language is what makes you unique. Sometimes, I wonder what America would be without the variety of languages. It is distinguishable because it consists of so many different dialects, but in the end, we all eventually sound “American”. But what is the American language? It consists of slang, cussing, standard English, and other ethnicity’s entire accent just trying to fit in. Yet as a society, we struggle with the barriers that language builds.

My mother and father are from Barbados. In Barbados, they speak broken English, more British English, if anything. When my mother and father first met my teachers, doctors and friends, they would have to repeat themselves to be understood. I began to realize how it was either good or bad because some people would say, “I love your accent! Say this in Bajan!” or, “What’d you say?” Normally I thought it was ignorant, other times I brush it off because I do the same thing when a foreigner tries talking to me. At the same time, what type of person does that make me? This is where it becomes confusing because I know what it feels like in their position, but now I know what it feels like in an Americans’ position also. So what I can I conclude of this?

I begin to wonder where my place is in this long strand of language. I fit into both roles, (American and Foreigner) perfectly. That is, if I wanted to. So am I wrong for being an interested outsider of another language? I don’t think I am. Because the way I look at it, a language is so influential upon a society. Therefore if a person joins a society that speaks a different language than they do, everyone wants to understand them. When a person decides to open up to you in their language, they assume you are comfortable with the language too. I guess that’s why there are so many people that find it easy to converse with people who speak the same way, because they understand each other. It’s an easy way out of conflict.

 I see it happening everywhere. For example, I was at the African Hair Braiding Shop watching the women doing hair. There was a lot of conversing and laughing. But there were two conversations happening. One conversation was with the hair braiders and the other was with the clients. The division between the two was very obvious but they could have been talking about the same thing, yet everyone stuck to their own group because it’s a comfort zone. Another time I was walking downtown with a group of diverse friends, and we all speak Standard English and all of my Asian friends drifted into a completely different conversation.

It’s the moments like these, which make me wonder if the variety of languages in the United States is good. I know it’s good to be unique, but we all have to come to some sort of understanding. The conflict occurs when there is a frown upon those that don’t speak Standard English. It occurs when Americans train foreign children to create a new language or when a foreigner is speaking to some person who doesn’t understand anything they area saying. But problems such as these are only very hard to solve because in the end we all have to understand what we’re saying because to be successful in America, you should know Standard English.

 In the story, “this is the oppressors language / yet I need to talk to you: Language, a place of struggle” the author, Bell Hooks was discussing the United States and language. She said, “In the United States it [Standard English] is the mask which hides the loss of so many tongues. (LPS, Bell Hooks)” When I was reading this, I thought of how every day, Americans are millions of foreigners who are gathering together to form a country. To be a sufficiently working society, we have to have an understanding. That’s when there is a “mask, which hides the loss of so many tongues”. It can be looked at in a bad way, but in my opinion, it’s the only way we can survive. I do love the word choice for that quotes the author used. She called Standard English a mask; a mask is something that can be taken off. It’s interesting to see the wordplay because she gives the reader a choice. What I got out of it is that there can be a time where we all put on a mask, to hide what others won’t understand, accept and appreciate.

America’s diversity is what makes it so hard to take into consideration every language that it contains. Because our leaders speak Standard English, we have to speak Standard English. It makes it easier for all of us. Like Bell Hooks said, Standard English is a mask in the United States. The barriers that languages build aren’t for a bad purpose. It’s because as a society we have to come to an understanding, therefore, barriers are ways of avoiding conflict. No one wants to lose apart of what makes them the person they are, so we cover it up. I believe the largest problem that can come out of the language in America is when we forget our roots, when we forget to take our masks off.

Digital Story:

Script:

Language is what keeps us united.

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (English)

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (Spanish)

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (French)

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (Italian)

You see, if I didn’t have translator I wouldn’t be able to have said the things I just said.

The phrase, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, can be very universal.

So when in America, do as the Americans do.

Sit back, and relax from your fast paced daily life.

Take a sip of black coffee and make sure to have only one wife.

Traditions shouldn’t be modified but language can tweaked a bit.

Make sure you make the best of it.

Because there is no way to make a living without understanding what your boss is saying because your time is not only being wasted but it is conflicting with what he/she is making so therefore accept ESOL classes and build a home with crystal glasses.

My mother used to say,

That’s when we have something to offer, make the people listen.

How do you expect to be understood?

If there is no understanding,

How do we expect to be sustainable?

Community, when one can’t understand the other.

Therefore, we all come together.

A language.

Standard English, is what we all use in America

It’s the way we communicate.

Somehow, it’s the only way we navigate,

There only becomes a problem,

When we put down our personal history,

When we forget our roots.

And never look back.

When the youth of the next generation,

Is completely the same.

Lets not make it that way

Let’s enjoy

I will never forget when,

My grandmother told me how hard it was to talk to others.

So she made it easier for everyone,

She began to learn the lingo.

She spoke the slang, but never let her accent go.

Intro

            This project was to make a language autobiography. Our paper had to explain how our language relates to our life and include scenes using words that either we made up, or words that mean something special to us or are they’re just slang. We had to explain how language shaped our life and made us who we are today.

            The parts that I feel that are strong in my paper would be the scenes. I included more than one and I made sure they were really descriptive and included my words. Another part that I think is really strong is my analysis. A place that I struggled in was my final paragraph, because I had to close up the scene I was just talking about and try to include the first scene with it to tie it all together. I learned a lot, one thing that I learned that stood out to me was a thing called "code switching."  "Code switching" means that when you're speaking to someone you have a certain way to speak to them. I knew that I always did that but I just didn’t know that it had a name.

Language might be one thing that travels the fastest around the world. It’s something that everyone knows about and uses everyday.  It is also part of who I am. My language is so different from everyone else that I talk to. Yes, I speak English but I used different words and different dialect than you. Everyone that I ever held a conversation with from school has noticed the way I talk. Everyone else that wasn’t from my school never had anything to say about it.  I believe it’s my “South Philly” accent or some of the slang words that I say all the time. I talk the same way that everyone around my neighborhood talks. I don’t really use a lot of slang but the word that I use most often is “yous.” This word is an Italian slang for “you guys” really simply. If you go into South Philly you would find that out pretty quickly. I must use this word about seventy times a day and not even notice.

I remember the first time that I said it in school. I was sitting at lunch on the second floor near the pool, surrounded by people that I knew, but not well. I had one really close friend that was in my stream her name was Goldie. We were all laughing and everything was great. I was sitting against the wall and Goldie got her trash and all her things together and began standing up.

  “Me and Ellen are leaving do you want to come?” She asked me as Ellen walked over to her.

  “Well, where are yous going?” I asked looking up to her and Ellen. Suddenly everyone around me snapped their heads in my direction. All I heard was a bunch of voices talking about what I had just said. Everyone was just as puzzled as I was but for different reasons.
                    “What did she just say?” A girl asked in between laughter.
                    “What does “yous” mean?” A boy shouted out but he got no answers. Then Goldie asked the same question. I thought maybe of all people she would know because I used this around her before and she never questioned it.
                    “Yeah what does that mean?” She said as she was laughing along with everyone else. I didn’t know that no one knew what that word meant. My face got redder than a tomato and I was suddenly scared that everyone was going to make fun of me. I just wanted to run and hide until it all passed.
                    “You guys. Yous never heard that before?” I asked looking around and I realized that I just said it again but hoped that no one heard me. Laughter was the only thing I heard after that.
                    “No!” She shouted as if I should have known that.
                    “Oh. Well where I’m from that’s what everyone says. It’s weird that no one here knew. But anyway where are yous going?” I said it in a joking manner because everyone made a big deal about it. I felt embarrassed, like I was an alien and no one ever heard the word before. But no one minded, they all thought it was funny and I know now that they would never make fun of me for real. But now everyone is used to it, and a lot more people say it. I guess I just worry too much. It has become a joke between some friends and me all from that one-day. Another thing that I believe makes me who I am today is the fact that I talk with my hands. A lot if not all the people from south Philly do this. Growing up seeing my parents do it, or neighbors or just strangers when I walk in the street. I don’t even realize that I do it but all of my friends do. They sometimes tease me about this also. Either if I am really angry or excited, I wave my hands or clap them. But nevertheless I believe that it has made me part of who I am today. Also, that I impacted some peoples lives because they started to do it also.
                    Which brings me back to my thought that language might be one thing that travels the fastest around the world. If someone says one thing to me and I like it then I will say it, text it, or chat it to my friends and if they like it they do the same and it spreads like wildfire, it’s crazy! Of course there are some words that you don’t want to say around certain people, which is called Code Switching. The way I talk in school is way different from the way I talk when I’m home or around my friends. Just as some teachers talk different when they talk to their class and then when they are around their friends they speak differently also. We can’t help that we do this but it’s just what were used to.  For example, when I went to Drexel to present my water filtration project I spoke perfect English. I had to make sure for a fact that I dropped all of my slang words because I wanted to impress the professors at the school. I had to make sure I didn’t use my hands I didn’t want to clap in the audience faces just to get my point across.
                    “I’m extremely nervous! What if I mess up?” I said looking at Jessica as we were impatiently waiting for our names to get called up to go present. I couldn’t eat the nice food they supplied for us, I could barley drink what they supplied for us. I keep reading over my slide and practicing what I was going to say and how I was going to say it and stand.

            “You’ll be fine! Relax. Breathe. You did this in school a millions times and did it prefect!” She reassured me with a smile. I still couldn’t shake the nervous feeling that I was having. I remember when I first heard that we won this project challenge and I was nervous from then on.
                    “You know me I’m socially awkward I don’t like to talk to people especially professors!” I said laughing and she joined in with me. Then they called us and once I got up there and saw my slide I was fine. I didn’t mess up and I managed to keep my English perfect. I was so proud of myself for not messing up and not clapping in their faces.

Even though I always say “yous” I will never change the way that I speak or stop saying the words that I do because someone has a problem with it. Of course I will if I ever go back to Drexel or present but other then that, I will not. Everything I say and the way I say it makes me who I am. I love it.

Hola! Este es mi proyecto; disfrutar.

Soy Alaina. Tengo catorce años, pero voy a cumplir los quince en el vientinueve de abril. Siempre soy bastante extraña.  Me encanta comida; café solo es súper. Me gusta leer  y  axolotls.

Se llama Lee. El es mi papá. Es muy cómico y trabajador. Mi papá es muy sociable. Tiene el pelo corto. Además, él tiene los ojos azules. Cuando tiene tiempo libre, mi papá le gusta mucho dormir. Lo quiero porque es espectacular.

Sus nombres son Ariel y Nate. Ellos son mi hermana mejor y su hijo. Ellos tienen el pelo café y son increiblemente largo. Les gusta hablar, y los dos son guapos.  Además, que son similares. Me caen bien porque son genials.

Se llaman Chungyi y Ayala; ellas son mi mamá y mi hermana mayor. Son artísticas y depende del dia ellas son bobas. Les gusta bailar. Mi mamá y hermana son morenas, tambien tienen los ojos cafes. Me encantan porque son los mejores.

Nuestros nombres son Alaina y Nina. Nina es mi abuela. Nosotras tenemos el pelo morena. Nos gusta cocinar, pero no nos gusta nada ayudar en casa. ¡Es un amor de gente; mi abuela es súper!

Si, mi familia es muy importante para mi.

¡Gracias por su atención!

It is time we start focusing on contacting and connecting with our representative to start making progress, because during this season is the perfect time to advance in getting more bike paths. People are only focused on certain types of transportation such as cars or buses. However, there are many people who are still biking in the cold and need their own space. By working with the bicycle coalition and staying updated with their progress, we would definitely see where they are taking this issue.

Lobbying Blog Post #4

Steps:

Dominate Something: talk to district leader via email or phone or even in person

Do a few things well: give a few good reasons why he should support this issue and help to lower drinking ages. Provide sources and information that can help to persuade him.

Make the strategy personal: talk about why the issue would be personal and useful to yourself/your community. 

Force multiply: find more people my age and older to support this issue and