One day, I was out with my family at a French bakery. As I opened the door, the sweet scent of baked goods entered my nostrils, an old man approached and he said thank you in a very thick French accent. I asked the old man if he was French and he replied with “oui je suis français”( yes i 'm French). I responded with “ Je ne suis pas français mais je peux parle français”( I 'm not French but I can speak French) . His brown eyes widened and as his mouth slowly opened with shock, I gave him a small smile. He then said he didn 't expect to get a response in French and he asked if my parents were French I said no, my mom is from Mexico, so he asked how I knew French, then I explained that I take French in my high school. He said “Your French is pretty good to not be a native speaker and you 've developed the accent.”
He told me stories from when he was younger about how he used to play out in the streets, and how it
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This personal accomplishment is important to me, because it makes me proud of the fact that I 'm trilingual. At the beginning of my French classes, my thoughts were that it was going to be hard but it wasn 't. My Spanish knowledge helped me gain control of the language quicker. It was a little challenging, but nothing I couldn’t overcome. Whenever I needed help, I would ask my French teacher or classmates for clarification on what I was struggling with. I love learning new things, every little thing that I learn becomes part of who I am. Learning French was an amazing opportunity that my school gave me. This relates to the person that I am because, I like interacting with people and learning things from them, for example their likes and dislikes, where they come from, and getting to know the variety of people that live on this planet because we are all human but we aren 't the same. We are all different in our own little ways, so being able to speak with other people who speak English or Spanish or French in my opinion is a great
Have you ever had an obstacle that you had to overcome in learning a different language? In David Sedaris “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and Beth Johnson’s “The Professor is a Drop Out”, the individual’s trials are homogeneous in many ways, this stems from them being older students attempting to learn a different language. David Sedaris expresses the difficulties in learning French in a French-speaking nation, author Beth Johnson take the reader on a journey into the life of Lupe Quintanilla the reader learns of her struggles to learn English when she and her family moved to Texas. Both texts show the hurdles that these two people had to embark upon while being insecure in an environment that didn’t prioritize their native languages. But victoriously,
language? Language is the foundation for any organism day to day interaction, language is not limited to spoken language, but also includes body language and gestures. Through language people connect and form bonds with each other; from personal experience, I have found this is to be essentially true when living in a foreign country and speaking a language that is not the primary language spoken in that country. One may not know anything at all about the other, but an instant connection is made when you hear a familiar language or the language of your childhood. For some people, their native language becomes who they are, in essence, their identity.
The language I grew up with.” (Cohen, 2017, p. 416.) Looking at theses essays, it’s clear that language isn’t just a way to communicate it’s an important part of my identity and culture.
Also, my skills of communicating improve as I can talk to anyone in my community or on the outside of my home. Overall, my three languages shape my identity and improve my
Speaking Spanish is important to the Mexican culture because everyone speaks it. As an individual experiencing this, I can testify that I feel united and even proud of my roots because I know the struggle of my family that got me to where I am. Being bilingual has gotten me recognized and has given me an advantage not only at home but also in the real
American, Asian, Russian, Mexican; we all belong to an ethnic group. While some let their culture and ethnic background define them others allow it to shape your life. Being a Mexican-American I’ve had to simultaneously learn two languages at once; Spanish for when I’m at home or with family and English only at school and with friends. Growing up, my parents didn’t speak much English, so my sister and I had to step up as the family translator. Speaking Spanish is important to my family in many ways, not only is it a way for us to communicate with our family in Mexico, but also a reminder of where we come from.
My parents immigrated to America when they were very young, When I was born, I was taught both Spanish and English, which enriched me with the new culture since I was young, I basked in the ability to mesh two cultures and experiences. I have used these
Growing up in a hispanic home is a blessing. Having spanish as my first language then later on, when entering school, came english. Being fluent in both spanish and english comes in handy more times than not. For myself, and for those of my family members that only speak spanish. That is one of my motivations to keep learning spanish and earn the biliteracy seal.
Richard Rodriguez, author of “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” grew up speaking Spanish at home for the beginning of his life, and having the great connection with family that most hope for during their lifetime. This all suddenly changed when he entered school. Starting at a young age, Richard was surrounded by all English-speaking people that he could not communicate well with. The only instances where English would be would have been during public outings, and interaction with others. At home, his parents also struggled to speak English making the situation even harder on Richard.
Yuly Vanessa Vargas Gutierrez Starr- Personal Statement I have gained work experience within the dental profession and understand the working environment, gaining job satisfaction from helping others. I would like to develop my knowledge within a Dental Practice as a Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist. I am very responsible, caring and trustworthy which is paramount when working with clients, their personal data and records.
I have grown to be proud that I can speak Vietnamese, even if just a little. Being able to speak another language helps connect me to my ancestors and family. My favorite language connection is the language of food. Knowing even a few words or phrases in Vietnamese I am able to connect with native speakers and learn about new ingredients and cooking styles I would otherwise never have discovered without the power of
I will also ask my tutor to correct any mistakes I make during our conversations. To improve my pronunciation, I will listen to French audio recordings and practice repeating the words and phrases I hear. I will also practice speaking with a French-speaking person regularly to improve my fluency and confidence. In addition to these techniques, I will also seek out opportunities to immerse myself in the French language and culture.
This is super important to me, as one day I hope to pass that Spanish speaking ability to my children by raising them in a bilingual household. That multicultural identity is something I am very proud of, and it is something that I hope my future children will learn to value as well. Second, this program will connect me with many other people, both within the Cornell community and abroad. As a person who is very relationship oriented, I see this as an opportunity for me to make connections on a global scale. The
From that day on, my ability expanded to create a basis from which I built off of in a year I spent at the local international school, and what I consider the most pivotal comeback of my lifetime. Fourth grade was the most difficult year of my young life, but also the most beneficial, as that one year strengthened my dexterity of the language to the point where those single sentences became two, then three, then whole paragraphs, and this time it was the Germans’ turn to balk at my inane grammar choices. My abilities have fluctuated since that fateful yet successful year, but nowadays I am frequently mistaken for a local in Vienna, which continues as one of the most humbling experiences I have yet to encounter. My bilingual finesse is a quality I utilize with my family, everyday, whether we wish to simply get away from the associations of English, or we wish to have our own language in public, it’s definitely a life-altering addition to my already phenomenal life, an addition I would not give up for anything. The merging of the two worlds I have come to embrace continues to push my boundaries every day, even without the language portion, always adjusting to the differences between the two, and missing whatever land I am not visiting at the moment.
I search for ways in which I can bring to my family not only knowledge of other lands where people look, live, sound and eat differently but also ways in which I can help them communicate with people from around the world. I have done my own internet searches and conducted my own personal research about which language is the best choice for my family to begin learning in addition to English. It is obvious that learning Spanish as a second language here in the United States is the most practical choice if we want to use our new found language on a daily basis. Experts suggest using the new target language daily if you hope to become bilingual, and I know we will use it every day in our community that has experienced marked Latino growth.