Personal Narrative: Losing My Culture And Language

This then leads to the problem that in this public life being bilingual or not being able to speak English was still being discriminated against. In public life, people need to be more accepting of others who speak different languages and also not contribute to getting rid of their language in America. Espadas claims culture is important and people who are a part of the English-Only movement are causing so many people to abandon their culture. While speaking out about the cultural warfare in America, Espada declares, “There are too many in this country who would amputate the Spanish tongue. Given this cultural aggression, it is astonishing that more Latinos have not lost their Spanish altogether, that so many Latinos still speak as much Spanish as they do” (Espada 26-31).

It was the last inning in our all-star game, and we were losing 10 to 8. Our team had 2 outs and we couldn’t get the third. Our pitcher was doing bad, throwing all balls, while all of us in the field were tired, ready to fall asleep at any moment. There goes another walk. They score again.

Flashback to my junior year. I sat quietly in my AP Lang class as my teacher, Mrs. Fisher, announced that the reading competition between the language arts classes called for the book count for September. She stood at the board, marker in hand, staring out expectantly at her large class. Hands shot up across the classroom, and my own nervous hand rose up to join them. Mrs. Fisher happily chalked up the small fortune of books that our class had read.

Jessica Alba said, “I wish I could speak Spanish, because it would be a lot easier to play more interesting roles.” Is learning Spanish necessary in the society we live in today? Gloria Anzaldua, author of “How to Tame A Wild Tongue”, explains how she grew up in a life that did not accept the Spanish language in school and wanted, “to get rid of our accents” (26). She shows how people use different variations of Spanish to connect to other Spanish speakers. Anzaldua emphasizes that the types of languages influences the lives of others and can change the way they approach each type of Spanish to one’s life.

Spanish was my first language and neither one of my parents knew english. I would go to school and just listen and try to learn every little thing I could get my hands

As an Indian-Americans, I grew up with two very different cultures influencing me in to distinct worlds: my home life and my school life. It wasn’t until I became a freshman a few years ago that these two cultures fused into one. I used to think using my mother tongue in public was weird, and that I had to be just like my Caucasian friends to be “cool”. As an early teen, I never acknowledged my own religion, culture, and ethnicity; sometimes I disgraced them. But, as I matured, I realized that my religion, culture, and ethnicity is a gift.

I am of Hispanic descent, but since I live in the United States, I have lost touch with my Hispanic roots. I don’t know Spanish and I hate spicy food. I might look Hispanic, but I don’t associate with the many stereotypes that come with associating myself as a Hispanic. I remember the first time visited my family in Mexico. I have heard many ugly stereotypes about Hispanics and I was not very excited to go.

Growing up Mexican-American in the United States can be a challenge itself. Throw in the task, of learning two languages, it made for a very confused little girl. There was often times growing up when I wondered why no one, but my family spoke Spanish. Why everyone at school and all my friends spoke this different language. Sometimes it even seemed like I was two different people.

Importance of Language Language, in the simplest sense is a way to communicate with others, but more than that, language is way that I can express myself and my thoughts, which is why it's so important. It’s a reflection of who I am and where I came from. In How to Tame a Wild Tongue, Anzaldua explains that Chicano Spanish is a boarder tongue that “sprang out of the Chicanos’ need to identify ourselves as a distinct people.” (Cohen, 2017, p. 36) In Mother Tongue, Tan talks about how her mother’s “broken” English is their “language of intimacy, ... that relates to family talk.

With every day I was taught a new thing and a new word which increased my vocabulary as much I listen as much I gained, and as much I take as much as my language improved. In addition, I started to speak with my kids in English at home so my son who is in the high school helped me a lot by fixing me my pronunciation. It became so easy for me to talk to the customer and convince him to buy the phone after not a long time we started to be stable and learned a lot about the new systems in my new country .starting over might be a big challenge, but it has a lot of advantages. I learned new skills, I believed in myself and my personality changed a lot. In the new world you are probably going to have to start over more than once.

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.

For me, my racial and cultural identity has always been at the forefront of my life experience. I grew up in an Iowan rural small town that was founded on Swedish heritage. My home town of Albert City, Iowa was founded by my Swedish ancestors, many of which still have family there today. Therefore, I have always known that my Swedish blood was an important aspect of my life. However, I am also of German, Norwegian, and Danish heritage which has conflicted my views of my identity.

“Se Habla Español” by Tanya Barrientos helped me truly identify what it means to be a proud Hispanic. As she explained, her experiences of being Spanish challenged Latina led to her being ashamed. Barrientos’ experiences reminded me of my experiences with Spanish. As I reflect on my own experiences, I can say that being a proud Hispanic is not about speaking perfect Spanish. I realized this when my extended family assumed I spoke Spanish; my mother threatened to pretend to not understand me when I spoke English.

I believe that I have learned many useful lessons this semester. At the start of this semester I honestly did not know how to write a proper essay. There were several big problems with my writing style. My poor grammar and lack-luster writing skills were a real problem. I feel more confident now that I have written some decent papers and come close to completing my first English class.

The world is filled with people, and like snowflakes, each person is not the same as another. Each person identifies with different aspects of their lives to create their own personal identities. I personally identify with my Italian side of my family to help form who I am today. I have found myself connecting with this side more so than the other parts of my identity. It affects how I live my life by becoming the center to the culture surrounding me.