COM 122
Dr. Clare Douglass
April 6, 2010 Ashamed of Your Heritage? Shame on You
People in the United States often become ashamed of their heritage and mother language because they associate them with something negative. This shame of their heritage and mother language can make the person stop speaking their mother language, it can make the person not pass it forward to their children, it can close doors to job opportunities, it can cause some social problems, and it can cause family problems due to the person’s dishonor to the family. People have to learn to accept their heritage and language because even if the person comes from the poorest village in Haiti or most violent place in Mexico, the knowledge of a second language and/or culture is a great gift and advantage. One should never be afraid or ashamed of their mother language and heritage as it can not only open doors and opportunities in the future, but it can enhance the person’s cognitive skills.
People’s shame toward their heritage and language is a real problem in the United States: “Of the 629,000 Hispanics in Arizona, 22 percent do not speak another language aside from English.” Now, twenty-two percent is a large number of people; we are talking about roughly 140,000 people who “forgot” about their language, in just one state; and the most likely reason for most of those people to “forget” about their language was either shame or because they find no need for the language because of English being the primary spoken language in the United States, which is a very wrong idea, a second language can be extremely helpful in the United States. Leticia Salas, author of “Saying ‘Adios’ To Spanglish” was ashamed of her heritage and mother language because of the conditions she lived in El Paso, Texas. Salas explains how she ran away from El Paso and did not teach Spanish to one of her children because of her shame. Also she did not want anything to do with her skin color and language. On the other hand, I was also ashamed of my language and heritage because of the way some people speak it back home.
People’s shame toward their heritage and language may arise from many different sources: they may become ashamed because of the life the person lived, because they think the language is useless, because of the way people have ruined the language where the person lived (my case), or because the person has seen all the racism and discrimination in America and they do not want to reveal where they come from because of the fear of being discriminated. But they have to realize that the world does not revolve around them and that a foreign culture and language diversity has many advantages that can make the person superior in many ways.
A second language and foreign heritage can open many doors and create opportunities for the future. Many institutions and colleges award scholarships to students because of their foreign heritage; an institution like this that gives scholarships for having a Hispanic heritage is The Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Also, knowing a second language can help someone in getting a better job or it can also help in opening job opportunities that are not available to people who speak English only. The reason that some companies look for bilingual employees is mostly because people who speak a second language can, for example, communicate with more people and enable the company to get more costumers.
Parents that are ashamed of their language should get over their shame and realize the benefits that a second language has, and teach their first language to their children to enable them to have the benefits of having the knowledge of a second language. With that said, another reason that some people of foreign heritage do not speak a second language is because their parents did not teach them how to speak their first language. Why? Probably because the parents were ashamed of it or maybe they thought that their child/children did not need the language. “Children can learn a second easily, and knowing a second language can make it easier for them to learn even more languages.” If a person starts learning a second language from childhood, they will learn the second language more easily. The reason that children learn a second language more easily is because they are learning two languages at the same time, therefore, they don’t have to go through getting used to the awkwardness of the different way to spell letters or to talk; children are in a learning process and their minds will absorb the second language at a faster rate than that of an adult learning a second language. Leticia Salas realized the mistake she had done in not teaching her son Spanish, she said:
In a land of opportunity, I soon realized I had made a big mistake. I was denying my son one of the greatest gifts I had to offer: the ability to be bilingual. I saw the need for interpreters on a daily basis in the health field where I worked. Even trips to the grocery store often turned into an opportunity to help someone who could not understand English or vice versa. (Salas)
This quote from Salas also helps explain some of the ways a second language can be helpful to people in a daily life by explaining situations where she could have used Spanish to her advantage or to help others.
In addition, someone being ashamed of their heritage can cause family and social problems also. The reasons for the problems are that a proud parent or family member may become offended by the person’s shame and therefore cause problems. Also this shame can cause social problems for the same reason. If missed job and/or career opportunities, family problems, and lost social opportunities are not enough to convince someone to not be ashamed of their heritage and language, or to learn a second language, then maybe the travel opportunities will. If a person knows a different language other than English, or a culture other than the non-existent culture in the United States (my personal opinion) and they are not ashamed of it, then that person will be enabled to visit other different places outside of the United States without being held by shame or being stopped by a language barrier. People should realize that just because they had a negative experience or because some people discriminate others for their heritage, they should be ashamed of their language and heritage. People should instead be proud of their language, culture, and heritage because not everyone thinks the same way; most people admire someone that is proud and is not afraid of where they come from than people who are instead ashamed of it. A second language is a gift, and one should never be ashamed of a gift that not many people have. I was once ashamed of my language until I realized the wonderful opportunities it gave me.
Note: In this essay I refer to the person’s first language as a second language; this is because I am talking about people who are ashamed of their language in the United States; while it may be the person’s firs language, in the United States it is considered a second language since English is the primary spoken language.
Works Cited
Kathryn Speck. (2008, July 28). Multilingualism is a noble and useful goal; Our schools and children are equipped for the task. Edmonton Journal,A.18. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from Canadian NewsstandComplete. (Document ID: 1522317851).
Salas, Leticia. "Saying ‘Adios’ To Spanglish". Language Awareness. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009.
Uribe, L.. (2009, May 18). Cumbre destaca importancia del bilingüismo. El Diario La Prensa,p. 27. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1774719431).
Wingett, Yvonne. "AZ Central". The Arizona Republic. April 12, 2010 <http://www.nusd.k12.az.us/schools/nhs/gthomson.class/articles/education/non- spanihssepakig.hipanics.htm>.
Cited: Kathryn Speck. (2008, July 28). Multilingualism is a noble and useful goal; Our schools and children are equipped for the task. Edmonton Journal,A.18. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from Canadian NewsstandComplete. (Document ID: 1522317851). Salas, Leticia. "Saying ‘Adios’ To Spanglish". Language Awareness. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Uribe, L.. (2009, May 18). Cumbre destaca importancia del bilingüismo. El Diario La Prensa,p. 27. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1774719431). Wingett, Yvonne. "AZ Central". The Arizona Republic. April 12, 2010 <http://www.nusd.k12.az.us/schools/nhs/gthomson.class/articles/education/non- spanihssepakig.hipanics.htm>.
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