In the article, “Aria”, written by Richard Rodriguez, he notes through his own experience that integrating into a new culture is difficult. That is very true. Incorporating a new language is probably the most difficult obstacle for immigrants to overcome. In “Aria”, he discusses being a bilingual student and describes his awkward attempts to come to term with his Spanish identity and public identity which is English. English is the public language. He emphasizes the need for a public language in order to fit.
Rodriguez, as a child, felt that by speaking English, he would leave behind his Spanish identity. He also felt that speaking English would offend his family. It wasn’t until then that his family was beginning to speak English at home. Speaking English meant they were able to have more confidence and Rodriguez began to notice them participating in society. For Rodriguez, this public language becomes his key to unlocking the door to opportunities. Yet the Spanish identity at home disappeared. The bond that his family once shared was different. He believes that people loses identity to fit in to the public’s identity.
Sometimes I ask myself, “Why is English so universal?” Lets take it from another country perspective besides the U.S. What bothers me is that people generally have to know a foreign language, especially English, to land a good job in their own country. Everyone seems to casually accept this as a fact of life. But something’s definitely not right here. Normally, if you go to a foreign country, you’re at a disadvantage if you don’t speak their language. But in countries in Asia, for example Cambodia, when a foreigner comes to your country, you’re the one who is at a disadvantage for not being to communicate with them in their language. Foreigners can come to live and work here without knowing a word of Khmer, and often making more money than all of the Cambodian employees combined. How would you feel?
If I lived in Cambodia and a foreigner came in and didn't know a single word of Khmer and got a better job than me I would feel useless. I understand that coming into a country where their language is not your first language is very difficult to adapt to. I've been to Portugal twice and even though I am Portuguese I don't really know the language that well but trying to understand everyone was quite difficult and frustrating. I would try to talk to them in English and some of them did understand but for the most part it was just strictly Portuguese. I also felt like Richard did and I felt like I didn't belong to the public language and all I wanted to do was leave but I had no choice because my family and I were there for 2 weeks on vacation. haha
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the last part of your article! We see the language as universal soley because we think we are the universe or at least in charge of it. We are so used to going into other countries and "helping those who are 'inferior' to us" that we think they all should just switch to whichever language we speak. Its ridiculous if you think about it...
ReplyDeleteI really loved your blog! You made an excellent point and I definitely agree. I do understand that the US is a very dominant and powerful country in the world especially when it comes to finances and we as a country import our own manufactured goods from other countries. I don't know if I worded that exactly correct but I just understand that whatever country has the best economy is probably going to be the powerhouse language. If the US relied on other countries in order to stay financially stable I would think the tables would turn and we would work our "butt's" off to learn whatever language of the country that is keeping our economy alive. Its unfortunate that this is the case and we can't all be humanitarians and consider everyones emotion state... but that seems to be the world of business + finances...
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post. I definitely agree with the points you brought up. When Rodriguez learned english, he was gaining and losing something. Gaining the"key" to unlocking doors for opportunity and losing his spanish heritage. People shouldnt have to lose their identity to fit in with society.. its not right.
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent connection to Cambodia -- I think that people assume that every country privileges its home language but you remind us that English is the superpower language all over the world. This is a privilege that people who speak English rarely understand.
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