The material for this week touches on a very important part of being Chicana. We live on boarder lands and much of our identity is based on our experiences within those borderlands. Nothing is more fundamental, in my opinion, to our understanding of ourselves, and the outside world than our language. While watching the video of Norma Cantu speaking of her experience growing up in Texas the thing that struck me the most was this sense of duality, of having allegiance to both Mexico and the United States and most importantly how that duality was played out in the realm of the house and school. Growing up, I was definitely aware of these two opposing worlds. More importantly, it was this sense of having two halves that could never be a whole. I remember going to school and Spanish being shunned, although the teachers never directly told us not to speak Spanish, I remember using Spanish almost in secret while out on recess with my class mates. I also remember the frustration when my other half was lacking, when I could not come up with the English word for what I was trying to say I would almost go into fits but never thought of doing the most obvious saying it in Spanish, like wise when I did not have the Spanish word for I was trying to say I’d do anything and everything to come up with the word. I think it is beautiful and effortless how Norma Cantu can switch between English and Spanish. I would also like to note how it takes guts to do that, growing up I remember on several occasions teachers saying that it was a terrible habit to mix Spanish and English I remember two particular teachers. My 8th grade teacher, who shall remain nameless, saying something along the lines of: “What wrong with all of you trying to ruing two different languages you are going to school to learn proper English and it is disrespectful to try to mix Spanish, makes you all look like a bunch of fools”, then years later my 12th English teacher who was going on a rant said something similar: “Listen, all of you have a huge disadvantage coming from Spanish speaking homes, this is your last year of being coddled in the universities they will not thing twice about failing any of you, we will be reading this entire year, we will read a lot, that’s the only way you will learn English”. I would like to point out that although these two events stuck with me, there were many other times where I was given the impression that I would never master English and that Spanish was not proper.
My question to the class is what is your experience with English, Spanish, and Spanglish?
My experience of knowing Spanish and being in school is different from yours. Growing up the rest of the students as well as the teachers spoke spanish too and it wasn’t too hard to fully transition from one language to another because we would use, and to this day still do, Spanglish. When I went to high school I went to a school where the student body was predominantly african american and pacific islander which was a complete change to what I was used to. Although, I was praised when they heard me speak Spanish and was constantly asked to help with homework and to just teach them new words or phrases. Luckily, I did not struggle too much with the languages.
Hello,
Just like you I grew up with both the English and Spanish as my primary languages. I would speak Spanish with my parents but English with my siblings, friends, and school. However, in school they always to put as Spanish as my first languages.In school my experience with language was not easy, As a result, I was always put into ELS classes or forced to go to tutoring for me to learn the prober English skills. In school, for the most part we were not allowed to speak Spanish but I would always still use it. I remember I was having problems with reading and grammar in elementary school, so the teacher recommend my parents for them only to speak in English but my parents mostly spoke Spanish. With time I improved my English skills without having to only speak English. However today I continue to speak both languages and use it in my everyday life. I have learned to value both my languages and also incorporate Spanglish into the mix.
I was born in Mexico, and migrated over when i was 4 years old. Spanish was my first language so it was hard for me to learn english. I remember all my cousins spoke english because they were born here and i felt so dumb because i couldn’t speak english it was really sad. Theirs still a few words that i say that i can hear my accent in like the word pizza, i can never say it right apparently and everyone laughs and im just like whatever i speak two languages deal with it.
My experience, because, I have fully assimilated, only speaking the English language, has been negative. Unfortunately, my mother, who speaks Spanish fluently, did not bring the language home, as she partnered with my father, who is the “Gringo.” She mostly spoke Spanish at her place of business and to my grandmother. My mom, because the schools adopt the English language, did not attempt to bring the language in the home. I do not know if this was conscious or unconscious, but boy has it negatively impacted my life. Whether it is from people in my culture or the Gringos, I get so much slack that I do not know Spanish. Sometimes I get so pissed—For example, two weeks ago I was visiting my grandmother at the hospital, and the Doctor starting speaking Spanish to me, and I was like I do not understand it that well, nor speak it that well. The nurse assisting the doctor, who is Mexicana/Latina says, “what a disservice.” My face turned red, skin felt hot, I was boiling— How rude is that?? I said, well “ unfortunately, this is the cause of assimilation, noting that my education focused on the English language.” She says, “ohhhh, well I have taught my kids how to speak, read, and write Spanish, while also making sure they know fluent English.” I was like that is great, I wish my mom would have done the same, but that is not the case. Over the years, I asked my mom, sheeshhh why did not you teach us Spanish- her answer is, “everything that came home from school was in English, and she only spoke and understood Spanish”, she never learned to write and read Spanish. My grandpa is a Chicano, born in the United States, while my grandmother is from Mexico-she is the only one who spoke, read, and wrote in Spanish.
Hello,
Similar to you I had a very hard time in school because the only language I spoke at home was Spanish, and once I started school I was introduced to English. It was very hard for me to adjust to both languages. I recall in Elementary when I was taken out of my regular class to go with a tutor that would help me pronounce certain words. At First, I thought that I was privileged because I would get out of class, and my classmates will stay in class. It wasn’t until I grew older that I was taken out of class because of my lack in English. I also felt embarrassed to speak Spanish in school so for some time I only spoke in English, and at home I also only spoke English to my parents because in my mind that was the only perfect language. Until my mother made me acknowledge that speaking two languages opens many doors for me. Now, I am proud to be bilingual, and I am no longer shamed to speak Spanish.