I heard a speaker ask the audience once, “What do you call a person who speaks two languages?” The answer, of course, was “bilingual.” He then asked, “What do you call a person who speaks three languages?” We all chimed in with “trilingual.” He then asked, “What do you call a person who speaks one language?” His answer: “an American.”
Gattina has an interesting post today called “50 Years Europe.” In it she discusses how in her family they speak many languages because she’s German and her husband is Italian. Her son speaks French, but his girlfriend is English. The family is fluent in all of these languages! My jaw dropped to my knees when I read that. I’m in awe of that ability. I had read some of Gattina’s posts before, but hadn’t taken the time to read her profile and see that she was from Belgium. Her posts show up on my screen in English. I’ll have to ask her if she writes them in English, or if my computer translates it. I’m writing this in Texan—does it show on y’allses’ computer as English?
[For those of you whose computer is not translating, “y’all” is a contraction of “you all.”“Y’all”, “Y’alls’” and “Y’allses’” are all correct usages. “You all” is an affected Northern approximation of the word, which should under no circumstances be used in the South.]
In the United States, we generally think that if we travel abroad everyone in other countries should speak English to us. If people from other nations come here, of course, we expect them to speak English to us. Something doesn’t feel quite proper about that. Could the French be right? Are we a bit egocentric here in America?
My primary language is my native tongue—-Texan, although I try to speak English to “foreigners” (that would be anyone not born over Texas soil). Actually, I am capable of speaking perfect English without an accent. However, my husband (who claims Southern roots, but grew up in California) asserts that when I talk to my sister I lapse into my Texas-speak. After a few minutes on the phone with her, I am “warshing and rinching the dishes, and I’m a put’n’ ‘em ovaire” [translation: “washing and rinsing the dishes, and putting them over there”]. I’ve always wished that I had learned Spanish, but I just “cain’t wrap my mouth around it.”
Y’all might have heard that here in Texas we have a lot of people moving in from other parts of the world. Most of the folks are of Hispanic heritage (primarily from Mexico), but there is a large mix from Asian cultures, African cultures, European countries, and the Middle East. Their children enter our schools and are unable to speak or understand English. Instead of “mainstreaming” them into regular classrooms, most of our school districts send them into “bilingual” classes where they are eased into the English language.
There is a lot of debate on whether our tax dollars should be spent on bilingual education. I’m not sure on which side of the fence to stand. On the one hand, I believe I am a living example that it is difficult to learn a second language unless you are forced to speak it and comprehend it—so perhaps mainstreaming is best. But, on the other hand, learning another language AND being in a new school can be a frightening experience. Perhaps the children DO need to take it a step at a time.
Unfortunately, most of the bilingual teachers I have encountered can speak Spanish(usually formal Castillian Spanish, which is not what people in Mexico speak) but not many other languages. How is that supposed to help a kid from Pakistan? Which hand is the “right” hand? I “cain’t” decide.
Personally, I think that every school child should be learning a second language from elementary school onward. I’m told it’s much easier to learn a second language when you are younger. For American kids, learning Spanish (or perhaps French) seems the most practical. But, there should be other languages offered as well. Sadly, that’s not going to happen, because our schools are too busy teaching toward the standardized tests that the government has mandated.
I also think it’s important that first-generation Americans learn English but also the language of their forefathers. I know several families, who came to America from different countries, who only speak English to their children (unless they don’t want the kids to understand what is being said). I think it’s a shame for the children to lose a vital part of their heritage.
There’s a folktale about a mouse and a cat:
Mouse was quivering with fear inside his mouse hole, because he could smell Cat outside his door. Mouse knew that if he stepped outside he would become dinner.
Suddenly, Mouse heard a horrible racket. “Woof! Woof!Woof,woof,woof,woof,woof!”
“Meooooow!”
“Woof, WOOF!”
Then, there was total silence.“Whew,” thought Mouse. “Dog chased that pesky Cat away at last. Now I can get out of here.” Mouse stepped outside and was immediately pinned to the ground by Cat’s sharp claws. “But, I thought Dog chased you away!” cried Mouse.
“Dog?” said Cat. “There was no Dog. That was me. My mother always said it would be useful to know a second language.”
Y’all chew on that a little bit. If you have an opinion, just jump right in and tell me. Tell me which side of the fence y’all are standin’ on. What is your Native Tongue? And, raise y’allses’ hands if you know more than one language (if you are willing to admit on the World Wide Web that you are “bi”).
I am still laughing about the cat’s barking ! I am happy that I could inspire your post today, lol ! Everything you wrote about me is true except that my future daugher in law is not english but dutch(!) but they speak english together because my son doesn’t speak dutch. He only speaks french (his school tongue, I can’t talk about mothertongue in this case) english, german and a little italian. For us it’s all the same, we jump from one language to the other sometimes even without noticing it. And now to the language learning. In Europe english too is the main language to communicate between the different countries and the english people are saying the same, they go wherever they want to, to Germany, France, Italy etc and they always find somebody who speaks english and is even happy to show that he speaks english ! In the EU offices in Brussels all the 27 represented countries with all these languages, what do they do ? they speak english. Apparently english is the easiest language to learn. You said that Americans didn’t teach their children the language of their origins. That would have been impossible ! I don’t think that you are a native american, so from which origin are you ? Maybe from different european countries on fathers and mother’s side. My uncles grandpa immigrated in 1884 from Germany to the States. But there were so many other nationalities that finally everybody agreed to speak english. And my uncle told me that when he was a child (he died at 95)speaking another language but english was stricly forbidden and even punishable. Look at the native Americans, they were not allowed to speak their language and children who did, got their mouth washed with soap !
I think it’s not important what and how many languages you speak. The most important thing is that you can communicate with everybody. And small children don’t know the barrier of a language, they speak whatever they here so it can happen that a 2 year old speaks in one shot french and english, one sentence to the father and one to the mother and doesn’t even realize what he is speaking. (I know quite a few of those bilingual or sometimes even trilingual children) The earlier you learn a language the better it is. 10 years is already too old to learn it easily. You also learned a language without realizing … english, the first words who heard from your mother.
The texan accent is terrible ! I used to work for a texan and when he dictated me numbers on the phone it was terrible! especially forty four, he spoke through the nose and said foifo ! BTW I don’t like to write long comments (lol)
Gattina! What in the world do you mean “The texan accent is terrible!”??? The Texas accent is the sweetest sound known to mankind (lol). Why, the Texas accent is melodic! It’s a rhapsody! I’m from Texas, so I know that for a fact. Some people say that we brag a bit in the Lone Star State, but “it ain’t braggin’ if it’s the truth.”
Thanks for popping by this morning, I’m feeling much better, thanks to the cocktail of drugs I was given yesterday went by in a blurr of sleep and not much else. Consequently I hardly moved from the pron position all day and night, allowing my neck and back to recover.
I love your post on language. I am always blown away by people who can speak another language other than their mother tongue. Through my husbands job we have had contact with lots of 2,3,4, or even more, linguaphones and (as gattana proves) it amazes me when they switch from one to the other. In Europe so many learn French, English, Italian, German, Spanish. I have a smattering in each but would never say I speak them as they are all so fluent. Well they appear that way to me. So I understand more than I can speak. The official business language in the world is English (it used to be French)so my husband who deals daily with Germany for his business has never had to learn the language.
You keep your Texan - it defines who you are.
I speak an odd Aussie/Kiwi/American strine — but in North America everyone thinks I’m from England. I can’t tell you how many times I have been told- “I just love your accent.” Or, “Well now, you’re not from around here eh. What part of England would you be from then?”
That’s Canadian….!
Still I come out with words and phrases that make my Nth Am. friends shake their heads and look at me blankly when to me the meaning is logical. I mean, we all speak English, and I understand perfectly what they say. “Okay maybe ‘rinching’ the dishes would have made me pause but I knew what you meant.
Great post..
Thanks Robyn. I wish I could hear you talk. As a storyteller, I often lapse into “accents.” I seem to have an ear for them and can mimic. Your accent sounds like it would be marvelous to hear.
Glad you are feeling better! But, you’ve got a trip coming up soon, so don’t overdo.
Somewhere in my memory I think you used to call a person fluent in more than two languages a polyglot. Is that correct?
Absolutely correct. But, “polyglot” is an ugly word, don’t you think?
Can you please explain to me the hippy, conservative Texan? Homeschooling, Bush-voting Batists who only eats organic granola? Shelly, your town is well-known for its progressive recycling program and natural gas vehicals. In the middle of TEXAS?????????????
Miss Lyre-leaf
Was that controversial? As controversial as wearing shoes in summer. Sure, in TEXAS maybe, but not for interntaional readers. Shelly, you are oozing Texian Sass. You make Texans PROUD to live in Texas. I say: keep it coming!! Show the world the real Texas.
When I go to conferences abroad, I have to often LIE about where I am from. Some people just stop talking to me immediately if I say I am from Texas. California is fine, but Texas? Cause people hate Bush so much, and the rest assume we live in a dessert. What was that old movie about West Texas? The one with the oil rigs?
Miss LyreLeaf
Miss Lyre-Leaf! Trying to put one over on me aren’t you, but I know who you are and I know where you live!
This is as controversial as I can get, girlfriend! At least on the http://WWW. Of course, you know that’s a lie, because you know who I am.
“Giant” is the movie to which you refer. It was filmed in Marfa, TX, and not all of Texas looks like that. We’ve got grass and trees.
George W. Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut people!
I can’t explain conservative to you at all…but you’re just trying to start some controversy, aren’t you?!!
And, I NEVER want to hear you say that you lied about being from Texas, or I’ll “warsh your mouth out with soap!”
Shelly,
You are making me think on a Sunday, but also chuckle. First off, since you are from Texas and I am originally from Massachusetts, we may not understand each other speaking the same language. I have a wicked Boston accent which I can’t shake after almost 25 years living in New Hampshire.
I went to Denmark last year on a school trip and found that most people spoke english. When a sales clerk pulled a good one on me in an electronics store trying to tell me that he did not speak English when I asked, but responded, “Russian?” “French?” and then said, “Of course English.” He was being funny and we both laughed, but I did feel badly that here I was in his country and unable to speak any Danish.
When I was growing up in the 60’s in the Boston area, we had a lot of first generation Italian families. Even though Mom and Dad may have been speaking Italian at home, it was understood that their children speak English. It was full immersion for these kids and none of this bilingual class stuff that they try to do. My inlaws (French Canadian) were raised speaking French at home and went to English speaking schools without special classes. French was still spoken at home, but all learned English.
My philosophy is sink or swim, if people want to live in America, then English should be the language learned. Why should the responsibility for children learning English be on the schools? If we take out the opition to press 2 for Spanish, don’t you think more people would learn the language?
But I don’t think we are egocentric, since English is the business language in Europe we are just lucky to have our primary language the one spoken by many. However in Denmark, students did learn two other languages and at an earlier age.
Teaching language at an earlier grade in USA? Our education is financially a mess and there are so many unfunded mandates….oh please don’t get me going on this one. Yes, I agree our children should be learning another language at an earlier age, but we can’t even teach them to read English!
George may have been born in New England, but he has adopted your state and loves the ranch personna, you can keep him! LOL
Thoughtful comments, Miss Jen. Yes, taking out the Spanish option would force a lot of folks to learn the language. Quite frankly, I’ve stopped staying at a certain hotel chain, because I keep seeing billboards for the hotel JUST in Spanish. I know we can’t teach the kids English in schools, because they have to learn how to take the standardized tests so they won’t be “left behind.” Pfft. George? He adopted my state. I didn’t adopt him. I’m with the Dixie Chicks on this one.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post! And hee - great story about the bilingual kitty. And way cool about Gattina — Gattina, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comment, too. How wonderful to be fluent in so many languages.
I do believe it’s good for children to learn to speak more than one language, and childhood is indeed the best time to learn a new language (or new languages).
And yes, an excellent explanation of “y’all!” I’m an East Tennesseean, so I know all about y’all.
Thommalyn, Tennessee is just kinda “east Texas,” really. Many early Texans migrated here from that area. If you go to the part of east Texas where my people are originally from, you’ll think you were back home in Tennessee. They talk just the same way.
I say teach everyone sign language it’s a universal language and half world is going deaf and the other half already is.
Janet, ROFL! What about those of us who are going blind?
I’m bi…coastal! I grew up all over the US and overseas (my dad was in the Air Force). I live in Or-y-gun and have been told I seem to have some sort of MidWestern twang. How to explain it, I don’t know. My formative language was ItalEnglian (Italian and English) and I spent time in Mississippi, Arizona, California and New Jersey. Mom said it was time to leave Jersey when she heard one of us (me or my sister) say ‘youse guys.’ I never had much of a chance to learn Japanese while living there as the school kids always wanted to practice their English with us.
I love listening to people and hearing their inflections.
And as for sign language, the only universal sign I know involves one finger!
This was a great post.
ciao bella~
CeeCi
Thanks, CeeCi, you are the only one willing to admit you are bi. I won’t write a post about it, I promise. Cusswords in other languages don’t count. I think I can cuss in five different languages. I just can’t say anything else!
I spent many years in Bermuda and it’s such a cosmopolitan little place. So many foreign workers (they’re called expats) create a mosaic of accents, cultures and skin tones. I’ve now got quite an ear for accents and have very strange days where I swear I think with a British accent! And somehow, Y’ALL has made it into my vocabulary, and I’ve never even been to Texas…
Wylie,
Lyle Lovett has a song called, “That’s Right(you’re not from Texas)” which states “But, Texas wants you anyway.”
If you can say “y’all,” you’re halfway home.
Great Post!! I’m about as American as it gets!! My dad was adopted, so we really have no idea what his roots are. He never wanted to find out either. He was pretty happy with the cards he was dealt. (me too….my grandparents were the best!) My mom has a little Scottish and British in the back somewhere. Who knows??
In high school I took 4 years of French, because foreign languages looked good on transcripts. And I went to a TINY school…and French was the only think offered. I can still make out a few phrases, but that’s about it. I’ve never been to France, and I don’t see the chance that i will get to go any time in the near future.
I absolutely believe schools should make it manditory curriculum to learn a language other than English. And you are right….Spanish is probably the one. I would hope for other choices…but the schools just can’t afford to have that many language teachers. Yikes, I can’t believe I left this long of a comment! Thanks for the great post!
I am one of those people who believe that all children in the school system should learn English. I also think that foreign language should be offered to children of all age groups. Even though America is a “melting-pot”, we do need a standardized language, as far as I’m concerned.
Hello to you from Canada Eh!
I live in a bilingual country - but it’s pretty much a joke as the only place you’ll find people speaking french fluently is in Quebec and some small ‘french towns’ in different provinces where there are small communities that were settled by french people.
My daughter is in grade 8 and has been taking french in school since grade 2 and she’s great at it and plans to continue it throughout high school and into university. I am very happy about this as I definitley think a second language is a good asset to have. It’s easy to get certain jobs if you are fluent in more than one language.
Kids do pick up language very well, here we have French Immersion schools and they take english speaking children and teach them from Kindergarten on in french only. Now the kids do pick this up very well - they are like little sponges. That being said the problem I see with that system is the kids come out of it without being very competent in their own language ‘English’. I’ve been at functions where grade 7 kids were reading aloud in English and it’s just atrocious. I’m obviously not a big fan of this type of school system.
I have always wished though, that I could have learnt a language and I’m always tempted to buy myself one of those handy cd-rom’s and learn something just to do it.
I’m not sure where to stand as far as immigrants coming to america/canada as my case may be and being put into a class with all English. I’m sure it must be tough - but I think the kids will adapt better than if they were coddled to in their own language. You’d be amazed at how fast kids to pick up a new language.
Good job making us think rather than just doze through the day.
Stephanie-again, I really think the only way to learn and be proficient in a language is if you use it. That’s why you only remember a little of the French you took. In the USA, the largest number of immigrants seem to be Spanish speakers.
AnnB–I agree with you that we need a universal language, but knowing a second can come in handy. It would also exercise the brain!
Teamouse, thanks for stopping by, eh. If you learn to speak a second language by using a CD, tell me which one. I have had no success with it!
Thanks all for stopping by and sharing…and for the kind comments.
Shelly, there are podcasts that teach languages now, I keep meaning to relearn Spanish, I only remember pieces of it because I had no one to use it with. I took just a month or so of sign language, loved it, too, but no one to practice with. I believe in one standard language, and since I have never experienced being in the situation of the kids who speak no English, I don’t know the best way, but sink or swim used to work in the old days.
Sink or Swim is about the only way it works, Marcia. But, I still can’t help but feel sorry for the kiddos who are in the situation. I know I’d feel pretty lost, myself.
[...] of you may have seen my recent post on language, and know the fact that I sometimes lapse into my “Mother Tongue.” For me Texan is the one true [...]