Exploring Multilingualism
Because I had some confusion with my initial direction for project 3, I'd like to take a step back and use this blog post as an opportunity to look at what it means to be multilingual.
I am not multilingual. Maybe someday I will be, but for now I'm only able to read at an intermediate level in Spanish and not much else, and I do not consider that being multilingual. To be multilingual is to have the ability to communicate effectively in all forms of communication in a given language. Because I am not multilingual, it's hard for me to fully grasp what being multilingual is like.
In doing some research for this blog, I came across an idea that I was unfamiliar with in a TedTalk: being multilingual can be viewed as a negative trait. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this is true. We always talk about the positives of being multilingual, like decreased chances to get Alzheimers and increased cognitive flexibility, but in order to understand what it's really like to be multilingual you have to factor in the poor experiences too. Karen Leung says points out the double standard in America - that those who can't speak perfect English as their second language are discriminated against while native English speakers who learn another language are praised.
I have to say that she's right. I admit, and I'm not proud of it, that when I hear people speaking in broken English, I immediately make assumptions about them. Seeing this video definitely corrected some biases that I have, and allowed me to see life from the point of view of English as a second language speakers. I mean, if I think about it, someone hearing my Spanish would likely be appalled that I was desecrating their language so bad, so I cannot be making judgments on someone based off their proficiency in my language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8QrGsxeEq8
I am not multilingual. Maybe someday I will be, but for now I'm only able to read at an intermediate level in Spanish and not much else, and I do not consider that being multilingual. To be multilingual is to have the ability to communicate effectively in all forms of communication in a given language. Because I am not multilingual, it's hard for me to fully grasp what being multilingual is like.
In doing some research for this blog, I came across an idea that I was unfamiliar with in a TedTalk: being multilingual can be viewed as a negative trait. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this is true. We always talk about the positives of being multilingual, like decreased chances to get Alzheimers and increased cognitive flexibility, but in order to understand what it's really like to be multilingual you have to factor in the poor experiences too. Karen Leung says points out the double standard in America - that those who can't speak perfect English as their second language are discriminated against while native English speakers who learn another language are praised.
I have to say that she's right. I admit, and I'm not proud of it, that when I hear people speaking in broken English, I immediately make assumptions about them. Seeing this video definitely corrected some biases that I have, and allowed me to see life from the point of view of English as a second language speakers. I mean, if I think about it, someone hearing my Spanish would likely be appalled that I was desecrating their language so bad, so I cannot be making judgments on someone based off their proficiency in my language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8QrGsxeEq8
Thanks for bringing up that side of the issue.
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