Success Tip: Speak Proper English

When immigrants arrive in the United States we are expected to assimilate American culture. Immigrants have to do more than celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and many other holidays. When trying to achieve assimilation in American culture, it is essential to learn English. However, we are required to learn it as ‘Americans’ without an accent, in “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” Anzaldúa mentions an Anglo teacher telling her “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’ If you don't like, go back to Mexico where you belong” (75). Similarly to Anzaldúa’s experience, numerous educators teach students their language and culture are wrong and should not be used. As a result of attacks, English learners doubt their potential to succeed academically and socially. Since English learners cannot get rid of their accents with speech classes, they have to overcome numerous challenges in classrooms, jobs, and other spaces. When we are allowed to talk various times people unconsciously zone out, they decided not to listen because we have an accent. Every time we say something is as if we do not exist because we do not speak proper English similar to the one in books. When learning English as an ‘American,’ we are expected to sit in the back of the classroom and shut up.

The article “Learning English and Learning America:Immigrants in the Center of a Storm” mentions that when learning English a painful transition happens. Families and those learning the language discover that developing fluency in English means losing it in their mother tongue. Due to the schooling process in which linguistic isolation and segregation happen. Those learning English are unwelcome and humiliated by peers and educators feel the necessity to hide their identities. Anzaldúa encourages us to proudly protect our living language and culture, including our accent, to overcome silence.

What are the causes and results of linguistic segregation?

What situations can you think of that force or encourage people to give up parts of their identity?