My Journey with Literacy and Language

Written By Vianey Huizar Bautista

I’ve never been a person who deals easily with change, and for this reason, having to learn a new language was incredibly difficult. As a kid, before learning English, the language sounded like gibberish to me and it was so fascinating to see how people could effectively communicate with each other without getting confused. Literacy to me means being able to communicate with others through reading and writing, but to do this successfully you must be, in some form, able to speak the language. 

Having a limited understanding of English meant I had to practice more, so my 4th grade teacher thought that the best way to help me was to not allow me to speak Spanish to her. While I wanted to learn English, I was still not very comfortable speaking mostly English. After all, my ideas were expressed more clearly in Spanish, and having a bilingual teacher, to me, meant not having to struggle with communicating. So this is when my first language became my second language, my least used, and the intruder language took its place. 

English began submerging into my home; I began translating important documents for my parents who have a low understanding of English. However, I continue not to speak English in my home as my brother and I were never encouraged to, perhaps because my parents felt left out for not being able to understand. For this reason, it took me some time to get adjusted to this language. Because I spent more time in school, I had to use English, and I partly blame this transition in language for contributing to my shyness. I always believed that I wouldn’t mispronounce words if I was able to communicate in my first language, or I wouldn’t be struggling in class to read. These difficulties made me feel ashamed of my way of speaking English, and I often preferred not to use it. I actually preferred writing and reading because my accent didn’t play a role in this. Because the language appeared so late in my life, it just feels unnatural to me. In a way, it feels as if I have acquired a new form of expression that has just been developing over the years while my Spanish remains the same. My “Spanish” form of expression has not been given the same way of attention. I feel as if I have lost this part of my identity.

 Acquiring a new form of expression, standard English, is what is expected of everyone, especially those of us that speak more than one language. Why do we have to conform to standard English? Why are we expected to only speak, write, and read English in a country where there is no official language? Vershawn Ashanti Young mentions in his article, “Should Writer’s Use They Own Tongue?,” the reason why students are taught standard English is because it protects the status quo while it is argued that the real reason is to protect students from prejudice. However, Young argues against this by stating that getting rid of the status quo would also eliminate the prejudice that accompanies not using standard English. It’s important to mention that while English is the language predominantly spoken in the U.S, there are many people who can only speak their native language. We should learn English because it’s a useful tool; however, learning and using our native language should be given the same level of priority. Incorporating our native language into our writing is a useful tool in eliminating the status quo and allows us a better form of expression.

Speaking another language is something that should be celebrated.  Developing or finishing developing our first language should be something that elementary schools should prioritize. According to “Connecting Native and Second Language Deepens English Literacy for ELLs” by Shawna De La Rosa, in order for students to be successful in English literacy, it is important that students learn to read and write in their native language first. The article mentions that Spanish and English have words that sound similar and even have the same definition; these are called cognates. When I was learning English, cognates helped me advance my vocabulary. I would get excited about finding words that sounded “complicated” and which I was able to completely understand because I already knew what they meant in Spanish. I had the opportunity to learn to read and write Spanish because my mom made sure that I knew the language very well by giving me newspapers to read, making me watch translated versions of TV shows, and most importantly, sitting with me and teaching me to read and write. Not many people have the same opportunities to learn their first language very well, which is why I think that more resources should be provided for students who are struggling with their first language. This way, they can successfully learn to read and write in their second language. 

Using our second language is also something important. It should be okay to speak this language wherever you are, whether this is at school, with your friends, or at home. Parents should be able to provide an environment where their children can express themselves in whatever language they choose to use. Learning a second language isn’t an easy task, and even if no one at home can speak it, this just means that now everyone in that household can help each other out by sharing what they know, or playing fun games that can help you learn. Practicing with friends is also a good way to learn. Incorporating pieces of English and Spanish in conversations with friends is something that helped me out when learning to speak English fluently. Over time, my Spanglish has lessened, but whenever I’m with bilingual friends I try to use it as much as possible. Spanglish is such an essential part of our identity for those of us who use it, as it helps us express what we’re trying to say with words that come to us easily and comfortably. For instance, when I’m speaking with a friend and can’t find the right word to use in English, the Spanish word easily comes to me and oftentimes even gets my point across more clearly. 

Language can help us communicate and share our ideas. In order to do this, we must find a way to communicate effectively but also in a way that tells others who we are. If you have a first language other than English, try to incorporate it into your day to day life, whether that is at school, work, family, or with friends. We need to strive to keep that part of ourselves alive in order to make our way of communication more comfortable for us and for others who deal with the same situation.