Woman of Color

One of the first things people notice when they look at me is that I am a black female. Naturally, my appearance paints a picture in their heads of the kind of person I might be. Countless comments like “Oh, you’re so well-spoken” or “you sound white” reveal that I often don’t fit into what their idea of what a typical black person is— someone who is not articulate or necessarily intelligent. These statements are framed like they’re supposed to be compliments, but they actually demonstrate the linguistic attitudes I’ll be exploring with this project.

Middle Class

My family’s economic resources and ability to enroll me in private schools have largely impacted my language acquisition. Being in small classes where most of my peers and teachers came from the “dominant” culture, I was able to meet the “dominant” culture’s standards for English language use. I recognize that students with different resources in a public school setting may not receive the same kind of instruction that I did and that they may have a different understanding of what it means to be an English-speaker as a result.

First-Generation American

As the child of immigrants, my appreciation for language comes from the different varieties of English spoken in my home. My family comes from the Caribbean island of Nevis, where English is the official language, but the dialect spoken is different from those of the United States. My family’s language background is quite unique because it spans several countries. For example, my mother was first educated in England before completing kindergarten through high school in Nevis and going to college in the U.S. Because of my family’s linguistic backgrounds, I’ve always taken in different vocabularies and observed different language patterns. In a way, my language use at home consists of translanguaging, although English is the only language spoken.

Traveler

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to different countries and gain an appreciation for different cultures, starting at an early age. Whenever I had a week-long break from school, my family and I would go on cruises to different places in the Caribbean and South America, experiencing different customs, languages, accents, etc. I was always in awe of the cruise ship staff’s and locals’ ability to master multiple languages, and no matter where I went, I was guaranteed to meet English-speakers. It's interesting how speakers of "dominant" languages like English operate with a certain privilege when traveling, rarely having to fear that they won't be able to communicate effectively.