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Delwin Marroquin

Professor Batty

English 28

13 November 2017

Linguistic Identity

Language is a very big part of people's lives it is a way of communication it's what makes us

human. Language makes us unique in whatever country we are in it makes us who we are. There is a big

barrier for us because we speak differently this causes many problems. Although it can be solved with

translators it still affects the way of life we have now where we only speak to the people who know talk

the same way. For example in my family we speak spanish so when they try to speak to someone who

isn't hispanic makes it very difficult. Language defines us because it goes with everything we know its

our ethnic ways and culture; the ways we make our decisions in life everything we accomplish is because

the way we act and speak- it gives us opportunities where we never would have thought to work for.

Being able to speak many languages in this world is very important because it helps obtain jobs

opportunities and gives people the chance to succeed in life. Being unique in this world is what creates

jobs those people are the entrepreneurs for example Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and many other. They

became very rich because they choose to be different and change the world with their accomplishments.

Being unique is not just having being from a different country or speaking a different language its having

the ability to make changes to the world being a leader. Although, people dont want to do that extra mile

and become very successful people because it too hard it takes up too much time and it is no fun even

though they have something that already makes them unique which is their language. These are only

some of the reasons why people don't want to pursue their goals so instead of working hard and doing

what they like they settle for what they need instead of what they want in life which gives them the low

paying jobs the long hours and no time to spend with family. People from different countries who come to

the United States are given something that will benefit them in the future and given them a better future

which is a second language but when they don't know how to speak it and look a certain way people tend
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to assume which gives a bad impression to those who are looking for people like us a (minority).

Given something that benefits us and not be such a bad thing in the eyes of an employer is such a

rare thing in times like this. With all of the things that are happening language and culture dominate

people who feels proud of being who they and where they come from. For not forgetting their roots or

their home country for example the Dream Act student who are fighting for their rights as a student For

example in the Book How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent there is a quote that explains what I mean

when I say that people have become so accustomed to the way of life here in the U.S which is In halting

Spanish, Yolanda reports on her sisters. When she reverts to English, she is scolded, "En

espaol!" The more she practices, the sooner she'll be back into her native tongue, the aunts

insist. This is a way of showing how Yolanda is so accustom to the way of speaking in the U.S

she starts to speak in it in the house in which she is pretty much yelled at for speaking it in a

hispanic household. This is very common in a hispanic house because parents don't want their

children forgetting their language and becoming a sort of outcast because they dont speaking it.

Older hispanic people tend to judge the parent for not teaching their child it and are seen as

disappointment in the spanish culture. It's a matter of how you are seen in society the way you

act and the way you talk makes you visible to other people. For example in an article there is a

quote that talks on how language is key for social interaction and shows their role on society,

As seen from this discussion, researchers highlight the fact that identity, self, and agency are

linguistically constructed and negotiated. They view the connection between identity and language as "an

intimate and mutually constitutive relation" (Belz, 2002, p. 16), especially since language has important

symbolic value (Wei, 2000) and plays a crucial role in establishing one's place and role in society (Djite,

2006).

Having the ability to speak a different language should be something everyone has it is great for

speaking to new poeple which leads to opportunuites

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Works Cited

lvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent . 2009. In halting Spanish, Yolanda
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reports on her sisters. When she reverts to English, she is scolded, "En espaol!" The

more she practices, the sooner she'll be back into her native tongue, the aunts insist.

lvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent . 2009. Yolanda, nicknamed Yo in Spanish,

misunderstood Joe in English, doubled and pronounced like the toy, Yoyoor when forced to

select from a rack of personalized key chains.

Val , Adriana, and Polina Vinogradova. Language as cultural capital Heritage Briefs , 2010,

www.cal.org/heritage/pdfs/briefs/what-is-the-identity-of-a-heritage-language-speaker.pdf. As

seen from this discussion, researchers highlight the fact that identity, self, and agency are

linguistically constructed and negotiated. They view the connection between identity and

language as "an intimate and mutually constitutive relation" (Belz, 2002, p. 16), especially since

language has important symbolic value (Wei, 2000) and plays a crucial role in establishing one's

place and role in society (Djite, 2006).

Kim, Larry. 11 Most Famous Entrepreneurs of All Time. 13 Apr. 2015, www.inc.com/larry-kim/11-

most-famous-entrepreneurs-of-all-time-and-what-made-them-wildly-rich.html.