Spanish Speakers in the U.S - Coursework Example

Spanish speakers in the U.S. Introduction In the US, an eclectic group of individuals co-exist, all of whom speak different native languages; however, for the purpose of uniformity, English stands as the nation’s official language. Of the non-English languages spoken in the country, Spanish ranks second as the language spoken by majority of the people. The Pew Research Centre estimates from its American Community Service in 2011 that 37.6 million children above the age of five years speak Spanish at home. 2.8 million of these are non-Hispanic and trace their roots to different places; 59% to non-Spanish European nations (Germany, Ireland and England among others) and 12% to African American roots (Gonzalez-Barrera & Lopez, 2013). This number is steadily on the rise, as more Latin natives are immigrating into the US, and more students are taking a greater interest in learning Spanish in schools. Brod (1988) inferred that more students are choosing Spanish as their preferred foreign language both in Secondary schools and Higher Education institutions. In a 2002 study 53% of ¼ million students enrolled in language courses across various universities in the US chose Spanish as their preferred foreign language while 14.4% chose French, and 2.4% chose Chinese. From the statistics, it is apparent that Spanish is a popular foreign language for many Americans. This, therefore, begs the question: why Spanish and not other foreign languages such French or Chinese? Explored in this essay seeks to answer the question above by exploring lingual similarities and differences between Spanish and English. In addition, this essay also explores the need to speak English among Spanish speakers in the US, most common ways used by Spanish speakers to acquire English, and the difficulties faced by Spanish speakers trying to learn English as a second language. Similarities and differences between English and Spanish Similarities between Spanish and English languages make it easier for those willing to learn either language. These similarities explain why many non-Spanish speakers opt to learn the language when directives from schools make it a requirement for the students to take up a second foreign language. The reverse holds true for non-English speaking learners from Hispanic backgrounds. The first similarity entails the similarity in both languages phonological foundation. Both use the Roman alphabet, which functions to build both a phonological and phonemic foundation. Secondly, approximately 30-40% of the entire English vocabulary is related to words in Spanish. Similarity in the appearance, meaning and sound of words make it easier for learners to transfer the same knowledge when learning the second language. The third similarity lies in the synonymy of the word order in the sentences found in both languages. However, it is crucial to note that this does not apply for all word orders; for example, in English the adjective is placed before the noun whereas in Spanish the reverse holds true. Both languages have a similar basic sentence structure. The final similarity is that learners utilize similar basic processed when learning how to read and write in both languages. Differences between English and Spanish can impede a learner’s ability to achieve fluency; however, they can simultaneously be beneficial to learners, as learners are able to identify points of weakness (differences between both languages) and in turn avoid them. A major difference between the languages are vowel variations. Ordinarily, the English language has five vowels (a,e,i,o,u); however, due to the different English dialects, the number of vowels increased to sixteen. The extra vowels consist of a combination of the original five vowels such as ‘ae’, ‘ou’, or ‘ie’ among others. Contrastingly, the Spanish language has only five vowels. Spanish speakers trying to learn how to speak the English language struggle with the complex vowels, as pronunciations of the latter often contrast with the Spanish simple vowels. Need to speak English by Spanish speakers Non-English speakers living in the US need to learn the English language if they hope to lead a functional and fulfilling life in the country. As mentioned, English is the country’s official language, which means that the vast majority of the country’s population speaks the language. As such, if non-English speakers hope to communicate while navigating through daily activities, then it is prudent for them to attain oral and written fluency in the language. From another perspective, non-English speakers stand to gain more benefits by learning how to speak English. Firstly, learning any country’s official language helps speed up the acculturation process (Mora et al., 2006). Language can be a main barrier to communication, which in turn can undermine an individual’s ability to be integrated into a new culture. For example, Hispanic students in school might feel victimized when they are unable to communicate with their peers due to a language barrier, which in turn affects their academic performance and in extreme cases might result in bullying. Secondly, Hispanic immigrants also stand to gain legitimacy by learning English. When applying for citizenship, immigrants must show their commitment towards embracing different aspects of their prospective country’s cultural background. Finally, attaining fluency in English while living in the US improves Hispanic non-English speakers’ chances of getting high-paying employment opportunities and favorable education opportunities (Mora et al., 2006). Methods used to acquire English language English learners use different methods to acquire oral and written fluency. Lee (2004) infers that the use of Network-Collaborative Interaction (NCI) helps learners to achieve linguistic competence. NCI creates platforms for learners to have lively exchanges within social contexts; for example, through online platforms. From his study’s results Line Lee inferred that the use of online platforms as a form of NCB facilitated the process of scaffolding whereby Native Speakers (NSs) of English helps Non-Native Speakers (NNSs) compose meaning and form (Lee, 2004). Scaffolding allowed NNSs gain oral competence by exposing them to a vast range of functional language discourse (Lee, 2004). Lee (2004) cautions that institutions ought to take variables such as computer skills, learners’ language proficiency, and age differences into consideration when deciding whether to use NCI. Often, failure to consider the mentioned variables is likely to undermine NNSs motivation to learn the new language, which in turn adversely affects the effectiveness of NCI. Besides NCI, there are traditional methods used by teachers and learners to acquire English. These methods are supported by reliable evidence from years of research such as grammar-translation method, and direct method; just to name a few. The grammar-transition method entails using rigorous training techniques when translating the new language into the learners’ native language, and when teaching them the grammatical rules of the new language. For example, instructors read texts in the new language (in this case English or Spanish) and then translate the text into the students’ indigenous language, which is then followed by the instructor explaining the grammatical rules to the students. Contrastingly, the direct method entails the creation of an environment where learners and instructors can speak the language together with the aim of helping the former acquire the new language. This method makes use of techniques such as self-correction, reading aloud, use of question and answers and dictation. Difficulties faced by Spanish speakers trying to learn English Just like other students trying to learn a foreign language, Spanish speakers trying to learn English are faced with a myriad of challenges. As mentioned earlier in the section detailing the differences between Spanish and English, Spanish students struggle to pronounce English vowels that contradict with their prior knowledge of Spanish grammatical rules. Students’ inability to pronounce words correctly might strip them of their confidence to acquire oral and written fluency especially if their peers victimize them by ridiculing their efforts. “Spanglish”, is also another major impediment to the acquisition of English by Spanish speakers. “Spanglish” is an informal language, which contains words derived from both English and Spanish (Bazán-Figueras et al., 2014). Slang corrupts students’ knowledge of linguistic rules, which in turn causes deterioration of their oral and written fluency (More et al., 2006). Majority of Spanish speakers gravitate towards the use of “Spanglish”, as it offers them a form of identity separate from that derived from either languages (Spanish and English) separately. Conclusion In conclusion, it is apparent that Spanish and English share many similarities that make it easier for students interested in learning either language to acquire them with ease. In the US, Spanish is the second widest spoken language, which also increases its popularity among students in Secondary schools and Higher Education institutions who are required to select a foreign language by their curriculum. Different methods are used to attain oral and written fluency, and they include grammar-translation method, direct method and the use of Network Collaborative Interaction. The latter generates more favorable results, as students are able to approach the learning process from a functional perspective. Finally, Spanish students face challenges from issues such as pronunciation difficulties, victimization from peers fluent in the language they are trying to learn, and over-use of slang (“Spanglish”), which corrupts their conceptualization of the original languages. References Bazán-Figueras, P., and Figueras, J. S. (2014). "The Future of Spanglish: Global or Tribal?" Perspectives on Global Development & Technology 13, no. 1/2: 261-266. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 2, 2015). Brod, R. I. (1988). Foreign Language Enrollments in US Institutions of Higher Education—Fall 1986 at the Wayback Machine. AFL Bulletin, 19(2): 39-44. Gonzalez-Barrera, A., & Lopez, M. H. (2013, August 13). Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in U.S. homes, even among non-Hispanics. Retrieved from PewResearch Centre: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/08/13/spanish-is-the-most-spoken-non-english-language-in-u-s-homes-even-among-non-hispanics/ Lee, L. (2004). Learners’ perspectives on networked collaborative interaction with native speakers of Spanish in the US. Language Learning & Technology,8(1), 83-100. Mora, M. T., Villa, D. J., & Dávila, A. (2006). Language shift and maintenance among the children of immigrants in the US: Evidence in the Census for Spanish speakers and other language minorities. Spanish in Context, 3(2), 239-254. Read More