Kasia's Language Logs

The United States is made up of tons of people who speak different languages. Walking down the street or going to the grocery store, I'm sure you'll hear some sort of language that sounds like gibberish to you. That is the beauty of our country, that there is not official language. It is a place where anyone can freely enjoy and spread their culture, or is it? My research paper revolves around heritage language loss and how it is influenced by nationalistic views in the United States. English is not the official language of the United States, but it is the primary language spoken and there is obvious sentiments against the use of other languages. It is not hard to find political articles online that argue that the strict use of English is the only way to guarantee effective communication in the country or that the use of different language only creates more barriers between groups of people. On the other hand, some state that the United States is accepting of diversity and

For this week's blog post, I wanted to combine two of my favorite things: language and music. I believe the best way to understand, learn, and value a language and the culture tied to it is through song. Many of the songs that I listen to on a daily basis are in different languages ranging from Spanish to French to Japanese. Although I do not understand all of these languages, I am able to interpret the song through their enunciation, flow, and emotion. For instance, I like to hear love songs in Spanish rather than Polish, as Spanish has a more lyrical and flowing sound. Many songs also have a specific beat tied with their language. For example, Reggaeton is a form of dance music and the songs that belong to this genre are in Spanish and have a consistent beat. One of my favorite Reggaeton songs is Me Rehúso by Danny Ocean. He sings about refusing to let go of his love for a woman because they are far apart. The strong rolls of the "r" and specific choices of lyrics cre

For my research project so far, I have decided to start researching dual language immersion programs and their effectiveness for both native and non-native English speakers. I plan on narrowing down this topic in the future, so this blog post will focus on the benefits of these programs on students whose first language is not English. Almost all of the articles I have read so far state that dual immersion programs are “the most impressive forms of education being offered in the United States” (American Councils Editorial Staff 2017) and they provide countless benefits relating to social skills and academic achievement. Coming from a school where half the students primarily spoke Spanish, dual immersion programs successfully broke the language and social barriers between students. According to the article “Dual Language Immersion Will Change Achievement in American Public Schools”, dual language immersion has "offered public schools an opportunity to support historically underse