The Value in Multilingualism
For this week in class, we were assigned to come up with potential topics for Project 3. For my exploratory writing, here is what I came up with:
Although I do not have a clear and specific topic yet, in this project I want to discuss the importance of multilingualism and the benefits it provides. I want to take ideas from my previous research paper, not necessarily discuss heritage language loss, but how it is easy to be afraid to embrace your foreign culture in the United States due to discrimination and judgment. As a child, I never wanted to be Polish and whenever someone in my family asked what my nationality was, I would yell that I’m American. I feel that this topic would allow me to include my experience with battling between my American and Polish culture and finding a balance between the two. I would also be able to effectively use Polish throughout the paper.
In addition to Polish, I’ve also learned Spanish and Latin throughout my education. I don’t think I will use Latin in this project, as I haven’t used it outside of the classroom. However, Spanish has influenced me and has come in handy in the outside world. Because I was in a dual-language program, I had a lot of Hispanic friends and I was able to be immersed in their different cultures and gain other worldly perspectives. In addition, I’ve also traveled to many Spanish-speaking countries, such as Guatemala, Spain, Costa Rica, and Peru where I was able to use my Spanish-speaking skills. My Spanish classes in my early education also provided me with a sense of community and family at school, which I lost when entering high school because my dual immersion program ended. By discussing the benefits and different perspectives I’ve gained through learning Spanish, I will be able to tie my experiences in school learning Spanish with my travel stories.
For the layout of this paper, I want to write it in a personal essay, as I’ve never been able to express creativity in my college writing classes. Also, a personal essay would allow me to focus more on the use of personal experiences and taking risks. I would start by talking about my struggle with my cultural identity, due to pressure at school for being wanting to be American and wanting to blend in with my peers. Upon going to Polish school and being surrounded by other Polish kids, I began to accept my Polish identity. There was a strong sense of community at Polish school, as the teachers and administrators often shared a proud sense of nationalism. I remember they would always say that I am first and foremost Polish and they made me feel proud of it. After gaining fluency in Polish, I was able to connect with my Polish side of the family. I’ve always been known as “the American” to my Polish relatives so I always felt like a foreigner. By being able to hold a Polish conversation with them, the cultural bridge between us was broken.
For the rest of my paper, I would take what I’ve gained from Polish and show how I found value in multilingualism. This is where I would tie in Spanish and my experience in a dual-language program. In addition, I want to talk about how my dual immersion program in elementary school and intermediate school formed a bubble of safety around my peers and I. Once this program ended and we entered high school, the bubble burst and I suddenly was exposed to the discrimination that came with speaking Spanish. Although I was never on the receiving end of this, I saw it with many of my friends. I would also bring in ideas from my other research paper about this topic, as I previously discussed linguistic nationalism in the United States and the obvious sentiment against foreign culture and languages. This is also where I could offer different angles to my reader, from my friends’ point of view or different administrators in my school. From there, I would discuss the benefits of Spanish, which were made apparent to me in my travels and real-world experiences. My use of personal experience and explanation of how I learned Spanish and Polish would show the value of multilingualism and the importance of accepting foreign culture and language. I also plan to use both languages throughout my paper.
Although I do not have a clear and specific topic yet, in this project I want to discuss the importance of multilingualism and the benefits it provides. I want to take ideas from my previous research paper, not necessarily discuss heritage language loss, but how it is easy to be afraid to embrace your foreign culture in the United States due to discrimination and judgment. As a child, I never wanted to be Polish and whenever someone in my family asked what my nationality was, I would yell that I’m American. I feel that this topic would allow me to include my experience with battling between my American and Polish culture and finding a balance between the two. I would also be able to effectively use Polish throughout the paper.
In addition to Polish, I’ve also learned Spanish and Latin throughout my education. I don’t think I will use Latin in this project, as I haven’t used it outside of the classroom. However, Spanish has influenced me and has come in handy in the outside world. Because I was in a dual-language program, I had a lot of Hispanic friends and I was able to be immersed in their different cultures and gain other worldly perspectives. In addition, I’ve also traveled to many Spanish-speaking countries, such as Guatemala, Spain, Costa Rica, and Peru where I was able to use my Spanish-speaking skills. My Spanish classes in my early education also provided me with a sense of community and family at school, which I lost when entering high school because my dual immersion program ended. By discussing the benefits and different perspectives I’ve gained through learning Spanish, I will be able to tie my experiences in school learning Spanish with my travel stories.
For the layout of this paper, I want to write it in a personal essay, as I’ve never been able to express creativity in my college writing classes. Also, a personal essay would allow me to focus more on the use of personal experiences and taking risks. I would start by talking about my struggle with my cultural identity, due to pressure at school for being wanting to be American and wanting to blend in with my peers. Upon going to Polish school and being surrounded by other Polish kids, I began to accept my Polish identity. There was a strong sense of community at Polish school, as the teachers and administrators often shared a proud sense of nationalism. I remember they would always say that I am first and foremost Polish and they made me feel proud of it. After gaining fluency in Polish, I was able to connect with my Polish side of the family. I’ve always been known as “the American” to my Polish relatives so I always felt like a foreigner. By being able to hold a Polish conversation with them, the cultural bridge between us was broken.
For the rest of my paper, I would take what I’ve gained from Polish and show how I found value in multilingualism. This is where I would tie in Spanish and my experience in a dual-language program. In addition, I want to talk about how my dual immersion program in elementary school and intermediate school formed a bubble of safety around my peers and I. Once this program ended and we entered high school, the bubble burst and I suddenly was exposed to the discrimination that came with speaking Spanish. Although I was never on the receiving end of this, I saw it with many of my friends. I would also bring in ideas from my other research paper about this topic, as I previously discussed linguistic nationalism in the United States and the obvious sentiment against foreign culture and languages. This is also where I could offer different angles to my reader, from my friends’ point of view or different administrators in my school. From there, I would discuss the benefits of Spanish, which were made apparent to me in my travels and real-world experiences. My use of personal experience and explanation of how I learned Spanish and Polish would show the value of multilingualism and the importance of accepting foreign culture and language. I also plan to use both languages throughout my paper.
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