It is evident that every human being has an accent. It is simply the way someone lets the sounds from vocal cords roll off their tongues. But, accents aren’t such a simple concept. They allow languages to exist and for people to converse and have an understanding with one another. Language is a huge part of defining one 's self-identity. But what is self-identity? Google defines it as “the recognition of one 's potential and qualities as an individual, especially in relation to social context.”. In all, self-identity tells others who you are and where you stand together. Who would’ve thought that the way you enunciate plays a server role in your everyday life? It would be nice if everyone could be seen as equal in all ways, but another aspect …show more content…
I spent a semester of my sophomore year in high school studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea. This being, I have a strong understanding of my own self-identity. I learned a lot about myself by traveling across the Pacific ocean alone and having a goal. My self-identity comes from me being raised in a small town in America and I’ve always had my own understanding of the world. I was filled with constant ambition to seek out other cultures and learn to understand myself more. By living abroad I was able to incorporate stuff from a new culture to shape me as a person. With my language obsession as a child the topic of how others judge languages and one 's speech is important to me. After being completely emerged in a culture vastly different than my native country, I have the experience of being seen as less intelligent by others simply due to language. While attending my all-girls school, going to language tutoring, and living with my Korean host family I struggled to feel completely accepted. Of course, I’m foreign in many ways and do not expect to be taken in right away, but many Koreans don’t even give you a chance to speak Korean. My American friend and I would go shop and eat out quite often and there would be times when we would speak Korean to the hostess and she would respond to us in broken English. We would again reply in Korean but she wouldn’t accept that we …show more content…
In fact, it should be highly encouraged for children to speak multiple languages and know to properly communicate with their parents. To be able to connect with their parents and learn about their ancestry will give them a wider look on life and will shape and define them more in depth.
Parents and non-native English speakers have been brainwashed into thinking that speaking their native language will simply be detrimental to their new life in America. “.. a number of parents… who have chosen not to speak their native language to their children… have been persuaded to believe… will hurt them socially or academically…” (Mumy)
It is explained that children need stable communication in their own home before they can learn and speak out in schools or their community. Strong first languages enable a student to easily pick up a second language more proficiently.(Mumy)
The book “Hunger of Memory” by Richard Rodriguez is a detailed autobiography sharing experiences from a man growing up in America, and from a Hispanic