Hispanic but not fluent in Spanish?

In this blog, I'll talk about the different challenges faced by Hispanics who don't speak Spanish fluently and what that's like for them.

[valerieeeeeeec]

Do the expectations of Hispanics affect their identity? "I Speak Identity" Documentary Blog

Earlier in my blog, I mentioned that many people seem to have a stereotype of Hispanic people. They expect all Hispanic people to speak Spanish because of how they looked or just based on their heritage. This can have an effect on Hispanic people because they can struggle with their identity or develop insecurity. However, is this actually true?

A short documentary on bilingualism called “I Speak Identity” represents the topic strongly because it focuses on real people talking about their experiences as Hispanics in the United States. It turns out that Hispanics have long struggled to maintain a sense of their culture and identity while living in the United States, regardless of whether they are non-native Spanish speakers or immigrants. Because of how the United States has influenced them, the people featured in this documentary relate their own personal stories regarding their lack of fluency or the fact that they believe they are losing their identity as Hispanic.

Early in the documentary, Laura Bolanos mentions that she was raised in a household where English was the primary language and goes on to explain that her parents spoke English to her as a form of defense. Due to the long history of hostility toward Hispanics and immigrants, as well as the shame that was brought upon them for speaking Spanish, it was used as a defense mechanism. Because of the unfortunate occurrence of this during the immigration era, parents of that generation were determined to make English the only language their children could speak. Speaking English was, in a sense, their only route out because they didn't want their kids to experience the same difficulties they experienced simply because they were Spanish speakers. (5:44-7:40)

Laura then explains how growing up she felt like a part of herself was missing because she was not fluent in Spanish. Language is a big factor for Hispanics today because it is one of the things that unites us, regardless of which Spanish country we come from. This is because being Hispanic or being from a Spanish-speaking country is very much accepted in this generation, like being bilingual, it is popular to speak more than one language. We are proud of our culture and speaking Spanish is one of the many ways we can communicate and interact with each other. This caused Laura to feel separated from her people.

People might assume you are a Hispanic solely based on how you appear or where your family is from, which can have an impact on your sense of who you are as a Hispanic and how you identify. People tend to doubt your identity when you differ from their ideas of what a Hispanic "should look like" or how they should be talking. Simply because they aren't fluent in their own language, they feel ashamed of themselves. They would also face humiliation and slurs due to their lack of bilingualism (linguistic shaming), considering that being bilingual is now common and mostly expected of Hispanic people.

To return to the original question, do Hispanics' expectations have an effect on their identities? I think it's true and this documentary does a good job of supporting my claim because some of the older Hispanic generations are also affected. Laura described a universal Hispanic experience that many others have as well. I believe it is genuine that the people in this documentary were picked solely for their willingness to share their open experiences. This is more of an educational documentary than a sad one. A film that truly got people to reflect on how they had lived and what they could do with their circumstances now as Hispanics. The way the documentary was made and the reasons behind it were quite powerful since they shined a light on the challenges of Hispanics who don't speak Spanish well. There are enough viewers to see this view even though there are fewer than expected. 

I noticed from watching this video that these experiences, as a Hispanic who is not fluent in Spanish, are fairly common and influence not only the younger generation but older generations as well. I also learned that linguistic shaming and stereotyping have the power to seriously harm our sense of identity and create insecurity. It's important that Hispanics understand that being proud of your background and culture comes before knowing Spanish. Even though this is how you can be considered "less" Hispanic for not knowing the language, that is just a way for people to bring other people down on their identity. Although I have previously touched on this in this blog, it is worth mentioning about being prideful in your heritage because it gives a confidence boost. It can even decrease insecurity so that way non-fluent Hispanics can learn Spanish without being ashamed about it!

[valerieeeeeeec]

Let's Ask the Experts: Interview with Anel Brandl

So far, most of what I've written on my blog has been about my personal viewpoint on the subject of Latinos' poor Spanish fluency. How about we look at it from the perspective of an authority?

Interviewing Anel Brandl was a pleasure for me. She is a professor of Spanish and Linguistics at Florida State University. Anel Brandl serves as the program assistant director for the Spanish Basic Learning Program. I was glad to see that Professor Brandl was so interested in my blog and was so accepting of the fact that some Latinos don't speak Spanish well.

We spoke about the “No Sabo” phrase and what she thought when other Hispanic peers said that to each other. 

~“This Hispanic culture tends to engage in linguistic shaming, particularly the older generations toward the younger generation.” - Anel Brandl~

The meaning of the term "linguistic shaming," which I had never heard before, is obvious from the words themselves. It means when people put others down for their usage or lack of usage of a language. This is pretty common in the Hispanic community, particularly among the older generation, as Professor Brandl noted. Speaking Spanish was formerly something they were taught not to be proud of, and this eventually had an impact on the younger generation because it was likely enforced upon them by the older generation. Not only that, but many members of the younger generations experienced bullying and humiliation for not being fluent in Spanish. This can cause insecurity for people to even learn the language because they feel ashamed for not already knowing. Yet today, speaking Spanish and being Hispanic is more acceptable than they were 40 years ago, and Spanish fluency is important for Hispanics. Since most Hispanics are fluent in Spanish, some will claim that their fluency makes them "more Hispanic" than others.

Many things contribute to some Hispanics' low fluency in Spanish, as previously stated in this blog. Professor Brandl stated, “I think a lot of Hispanics grew up not being fluent because of the opportunities that weren’t present to them to develop fluency.” I believe this to be true because the majority of Hispanics were not able to have any opportunities to actually learn Spanish growing up. They were either forced to not speak Spanish or spent the majority of their life with parents who spoke English around them. Professor Brandl frequently had students who don't speak Spanish well, it's simple for her to comprehend this kind of circumstance.

To emphasize what I said earlier, it is definitely linguistic shaming when certain Hispanics tell others that they are "less Hispanic" because they do not speak Spanish. Speaking Spanish is considered to be an important part of the Hispanic identity, which explains why this is something that many people say to one another, but in reality, it doesn't diminish Hispanic culture or identity.

~“Your identity is your identity, I think everybody should respect each other’s identities”- Anel Brandl~

The explanation of this subject by Professor Brandl has truly brought everything together. She considers the "No Sabo" phrase and linguistic shaming to be wrong because even if you don't speak Spanish well, you are still considered to be Hispanic. The FSU Spanish Heritage Track is a program that Professor Brandl created for heritage speakers and learners at Florida State University. In addition to helping non-fluent speakers improve their speaking and learning abilities, this college program enables heritage speakers/learners to learn more about Spanish. I believe this to be an excellent first step in assisting those who don't speak Spanish well, and I find it remarkable that she developed a program that welcomes individuals like myself!

Helping Hispanic students so they don't feel alienated from their own people is important since it can benefit us and prevent identity issues in the future. Hispanics who don't speak Spanish aren't "less Hispanic" for it. We continue to practice the same Hispanic traditions, and as long as you are proud of who you are, it shouldn't matter, in my opinion.

Anel Brandl- [email protected]

-Thank you!

[valerieeeeeeec]

"Queen of Tejano", Selena Quintanilla

I have mentioned this person in my blog once but let’s dig deeper into this famous singer, Selena! 

Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas. She was the youngest child of three. When Selena was younger, her father, Abraham Quintanilla, encouraged Selena and her older siblings to be a band together, which later on was named Selena y Los Dinos. During this time, the Quintanilla family filed for bankruptcy due to their family restaurant closing down. Selena y Los Dinos was a way to help the family make money. This is when her father recognized Selena's talent for singing. 

A little background on the parents, Selena's father is of Mexican descent while her mother is of Native-American descent. Both of her parents spoke Spanish, but they only spoke English in the house. Due to this, Selena was not fluent in Spanish like her older siblings. It was when they started the band, her father encouraged them to learn Spanish, that way they can sing their songs in Spanish. Selena was basically learning to speak Spanish but she wasn't really doing any actual learning from it. She would do interviews in English and it wasn't until the 90s that Selena started to take learning Spanish seriously. Selena's father wanted them to learn Spanish to sing the song in their band but to also learn because he wanted them to stay connected with their Mexican culture. 

Selena grew apart from the band and started her solo career later on in life, and that is when everything changed for her and her family. She was considered the “Queen of Tejano” music. She was the first female to place her 5th album, Dreaming of You, on the Billboard 200 chart and she won Female Vocalist of the year in 1986. In 1994, Selena opened up her boutique and salon, and it became very popular for its exotic styles of clothing that she would wear when she performed. She became such an inspiration to many Hispanics and Spanish people around the world, especially at a young age. She was especially inspirational to the Hispanics who aren't fluent as well, like me, because even though Selena was a celebrity, she had the same struggle growing up as many third-generation kids.

[valerieeeeeeec]

Premilinary Research Reflection

After doing the scavenger hunt tasks, I was successful in finding several useful sources that will help with my topic. Finding materials that are just slightly connected to my blog topic after chatting with a librarian was very helpful.

Since there aren't many books that discuss the reasons why certain Hispanics don't speak Spanish well, this approach was difficult. But fortunately, the library had a few books and other resources that were helpful for my subject.

I have gained a lot of information through this research process, while there were definitely some mistakes I made. Really, I had no idea how to look for words associated with my blog topic whether I studied books online or simply in the library. The phrases "Non-Spanish speakers" and "Hispanics Non-Spanish speakers" were just a few that I used. I didn't really find anything useful from these searches for myself or my blog topic. The librarian and I were able to come up with new search terms including "Spanish heritage speakers" or "Spanish as a second language," and finally they worked!

I expected that my topic would have few sources, mostly due to the surrounding environments. I think I didn't really expect there to be much about Hispanic culture and the Spanish language since this is a predominantly white university. Yet, I didn't really anticipate that there would be any books specifically about my topic. Fortunately, I was able to find a source that is relevant to my blog topic and is about Hispanics in America as well as its history.

[valerieeeeeeec]

What makes some Hispanics “No Sabo”?

In my last post, I talked about how there are many reasons why many Hispanics aren’t fluent in Spanish. One of the main reasons these things happen is because many immigrant parents will move to the U.S. and would refuse to have their children speak spanish. Mostly because they would want their children to “fit in” in America, causing them to never learn or speak Spanish around their parents. It is clear as to why it can be confusing to many people because the parents can speak Spanish, but not the kids? One example of this is the one and only, Selena Quintanilla.

Selena Quintanilla was a famous American Tejano singer, she was mostly known as the "Queen of Tejano music" during the late 20th century. Selena was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas. She was the youngest of three. She started her singing career very early in life as the main singer with her family band, Selena y Los Dinos. They would always play in their family restaurant, Papas Gayo’s. When you hear Selena's music, it’s fluent Spanish. However, Selena did not always know how to speak Spanish. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla, would force Spanish on her at a young age phonetically because they would perform Spanish music. Eventually, she would learn enough Spanish over the years to understand and speak to people. She started taking Spanish classes in the 90s which also helped in her learning. In today’s time, she would be considered a “No Sabo” kid.

Fortunately for Selena, even though she didn’t grow up speaking Spanish fluently, she eventually learned. The main reason why her father wanted her to sing songs in Spanish is because he wanted her to stay connected to their Mexican heritage. This relates to how many of us Hispanic want to feel connected to our culture. “I felt very separated from my culture,” Ochoa Malesky said. “I felt very... I wasn’t considered Anglo and I wasn’t considered Hispanic. So then where did I fall?”. It’s mainly how many non-fluent Hispanics feel when they aren't fluent. It makes us feel excluded from our own people and culture.

Most were unable to learn, but just like Selena, anyone can know and be more in touch with their culture. This happens to many third-generation kids, so why not break this cycle?

[valerieeeeeeec]

What is a "No Sabo" kid?

To give you a little context on the expression, "No Sabo" is a slang term used to point out and make fun of Hispanics who do not speak Spanish well. "No Sabo" is meant to refer to the real phrase "No sé," which in English is equal to "I don't know." The word "sabo" is formed from the conjugated verb "saber," which means "to know". Yet, "sabo" is a verb that is not conjugated correctly because a "-er" verb for yo(I) often ends in -o. Saber, on the other hand, is considered an irregular verb because it differs from the general pattern for Spanish verbs ending in "-er".

Because they don't know enough Spanish to understand the conjugation rules, many "No Sabo" kids pronounce it incorrectly. So instead of saying "sé," they say "sabo." Now, calling Latinos who don't speak Spanish well "No Sabo" can actually affect them more negatively than you might imagine. Since they would be made fun of for not already knowing Spanish, trying to at least learn the language is more of an issue of insecurity.

There seems to be a stereotype of Hispanic people. You have to look a certain way, speak a certain way, act a certain way, and last but not least, you MUST be fluent in Spanish once you are out of that womb! Ha! Just kidding! Yet in reality, a lot of people would assume that when they see a Hispanic, they must speak Spanish. That's not truly the case most of the time. There are also instances where Hispanics actively try to learn Spanish, yet are not treated as well as non-Hispanics who do the same thing. This is because many people assume that Hispanics already speak Spanish. I will discuss the many reasons why that happens during the rest of this blog!

Now, in my personal life, I’ve never been directly called “No sabo kid”. However, I might as well have been. When I was younger, I would always tell people about my ethnic background whenever they asked. Then they would ask the question “You speak Spanish, right?” That's when they would have a confused look on their face when I would say “No, I actually don't.” They would say things such as “What a disgrace.” or “You are not really Hispanic.” It’s heartbreaking to hear that, especially when it’s coming from other Hispanic peers. Moments like these are reasons why it can be an insecurity issue to even learn the language. It also makes us feel excluded from our own people. “Not speaking a language properly, or at all, doesn’t make someone less Latinx.” From Refinery29. This is a perfect way to explain because it is the truth! You are still Hispanic even if you aren't fluent in Spanish!

[lastofusfandom]

Introduction

This blog is exploring deeper into the world of the Last of Us and where it originated from rather than just the TV show. The Last of Us released as a video game June 2013, and was developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony computer entertainment. The games genre is categorized as an action adventure game, and carries a rather interesting plot line throughout the campaign. According to Wikipedia, “The Last of Us is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective.[1] The player traverses post-apocalyptic environments such as towns, buildings, forests, and sewers to advance the story. The player can use firearms, improvised weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus.” Although the fungus is not their only enemy, there are also firefly groups, which are a rebellion group in the new world, as well as the military which owns the Quarantine zones. 

[Source]

The game begins with Sarah buying Joel a watch for his birthday, and watching a movie together as they fall asleep. The fungus starts to spread as infected begin turning aggressive and begin multiplying by spreading to other areas. Joel locks Sarah inside as an infected runs into their door trying to get in. This is Sarah’s first encounter with an infected and she is scared as Joel must kill it in order to protect the both of them. They then wait for Tommy, Joel’s brother, to come and get them out of their state and hopefully away from the infected area. You proceed to drive through a city being burned and destroyed as infected run all around. Eventually, the car gets hit and Joel must carry Sarah away from infected. Joel and Sarah are confronted by a Military soldier who received orders to shoot on sight. The soldier got one shot off before being killed by Tommy trying to help them. Sarah was struck by the stray bullet from the soldier and dies in her Joel’s arms. 

[movieremakesandmore]

I love this blog because it has to do with one of my favorite video games, The Last of Us. I like this game because it is a post-apocalyptic horror/thriller game and has an amazing storyline. Playing this game reminded me of the kind of movies I like, which is why I was so excited for the tv show to come out. This blog relates to my blog because some of the movies I will be talking about may share similar characteristics with The Last of Us. One movie series that comes to mind is The Maze Runner, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world as well but with "cranks" instead of clickers. This blog is very interesting to me and I hope to read more about it as the semester goes on.

[valerieeeeeeec]

I actually started watching this show and I really wished I had the game because the show is amazing! Games and movies/shows like this are really interesting to watch because I would always think things like this can happen in real life and the game does a great job portraying everything! Besides from that though, the game did a great job on the graphics! I can't wait to hear more about this!

[valerieeeeeeec]

¡Bienvenida!

¡Hola! Welcome to my blog, where I will talk about Hispanics and the Spanish language in general, as well as the numerous difficulties that non-fluent Hispanics face. In this blog, I'll talk about why it's common for Hispanics to not speak Spanish fluently. I'll also discuss what it's like for those who had that struggle growing up and what may be done today to overcome it. This will lead to the next topic I'll cover in this blog post, which is what it means to be a "No Sabo" kid and how that affects how people see their ability to learn Spanish.

Let's start by talking about the origins of this lovely language, Spanish! Spanish is what exactly? What's the source of it? Who speaks this language? In the Indo-European language family, Spanish is categorized as a "Western Romance" language. Occitan, Portuguese, Italian, and French are only a few of the various Romance languages that have influenced the language, including Arabic-related impacts on Iberian and Basque. It is a language mostly spoken by Hispanic and Spanish/Latino people who come from Spanish-speaking countries such as Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Spain, and many more! Spanish/Latino mainly refers to people who are from a Spanish-speaking county, whereas Hispanic mainly refers to people who are of Spanish-speaking descent.

According to the Renaissance Translation, in the fifth century, the Roman Empire introduced the Spanish language for the first time to the Iberian Peninsula. It served as the Roman Empire's official language (which was called Hispania). It is now referred to as "Vulgar Latin". It was first cut off from the rest of Latin America, but as time passed, it gradually merged with Spain and the rest of the continent. Spain began its exploration and colonization of the Americas in the late 15th century. Only missionaries, conquistadors, and entrepreneurs could speak Spanish. But gradually, people started speaking the language outside of just missionaries and conquistadors.

In the present day, Spanish is now spoken by about 500 million people worldwide, including non-Hispanics. According to Translate Today, “Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. It is spoken in 31 countries which are mostly around the Latin America and in Spain. This language has about 475 million native speakers in addition to the nonnative speakers.” Crazy, huh? Spanish has been around for a very long time and has definitely influenced many people as well as our culture. Learning about Spanish history is important, especially for non-fluent speakers because it's a huge part of the Hispanic culture, and it brings us together.

As a community, we must also be aware of the causes of the problems that affect so many third-generation children and what we can do to prevent them in the future. According to The Pew Research, due to the fact that there were more Hispanics than Spanish people who were born in America at the time and the fact that immigration was a major issue, there were fewer Hispanics who spoke Spanish as a result of their immigration to America. I'll talk more about how that happened in the blog post, but this is one of the key causes of many third-generation children's lack of fluency.

By the time you've finished reading this blog, I hope you'll be excited to learn more about Spanish, be more accepting of people who don't speak it well, and be more appreciative of the language and culture in general!