Generational Differences in Language
By William Vargas
The purpose of this essay is to understand what it’s like to be in a Latinos first or second-generation shoes in the US. Such as being a bilingual first-generation Latino and being a second-generation monolingual. This essay is to provide a brief understanding of why these bilinguals and monolingual Latinos exist in life. This essay is to also show readers what are good/bad effects of being a first-generation Latino and comparing the good/bad effects of being a second-generation monolingual. This essay will even make readers understand how being bilinguals and monolinguals benefit society within the US. So how do first-generation bilingual Latinos have a different experience than their second-generation Latinos who speak only English and learned Spanish later on in the US?
First-generation bilingual Latino individuals have a different experience than their second-generation monolingual individuals. Like how 17% of first-generation bilingual Latinos speak only Spanish at home and how another 17% of bilinguals speak more Spanish then English at home. In other areas of the US, about 33% of Spanish bilinguals speak both English and Spanish equally at home. When it comes to these first-generation bilingual Latinos, only 8% learn or obtain new information through only Spanish while another 10% of them obtain it more in Spanish than in English. It’s amazing how 35% of first-generation bilinguals obtain new information equally between both Spanish and English. Although it is kind of sad how only 4% of first-generation bilingual Latinos speak only Spanish at work and although 7% of them speak more Spanish than English. Despite that, it is great how 29% of first-generation Latinos speak both Spanish and English at work. On the other hand, 76% of first-generation bilinguals can read Spanish really well while 5% of them can only just read Spanish really well. Plus, all first-generation bilingual Latinos have task switching abilities while second-generation don’t.
Second-generation monolingual Latinos struggle more than their first-generation bilingual individuals. Like struggling to speak Spanish at home, so about 21% of second-generation Latinos speak more English than Spanish. While only 12% of second-generation of monolinguals individuals prefer to speak only English at home because of how they were born in the US while their first-generation bilingual relatives were born in Puerto Rico. About 20% of second-generation Latinos learn and obtain new information in more English than in Spanish, to avoid having a hard time. While 28% of other second-generation Latinos prefer to obtain new information through English because of how they are more adapted to English than Spanish. It makes a lot of sense of how 27% of second-generation monolinguals speak more English than Spanish at work. While a big 33% of other second-generation monolinguals speak only English while they’re at work because of how accustomed they are to hear many white Americans speaking English all the time. When it comes to reading, only 18% of second-generation Latinos read English so super fluently because of how much English are all around us.
This research question is highly relevant within a Spanish speaking community because second-generation Latinos will get the benefit to learn more Spanish from the first-generation parents then learning English. This research question is definitely helpful within a Spanish speaking community because having first-generation bilinguals and having second generation monolinguals leads to having one of the best communities in the US or any other Hispanic community, such as Puerto Rico. Like having conversations with new people, learning new languages that doesn’t have anything to do with English and Spanish and to avoid chaos or confusions between not understanding English or Spanish. This research question is also highly relevant within a Spanish speaking community because first generation bilinguals are role models to their first-generation bilingual Latinos are role models to their second-generation monolingual speakers and that is the one of best qualities to have to keep speaking Spanish and English language in any community or Hispanic community. The first-generation Latinos can even help the second-generation succeed in life and to grow beautifully in order to keep moving on with their lives and to keep looking forward into their future.
In conclusion, I have learned many things from this research question, like how important English and Spanish to avoid bad situations between one another. Also like, how it is amazing to discover the good and bad effects of using both English and Spanish in the US. Plus, to realize how English and Spanish are the 2 most spoken languages in the US out of all the other languages in the world.
Bibliography
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Jens Mauel Krogstad and Ana Gonzalez Barrera. Hispanic Trends. Bilingualism. Pew Research Center. March 19, 2004. https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2004/03/19/bilingualism/. 11/07/19.
Laura Castaneda. USA Today Hispanic Living Magazine. Spanish Fluency in the US decreases with each generation. Advision of Gannele Satellite Information Network LLC. September 10, 2017. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2017/09/10/spanish-fluency-u-s-decreases-each-generation/636773001/. 11/07/19.
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