...I was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas and went to bilingual schools. I only spoke Spanish at home since my grandmother made it a house rule and English at school. My grandmother was from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and all our family members spoke Spanish. When we would go to Matamoros, Tamaulipas a city in Mexico my grandmother made sure we only spoke Spanish because speaking English was disrespectful. So growing up, my siblings and I had to learn fluent Spanish. When I started preschool at three, I began to learn English. It was my first time learning English so I was enrolled in a bilingual program. I eventually learned to speak fluent English but I still have trouble writing essays and sometimes I forget how to say some words in...
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...CSM 104 Research Essay Why you should learn Spanish before you learn French? Speaking a new language helps you to get to know another people and culture, as language and culture go hand in hand. Because language simultaneously is defined by the world around us, learning another language opens one's mind to new ideas and new ways of looking at the world. While most of us can't hope to learn the languages of more than one or two cultures other than that of our own, those that we can learn help us to learn how other people learn and think. In North American, most people choose French and Spanish as their second or third language. Many people believe that Spanish is actually more useful than French, and obviously the foreign language most spoken and studied--by far--in the North America is Spanish. Compare with French, Spanish can offer a wealth of literature of Latin language, both modern and traditional. For example, when you are reading a Latin American websites, you may find that you could gain a sense of how other people think and fee if you know Spanish. As a matter of fact, both of the languages belong to the Latin group of languages. Hence, they show some similarities too. On the one hand, French is spoken by the country of France in the continent of Europe. On the other hand, Spanish is spoken in the country of Spain in the continent of Europe. However, French and Spanish are two languages that show enormous differences between them when it comes to the pronunciation...
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...Steps to Moving to a new country Mayar Lampkin Everest University Ever wonder what it is like to move to a new country? Well wonder no more I will tell you. Moving to a new country can be fun and exciting adventure but it takes a lot of work and planning. Before you go and experience the new culture make sure you do research on the country. Another is to make sure you have the right paper work and documentation. The last step is to make sure you pack up essentials. It sounds like a lot and hard work but in the end it is all worth it. Doing research about the country you will live in is very important because you will be informed about the cultures and customs of the country. Also researching what cities are safe to live in and what cities are dangerous is good way of keeping yourself safe and out of trouble. Make sure to research living situations is it mostly apartment/condo living or is it houses? Knowing that information is good for when you are packing because you will know how much space you will have. A good way of research is finding a group on a social media website and asking them questions about the country and living situations. This step will be the most important step out of all three. Having the right paperwork and documentation is very important or you can get in serious trouble and or road blocks along the way. Making sure you know what you need is important. For example if you do not already have a passport make sure you apply for one right...
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...Spanish for the Future Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my classmates to further their knowledge of the Spanish Language and Culture by enrolling in their first Spanish class or another one. Central Idea: To make my classmates realize all the benefits of enrolling in Spanish classes. INTRODUCTION 1. Gain the attention and interest of the listener/s: (“Attention” of Monroe’s Sequence) When I was in seventh grade, I enrolled in my first Spanish class. All I thought was, “Wow this class is a pain in my butt, it is so hard, and what is the point?” After nine years of studying this language and culture, my feelings have not changed, but I have discovered “the point” of learning Spanish. 2. Reveal the topic: I understand the negative feelings that you may feel about taking a Spanish class, but being a college student is all about pushing your limits, reaching your greatest potential, and...
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...Hola. Me nombre es Keia Blair. Soy de Seymour, Indiana. Mi numero de telefono es cinco- veintiocho-sesenta-cero y siete. Mi direccion es veintiocho y cuarenta y tres High Forest Lane. Mi clase de Espanol es a las once de la mañana. Hay dieciocho estudiantes en la clase. This first chapter of Spanish was easy for me to learn and understand. It became a basic review for me, although I did learn how to tell time a little better. I took two years of Spanish in high school and have some experience from visiting the Dominican Republic each summer. I also took two years of latin in high school. In past foreign language classes, I have used a variety of strategies to learn. For me, repetition works easily for me. I learn to associate Spanish words with words I am familiar with in English. Sometimes, flashcards and pictures have made it easy to learn vocabulary words. At the beginning of the semester, I was hoping to work extra hard to learn the basics of Spanish, and to be able to have simple conversations with people. Throughout chapter one, I learned how to correctly tell time. The rest of the chapter was review for my Spanish speaking abilities. I learned some interesting facts about culture in this chapter. Each week, I spent 3-4 hours studying and working on homework assignments. For quizzes, I spent an hour studying. With the exam being worth much more, I spent an hour and a half studying for the exam. I particularly liked doing the pre homework because I was introduced to...
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...Richard Rodriguez, there is a switch. At a young age, Rodriguez was forced by the school system to stop speaking Spanish at home and start speaking English the whole time. Although he became proficient in school, having no trouble with reading or writing in English, there was a price for this advantage Rodrigues gained. Slowly but surely, Rodriguez started to lose touch with his culture, letting it fade away like his memory of Spanish. Aria is just one example of many stories that chronicles a switch between American and Hispanic culture. One must always give, and usually this ‘give’ of the American culture is painted in a very negative light. Many Hispanic-Americans recognize what they...
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...opinions. In some ways, all these things put together MAKE us unique in who we are. Therefore we need to embrace our differences and uniqueness. I grew up in a small community in Southern Texas where most of the individuals were of Spanish heritage. We all interacted with one another regardless of our economic status or ethnic backgrounds. My FAMILY’S background is mixed. My mother is Mexican American and my father is African American. I only experienced the Mexican part of my heritage because I was raised by my mother. I can never escape my heritage as it is a major part of who I am. My heritage is everywhere around me. It is in our names, the foods we eat, the way we dance, sing, move, and interact with each other. For example, I enjoy listening to the music, Mariachi dances, and learning how to speak Spanish fluently. I enjoy eating Spanish foods like enchiladas, tacos, and chimichangas. This will never leave who I am. There were many times when I would have conversations with others from my Spanish heritage, and they would hear me speak the language and they would comment on how I could speak Spanish really well. As we knew how to speak the same language, we already knew that there was something in common. I always assumed that anyone who spoke Spanish were of Mexican...
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...culture, you might know the language but it does not mean you can really fit in to that culture. Within the same language there is different dialects, accents, and traditions. I believe you can learn a lot about a culture through its language. The example that I have experienced has been with the Spanish language. The Spanish that I speak is not the same Spanish as all other Spanish speaking societies. The biggest difference within the language has to do with the variety of cultures. I am from Guatemala, Central America, not the same Spanish as South America (many different Spanish’s there), the Spanish speaking Caribbean Islands and Spain. About a year ago I took a Spanish course in Spain, and that is where I noticed how much the language can vary. There is no “perfect” Spanish, because of the variety of different cultures, Spanish has evolved and has caused this interesting diversity. Because of its vast diversity we can learn about the different cultures. In Spain I learned, just from listening to people conversing, some of the culture there. The culture in Spain is very different than the one I am from; one of the many differences I noticed is how open their culture and traditions are (the region of the country also has to do a lot with this), but listening to their kind of Spanish I noticed that the way they speak to each other would be eccentric back in my culture. At first this was a shock to me (the vocabulary they would...
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...Hispanics Must Know Spanish When I left North Carolina a few years ago and moved to Puerto Rico, I had no idea why understanding the Spanish language as a Hispanic was so important until I moved out there. While being around many Hispanics, I discovered most of them spoke Spanish towards each other and would only speak English to someone who looked non-Hispanic. If I was a non-Hispanic and self-identified as one, knowing the Spanish language would not be considered mandatory for me. However, that is not the case. Because I look Latina and self-identify as Latina, I have been stereotyped as someone who must know Spanish. My first encounter was when I was living in Puerto Rico and stumbled across a Walgreens somewhere in Mayaguez, a woman approached me speaking in Spanish. By her tone of voice, I assumed she was asking me a question, but I did not know how to respond because I did not...
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...in a one-month summer program in Spain. At first, I took part in this program because of my curiousness about this country and my eagerness to improve my Spanish. To my astonishment, however, this journey brought me a surprising gift——a dream that I will pursue for my whole life: I want to learn as many languages as I can when travelling around the world. My dream sprouted in the special natural landscape of Spain. In the first two weeks, I was shocked by its wonderful landscapes—rolling mountains, deep blue and powerful Atlantic Ocean, dazzling and warm sunshine… Those fantastic views stimulate my interest in exploring more wonderful scenes around Spain, or even more, around the world. I was sure plentiful wonders were waiting for me to experience. In addition, Spain is all the more fascinating for its unique artistic achievement in the fields of literature, dancing, architectures, and more many. In the following two weeks I paid a visit to Sagrada Familia, the museum of Picasso and Casa Batlló. These masterpieces make this country mysterious with the sense of humanism. After that, I decided that I would be back one day exploring them more deeply. Furthermore, I was looking forward to more human landscapes worldwide. At this moment, my dream took shape roughly. To understand these landscapes thoroughly, learning Spanish is very important, for it is the basic tool to read and to listen. In Spain, few people can speak English well let alone Chinese. Once I lost myself in...
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...how language is full of bad habits when he says, “Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation.” This is true because bad habits do stick, just like slang. The world communicates with slang which makes it hard for some to communicate. Professional communication can be looked at as a way in which someone presents themselves, rather than the way they speak. There is no legitimate right way of speaking English but the way in which one best interprets it. People easily adapt to slang wherever they go. Slang is defined as a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal. If someone is visiting a cousin in a different country or if they move schools, they learn slang they may not have known before. Slang is found everywhere in this...
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...speak and read Spanish but, I was lacking grammar skills. I wanted to know my home language fluently in all aspects. Therefore, I want to facilitate my future students to be able to learn a second language. My drive is to pursue a higher education to my students that way they could become successful life. I am going to act like a guide to them and promoting respect to all my students. It is my life aspiration to be an excellent high school teacher who motivates students to achieve the highest level of education. Not only I am pushing myself but also, I want to be a teacher to push my students to excellence. Perseverance is my motto, and I want to pass that on to my students. I want them to see my example: I’ve worked hard and never once gave up on what I wanted to become –their teacher. I believe that my role as a teacher is to give my students the tools necessary to be successful. In order to accomplish this goal, I will find ways to teach each student based on their needs that way all my students will feel capable and successful. Another way that I would help my students is by incorporate themes, projects, group work, to make my students active learners. I want to inspire Spanish and English speakers to ascertain their needs in the Spanish language. I want to improve the student’s lives, so one day they can also pursue my path and hopefully I will inspire their path. The specific courses subjects and courses that I am prepared to teach is any level of Spanish. I am capable...
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...The Latino Student Organization and Spanish Club joined together on February 29 to host Salsa Night, a regularly held event featuring snacks, dancing, and socialization to educate students about Spanish cultures. Salsa Night was held in Harry’s Coffeehouse and was open to the Samford public. Spanish Club president Eden Harris, junior political science major and Spanish minor, emphasized that all Samford students and faculty are welcome to Spanish Club events, especially Salsa Night. “Anybody who wants to come can come, so people invite their friends. Sometimes couples come just so they can learn how to Salsa”, Harris said. The organizations provide food such as chips and salsa, queso, and occasional catering and beverages. Salsa dancing is usually taught at the event by a professor, student, or hired choreographer and then attendees take over with what they have learned. The event is built on dancing the Salsa, but this dance was diverse and had aspects of many different cultures and dance origins....
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...have read in my life time because I can relate a lot to it. This essay was written by Tanya Maria Barrientos. This essay will help you see the struggles she had to over come while growing up in The United States and not speaking Spanish her native Language. Mrs Barrientos was born in Guatemala and was raised in El Paso TX. When she was 3 years old her family brought her to The United States. Her parents decided that they were only going to speak English in her household. Her parents had decided that the only way her and her brother could fit-in in the Anglo society was by only speaking English regardless of their Hispanic appearance. She wrote about a time when her parents took her one week late to school because they were on vacation. “At the school's office the registrar frowned when they arrived.” She told them “ you people. Your children are always behind, and you have the nerve to bring them late?” I personally been through that similar situation during my school years while growing up. I love her mothers response when she says “ My children will be at the top of their classes in two weeks.” I bet that took the registrar off track. Since she was young she thought that speaking Spanish meant various things. One of the things was that Spanish meant being poor. Another thing was that it meant waiting tables or cleaning hotel rooms. When she was 16 years old she informed to her father that “she hatted being called Mexican.” Mr Barrientos decided that since he hated that...
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...place to live when I started working here. There were so many choices. My home in the U.S. is very different from my home in Chile and even from where I lived when I was studying in Brazil. For one thing, I have a roommate, Teresa, who is from Bolivia. The home of two young women who are friends and co-workers is certainly different from a family home! In the Spanish-speaking world, as in other parts of the world, home styles differ depending on a person's needs, location, and of course, budget. You can get a good idea of what houses are like in the Spanish-speaking world in the following video. Watch the video about homes in Venezuela. Are the homes similar to or different from what you imagined? In which type of home would you like to live? Select the play button to access the "La casa" video from Realidades. Now that you've gotten an idea about homes in the Spanish-speaking world, we are going to learn a little bit more about one of my favorite places in a house—the bedroom. We'll learn words and expressions that we can use to talk about the bedroom and how to describe, compare, and contrast. We'll also learn about the country and culture of Bolivia. There's a lot to do, so let's get started! Objectives * Apply knowledge of vocabulary related to bedroom items, electronic equipment, colors, describing, comparing, and contrasting * Compare bedroom characteristics of Bolivia, to that of the U.S. * Examine Bolivia's traditional use of brightly colored textiles...
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