I am Latina, but I grew up in an English speaking household. So I never really picked up Spanish at home. At most I leaned how to tell people I didn’t speak Spanish and how to thank someone. I chose to learn French instead when I went to high school and then I swapped to Japanese in college. So I still don’t speak any Spanish.
I don’t mind that people presume that I know Spanish. I mean I look like I should and since I grew up on the border most people do know it to some extent. But what has always pissed me off is the lecture I receive after I apologize and tell folk I don’t understand. They always say I should know it since I’m Mexican. Why? Is learning a language genetic? No.
Why is this bugging me? I haven’t been lectured in the 4 years since I left home. But today in Hawaii of all places I ran into three people who learned Spanish in high school or something and they tried to speak Spanish with me. I said I didn’t understand and they had the gall to lecture me about it. It’s none of their business whether I learn it or not, so they shouldn’t lecture me on it.
In their minds you’ve been assimilated by the dominant culture and cut off from your roots while they are so sensitive to multiculturality. Why care about you when their narrative is set? I think the English word for that is “pricks”.
I know people who grew up in a country that wasn’t wasn’t the one where one or both parents had been born. Focusing on Greek for instance, some don’t speak it and don’t intend to learn while others learnt later on (or are still trying- Greek is kind of hard). OTOH, there are people who grew up speaking Greek at their homes and othes who not only did so, but are trying to keep their “Greekness” according to their parents’ experience back when they left the country, sometimes resulting in a 50’s stereotype. I’ve more or less seen the same with Germans and there are also many Greeks, children of immigrants, who don’t have any connection to their parents’ country and don’t seem to mind. I can’t say any group is really better off, at least not because of their knowledge of their ancestral language.
An extra tongue is always a bonus, but this isn’t your problem here, as you’ve just picked different ones. Self and heritage are highly subjective (if you even consider them legitimate constructions) and it’s your call to make, not that of random passers-by.
Whether or not its bad depends on who you ask. The point is that you’re not conforming to expected social norms and assuming the place other people think you deserve to be in within society. As Rigmarole explained, the vast majority of “minority” groups are obsessed with forming a sense of identity along pretty strict lines, without really thinking about it. Its an easy and superficial way to belong and not have to think about one’s values.
While it’s useful to know another language, it’s by no means mandatory. I wouldn’t let a few jerks who happened to pick it up in high school lecture you about what you should and should not know. I’m also curious how far back people are willing to take that idea. Most people’s family trees branch out into many different nations, some of which don’t even exist. Should we be diligently seeking out all the languages our ancestors knew, or only within the last few generations? I only ask because I really don’t want to learn Gaelic.
Many people in my hometown are fluent in both English and Spanish, and there are a lot of said people who will refuse to speak to someone in English UNTIL you’ve spoken to them (or tried to) in Spanish. I had someone try to justify this to me before, but it was one of the most disgustingly retarded things I’d ever heard that I blocked it out.
Yeah, it’s always a matter of assimilation: the old generations trying to stick to their roots while the younger ones just want to fit in. Don’t let them get to you, K- you’re doing wonderfully by mastering other languages already. If somebody gets surprised -much less pissed- that you don’t speak Spanish, it’s their problem. Ignore them.
Oh and it’s “Estas bien” (You’re OK") Cro. (Just being a pest here. :hahaha; )
I should know Swedish like the palm of my hand, but as Weiila can attest, faaaar from it, even though our secondary language (typically Swedish after English) studies start as early as third-fourth year in elementary school…
Interestingly enough, anyone who picks Swedish as an optional language tends to get muuuuch better grades than those with compulsory classes… motivation much?
But it’s a racial special ability! You should know Spanish, how to make tortillas, and listen to Tejano!
To crunch down my heritage into one word, I’m latina, but considering how genetically mixed both sides of my family are, I check the ‘Other’ option on surveys that ask what my background is. If not for accuracy, then to fuck with the people who care too much about that question. My parents started teaching me Spanish before English, but this became a problem in headstart when the teachers couldn’t understand what the hell I was saying. So they stopped teaching me Spanish and switched to English. I know a little Spanish, but my dad isn’t satisfied that I don’t know it completely, so I still get lectured on it. Ironically. -.-;
But to answer your question, don’t feel bad about it. To me it seems kinda snobby to look down on someone for not living up to certain expectations for whatever reason. You may have come from a certain lineage, but you are what you embrace. If someone else can’t accept that, then they can’t accept you. The more you know star
It could be worse. My family is half-Lebanese, and my sister looks particularly dark. When she plays soccer with her Hispanic team, everyone speaks to her in Spanish. She reminds them every week, “Guys, I swear, I don’t speak Spanish.” And they ask, “Why not?”
No, that’s not bad … maybe a little sad?
But You shouldn’t worry too much about “heritage zealots”, and I deal with their kind on a daily basis.
Somehow, since I came on board, I assumed that you were of Japanese ancestry. I guess it all goes back to one of your posts, a while ago, with an impeccable Japanese “accent”
A half a dozen of RPGC members hailing from Canada, and Quebec in particular, can certainly appreciate this. “Vive le Quebec libre!”
In my job I speak to a lot of Welsh people and roughly 99% of them can’t speak Welsh to any competent level. I wouldn’t worry about it too much (and before you say anything, let me assure you most Welsh people are FIERCELY patriotic).
Is it a bad thing that you can’t speak Spanish, despite being Latina? Maybe, but I can see it happening. Hell, I took four years or so of Spanish in High School, but ultimately didn’t learn as much as I’d like. Basically, I can’t hardly speak it for shit, but I can understand quite a bit. So I wouldn’t feel too bad about not knowing the language.
Keep your Gaelic cultural imperialism out of the proud Brythonic tradition, plz.
edit: Why I thought we were talking about Wales is a mystery, but see, Wales is always left out! And it’s because of the Scots and the Irish getting all the attention! Arrgh.
