Spanglish: The Marriage of the English and Spanish Language

    I believe that the language of Spanglish needs to be taught and respected in schools today. Spanglish is everywhere, and it spoken by millions of people throughout the world  today. So many people live in households that are comprised of parents and/or grandparents that speak Spanish, and then go to school where English is spoken and taught. Most of these people are bilingual and have combined both languages making a new language called Spanglish. There are several varieties of Spanglish, and the variety of Spanglish that a person speaks is based on the area they live. Some Spanglish is more English based, whereas some other Spanglish is based more on Spanish.  Baquedano-Lopez's article agrees that Spanglish should be taught and accepted in schools. I agree with the article  that  states when a student is comfortable speaking a language that incorporates part of their culture, it is easier for that student to learn. It would seem foolish to take the time and put in the effort for students to "unlearn" Spanglish, a language they are fluent in, in order to try to get them to learn? And we all agree that when students are comfortable and feel at home, they are more successful. Unfortunately many people feel that Spanglish should not be taught, or even spoken in school. They feel that Spanglish makes Latinos appear dumb and lazy and that it holds them back and takes away their chances of success. Tato Laviera's poem, Spanglish, praises Spanglish as a language and refers to it as "literally perfect." Laviera believes people should be able to learn in the language they are the most comfortable, and the Hispanic population  certainly feel most comfortable speaking  Spanglish. My project leans heavily on the belief that Spanglish is a language and students must be allowed to speak it in school and learn in it in school. Spanglish is here to stay and must be accepted. A non standard language such as Spanglish should be accepted, as agreed by linguists, as the Hispanic population is growing at a fast rate, particularly in the cites. As the Hispanic population grows, so does the speaking of Spanglish. Ramon Antonia Martinez agrees that there must be a place in education for Spanglish, and that speaking Spanglish can have a very large impact on their academics. Can you imagine being bilingual in Spanish and English, and having the ability to speak and comprehend Spanglish, yet having a teacher saying you were not allowed to speak it? 

 

    Spanglish is everywhere today  and spoken by millions. It is casually spoken on street corners, stores, schools, and clubs. Today Spanglish is often heard in music and seen on television. It's here to stay, and we must respect that and allow these students to have the opportunity to speak and learn Spanglish in school. Spanglish is not a lazy language or dialect and speaking Spanglish does not decrease your chances of being successful. On the contrary, speaking Spanglish actually works your brain harder because your brain is forced to code switch between the two languages. Our world is a melting pot of people and cultures and it is our responsibility to help anyone and everyone be as successful as possible. Speaking and learning in Spanglish helps the Hispanic community excel and at learning in the classroom. It is our responsibility to allow these students to speak the language they know and are most comfortable speaking in order to give them their greatest chance to learn and be successful students.