Importance of Language
I would like to commend David Ferrell and Robert Lee Hotz for their series, “Islands of the Mind: How Language Shapes Our World” (Jan. 23-25). As a doctoral candidate in language, literacy and learning at USC and former second-grade teacher in Compton, I have had the opportunity to work with many low-income students in the Los Angeles area whose primary language is other than English (e.g. Spanish and Ebonics).
My experience has been that the parents of these students want their children to be immersed solely in English. I fear that the English-only atmosphere created by measures such as Props. 187 and 227 has strengthened public opinion against bilingual education, which studies clearly show is a benefit to all students.
Language differences should not be feared in our schools; they should be embraced.
DANNY BRASSELL
Redondo Beach
* If so many newcomers are struggling with language, why don’t more make an attempt to learn our common language, English? I am an adult English-as-a-second-language instructor at the Lodi Unified School District. We offer free classes throughout the district morning, noon and night. At those classes, we provide new books and computers. Bilingual aides who are native speakers of Spanish, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Urdu, Punjabi, Hmong and Lao are on hand to help. Nevertheless, experienced and caring instructors look out over half-empty classrooms.
Why don’t more want to learn English? The conclusion I have reluctantly reached is that the time and effort involved are more than they are willing to put forth.
JOE GUZZARDI
Lodi
* Your article was timely and important in showing how language proficiency gives us the right to participate in society, to communicate, to earn a living and to exist.
As an ESL student in elementary school, I felt a minimum of the hardships that some of my adult school learners face every day. Without language skills they cannot fight back against injustice, express their anger, get a job, help their children with homework or be perceived as responsible adults. Astonishingly, they are human beings with a tremendous will to learn, persist, be loving and have hope. They have strong cultural identities that must not be denied. And their English language needs must not be ignored.
VICTORIA LEE-JERREMS
Van Nuys
* Languages are the most complex codes the human mind produces and grammars are the ciphers. Each language is the fire of a culture’s religion, history, art and tools for survival. Evolving languages are both the beginning and the end result of any culture’s inventiveness and wisdom. Lose a language and we lose the uniqueness in all of the above.
We spend millions protecting endangered species. The last speaker of Cupeno (a Southern California tribe) died in 1987. Who made saving the Mexican wolf more wonderful than saving the Cupeno language?
GLENN SCHIFFMAN
Burbank