Amid Daily Labors, English Can Have a Low Priority

The Asian immigrant was described as speaking in “halting English” even after 20 years of living in the U.S. The reporter who wrote this seemed to suggest that 20 years of living in this country should have resulted in a stronger command of the language.

Had the reporter had any solid experience with learning languages, he would know that some people never manage to learn certain aspects of English in spite of living here for decades.

Take English pronunciation. Generally speaking, unless someone learns English at a very early age, he or she will always retain some form of a foreign accent.

My brother began learning English when he was 22. You can cut his Italian accent with a knife. Henry Kissinger will take his German accent to his grave. I speak four languages and am fascinated with learning new ones, but it took me several years of living here to figure out the difference in pronunciation between the vowel sounds of words such as “live” and “leave,” or “loan” and “lawn.”

Other skills--oral and written comprehension, reading and writing--can be just as daunting.

Sometimes one may learn one of these skills and not the others. For example, it is common for an immigrant to understand the language and be able to follow instructions, but not be able to answer clearly or comfortably. Social and cultural settings may cause stress or intimidation and prevent some people from speaking even if the language skills exist.

English spelling is especially difficult. The sound “f” in English can be spelled with an “f,” “ph” or sometimes “gh.” Obviously, if English is a challenge for natives, it’s even more difficult for immigrants. Starting the study of English as an adult inevitably means part-time study at best because people need to earn a living. Since immigrants come to the U.S. to work, it leaves little time to learn the new language.

The Asian woman written about in the newspaper article had done extremely well. She had learned enough English to run a business, provide for her family and become integrated into American society in spite of her “halting” English. In a lot of ways, she had learned the most English possible for her situation.

Other immigrants may learn less because their jobs do not require a great deal of fluency in the language. People learn just enough English to function because acquiring the new language is not a hobby for immigrants.

There are people like my mother who learned even less English than the Asian woman. Although she has been in the U.S. for more than three decades, my mother will always need an interpreter when she goes to the doctor.

Immigrants learn what they need in order to survive and do their jobs. Passing English-only laws to encourage them to learn the language is futile; immigrants already understand that not knowing English well sentences them to remain on the fringes of society and often translates into menial work.

Knowing conversational English is a skill available to millions of people. Education is what opens the door to opportunities. For immigrants, that generally means their kids. Immigrants coming to the U.S. as adults typically have few educational opportunities because they are too busy earning a living and supporting families. However, as their offspring Americanize, it’s quite likely that the next generation will look back and see the heroism in their ancestors’ halting English.