|
Arts & Living By Domenico Maceri
The letter to the editor from the English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor stated that in 15 years of teaching he had seen "little interest in learning English."The classes offered in the teacher's district of Lodi, California, were poorly attended. It's easy to conclude from the teacher's comments that immigrants don't want to learn English even when the opportunities are given.As an immigrant and a former ESL teacher, I could not disagree more. Immigrants are very interested in learning English for they fully understand that not knowing this language translates into problems. Not knowing English means bringing an interpreter at the doctor's office. It means not being able to ask for a painkiller after surgery as it did to an immigrant from Mexico sharing my wife's hospital room, both having had babies through a C-section. Did the lady wish she knew English? You bet. Not knowing English means becoming invisible.When I first came to the US as a teen-ager, I worked for my uncle, a small contractor in New Jersey. I knew no English, but I clearly remember one instance when my uncle was talking about me with a customer as I was standing next to them. I had no idea what they were saying. Nothing bad I am sure, but although I was sixteen, I felt powerless as a baby might feel as she tries to reach for an object and the hand does not go where it's supposed to go. How I wished I knew what they were saying. Although immigrants' desire and need to learn English are certainly strong, a number of factors influence their ability to become proficient. The first one is age. Immigrants who come to the US as babies eventually learn English as virtual native-born Americans. Those who come as adults, however, will learn enough to get by although they will always have a foreign accent.Some may never learn English because of low educational background in their own language. It's very difficult to learn a new language if you don't know your own very well. Gender also affects one's learning ability. Immigrant women, who have a tendency to stay home and care for kids, are less likely to learn than men who go to work and are forced to have some interaction with Americans.Perhaps the most serious challenge to learn English is time. Immigrants come to the US primarily for economic reasons. Thus they work long hours. It's difficult to attend night classes after having worked hard the entire day. Although many immigrants attend night classes, some may find it exhausting.
![]() ![]() Julián Castro's Monolingualism: a ... Biden's Immigration Plan: Between Trump and ... Legal and Illegal Immigration: A Winning ... World Cup: Beyond the Soccer Field John Kelly's Fails English and History
|
The Seoul Times,
Shinheung-ro 36ga-gil 24-4,
Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea
04337 (ZC) Office: 82-10-6606-6188 Email:seoultimes@gmail.com Copyrights 2000 The Seoul Times Company ST Banner Exchange |