Racism in Comedy

I took a picture of this at the main library in Downtown Belfast, Northern Ireland. They have their share of problems concerning Racism, especially during the troubles. 

This semester, Spanish in America 389 has challenged students to think about the following themes (among others) on a more profound level.
A. Race and Ethnicity
B. Bilingual Education
C. Spanglish
D. Spanish in America
E. Accents
F. Stereotypes
     One of the central themes that came up again and again is that there is nothing that is black and white. That includes the law, which should be clear. Race is not an easy question to answer. What am I? What's my ethnicity? What is ethnicity? I am Mexican. What is Mexican? Am I Mestizo, Mezclada, Spanish, Aztec, another indigenous group? What language do you speak? Nahuatl, English, Spanish, Spanglish, a non standard variety of all of the above? Even the concept of gender is not as simple as male or female. Everything that we have read has caused me to think of things in a different way. At the same time, I am studying Latin American Literature. One important theme that runs through Modern Latin American Literature is the influence of western mass media. So I took Race and Ethnicity, Spanglish, Spanish in America, Accents and Stereotypes and combined it with Mass Western Media and came up with a topic of Racism in Comedy on American television.
     Many people of high school and college age watch and enjoy these "adult"cartoons. If one looks for racism in these cartoons, it can be easily found. Or because this is comedy or a joke, does that make it alright?

      It was very easy to find more than a plethora of examples. In this example, Kermit the Frog is perceived to be a racist southerner (banjo, swamp, rifle = stereotypes for southerners or people of the bayou) The biggest problem is making this behavior seem OK by using a popular children's character from Sesame Street and the Muppets  Of course adults are able to recognize what is wrong here, but by laughing at this, it receives automatic approval. Part of what is wrong is that there are still open wounds concerning issues of racism (especially between those of European decent and African Americans. and  Not everyone is able to see why this is wrong, and we use this for entertainment. The question is does this help or hurt our situation. Many would be alienated, but others would say that it's just a joke. If it opens a discussion  than I suppose it could bee seen as a good thing, but I'm not sure that this is the best way (or the producers intent) ti initiate a discussion.

Here is Consuelo  the Mexican maid from Family Guy. The problem here is that Mock Spanish or Junk Spanish is used as she hears the ad on television. It makes the language seem simple or elementary by using only 2 words; accidente (accident) y abogados (lawyers) and the phone number (555-5555  cinco said 7 times) The subject itself is explicitly racist. It pokes at the stereotype that a Hispanic person always needs a lawyer suggesting criminal activity. Also, that this criminal activity is commonplace.

 This presents the question I am trying to answer. The horse is made fun of because he has a long face. It is an inherent value. The men claim that it's OK because its a joke. It says in a very subtle way that racism is OK if flown under the banner of comedy. The horse comes back with a racist African American joke and the man is offended claiming that this situation is different. Does this kind of humor promote a lax attitude toward racism, or is it just a joke? Does this kind of humor shape our views, or are these just the expression of values already in place?

This was seen on a social media sight.This seems typical. Make sure the race you're about to make fun of is not within an ear shot because you're going to say something that you'd be ashamed to let them hear. This one even isolates that racist jokes are African American jokes showing even more how narrow this view is. This is a white space border. It's like saying to the audience, "We all feel this way, and it's OK if we just keep it between ourselves" It is the exclusion of whatever race that is being targeted that creates this border. If it's just a harmless joke, why can't everybody hear it? 

Since it's only a joke, here are some about Americans.

Jokes about Americans

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What do you call someone who speaks three languages?
    "Multilingual".

What do you call someone who speaks two languages?
    "Bilingual".

What do you call someone who speaks one language?
    "An American".

---

     A Cuban, a Frenchman, an American, and an American lawyer are riding on a train. The Cuban begins praising one his nation's most famous products.

     "In Cuba", he says, "we make the world's finest cigars. Just smell this beautiful hand-rolled cigar. Furthermore, we make them in such abundance that we can waste them with impunity". Saying that, he tosses the cigar out the window of the speeding train.

     The Frenchman responds, "Oui, that is quite true, and in my country we make the finest cheeses". He displays a hunk of fine cheese to the others and says, "France is famous for its fine cheeses, and we produce so much that we too can waste them without a thought." Saying that, he casts the cheese out the window of the train.

     The American gets up and throws the lawyer out the window.

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    An American was telling one of his favorite jokes to a group of friends. "Hell is a place where the cooks are British, the waiters are French, the policemen are Germans, and the trains are run by Italians."

    The lone European in the group pondered all this for a second and responded, "I can't say about the police and the trains, but you're probably right about going out to eat. A restaurant in Hell would be one where the cooks are British and the waiters are French - and the customers are all Americans."

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What do you call a county that lacks a modern telecommunications system?
    "Technologically backward"

What do you call a county that lacks a fully integrated banking system?
    "Economically underdeveloped."

What do you call a country that lacks a well-connected public transportation system?
    "America"

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    A Canadian couple was strolling through a park in London and sat down on a bench next to an elderly Briton. The Brit noticed their lapel pins sporting the Canadian flag and, to make conversation, said "Judging by your pins, you must be Canadians".

    "Indeed we are", replied the Canadian gentleman.

    "I hope you won't mind my asking," said the Brit, "but what do the two red bars on your flag represent?"

    "Well," replied the Canadian gentlman, "one of the bars stands for the courage and hardiness of our people in settling the cold expanses and broad prairies of our country. The other is for the honesty and integrity for which Canadians are known."

    The Brit mulled this over and nodded. Having poor eyesight at his advanced age, and not being familiar with maple leaves, he then asked, "And what's that six-pointed item in the middle of your flag?"

    "Oh, that's to remind us of the six words of our national motto," the Canadian lady piped up.

    The Brit asked, "And what are those six words?"

    The Canadian smiled and replied, "They are 'Don't blame us - we're not Americans.'"

---

How many American tourists does it take to change a light bulb?

Fifteen. Five to figure out how much the bulb costs in the local currency, four to comment on "how funny-looking" local lightbulbs are, three to hire a local person to change the bulb, two to take pictures, and one to buy postcards in case the pictures don't come out.

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Only in America:
(Begun as a fictional list, but the real "Only in Americas" are funnier, or at least stranger)

     Drive-through banks, pharmacies, and liquor stores.

     Parking lots (car parks) larger than the buildings they serve.

     Sugar-frosted honey-coated deep-fat-fried cheese sticks - and a Diet Coke.

     Bumper stickers that say "Honk if you hate noise pollution".

     Creationists who insist that the pharmaceutical drugs they use first be tested on monkeys and chimps.

     Football in which the ball is carried or propelled much more by hand than by foot.

     People who argue that human life is so sacred that abortion justifies capital punishment.

     A country where the "Lower Forty-eight" states are north of Hawaii, and where the "Continental U.S" doesn't include Alaska, which is clearly on the same continent.

     A country where everyone has time to mow their three-acre lawn each week, but no one has time to cook their own food.

     People who value equality so much that they think discrimination should be used to create it.

     Academic institutions known more for their athletes than their scholars.

     A country where the Big Ten has eleven schools, and a fifth is four fifths of a quart.

     A country where "evil-doer" and "do-gooder" are both negative characterizations.

     A country that claims to hate lawyers, and that elects only lawyers to public office.

     Prices of gasoline (petrol) prices that are a fraction of the price of drinking water - and people complaining about the price of gasoline.

     A State Department that has nothing to do with the states.

     "In God We Trust" written on every piece of money of a nation that alleges to separate church and state.

     A country where only the well-to-do ride bicycles.

     One of the world's most technologically advanced countries, with the most antiquated system of weights and measures.

     "The Land of the Free" with the world's second highest incarceration rate.   

 From;   http://hateusa.narod.ru/jokeusa.htm 

Your high school years will be some of the most incredible years of your lives. Most of you will experience more freedom, as well as more responsibility. You will get to choose more about what you do and how you live. You will get to select your classes and your course of study as well. Many of you will have to complete a foreign language requirement in order to graduate. I had the same complaint as all of you. “Why do I have to study language? I’m never going to use it outside of this classroom.” In the globalized world you now live in, the opportunity to use another language outside the classroom is very real. But instead of just completing a language requirement, what if you became bilingual? The practical reasons exist, such as being an excellent candidate for almost any job as well as a potential to earn more money than your monolingual counterparts. But being bilingual has numerous benefits that many are not aware of. These benefits are related to improved brain function, (That will make your other classes easier) as well as health benefits and disease prevention.

     Speaking another language is a very cool thing to do. Not only does it allow one to have the ability to speak and understand more people, but it also opens doors to culture that are otherwise closed. So much more can be learned about a people or a culture when communicating in the language of that culture. The literature can be read without compromising the true meaning that is often lost in translation and redaction. These are already great reasons, but can being bi-lingual be beneficial to health?

      Learning a second language now may save one from some of the harsh realities of aging. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee of the New York Times states,  “In a recent study of 44 elderly Spanish-English bilinguals, scientists led by the neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the University of California, San Diego, found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism — measured through a comparative evaluation of proficiency in each language — were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset.” (Bhattacharjee) In that sense, bilingualism acts as preventive medicine and there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But some of the other benefits may be realized well before the golden years.

     The ability to speak a second language will make a person smarter. (Bhattacharjee) The University of Strathclyde states, “Our study has found that it can have demonstrable benefits, not only in language but in arithmetic and problem solving.” (http://www.strath.ac.uk) That is correct. Speaking another language will make better math students. The educational benefits don’t stop there. The difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may have to do with code switching. Code switching may help develop other areas of the brain. “The differences were linked to the mental alertness required to switch between languages, which could develop skills useful in other types of thinking.”  A bilingual person receives all of these additional benefits involuntarily.  Acquiring a second language is like acquiring an entire new set of skills.

     Bilingualism is a wonderful thing. The benefits that come with language acquisition are plentiful. Foreign language instruction is included in almost all curriculums for a good reason. If a second language is developed, it is like cultivating the rest of your mind. And a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Works Cited

Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit. “Why Bilinguals Are Smarter”. New York Times. 10/21/ 12.

             Web.

             http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-  bilingualism.html? _r=1

University of Strathglyde Glasgow.  “Bilingualism can increase mental agility.”  10/21/12.

             Web.

             http://www.strath.ac.uk/press/newsreleases/headline_643421_en.html

The debate over whether English is named as the official language in the United States is peaking again. U.S. English.org states, “Declaring English the official language means that official government business at all levels must be conducted solely in English. This includes all public documents, records, legislation and regulations, as well as hearings, official ceremonies and public meetings.” (US English.org) Concerns over language are expressed everywhere and it is currently a hot topic as we approach another Presidential election. This debate is as important as it ever was, but this debate is not new. It has been a topic in the United States since very early in the country’s existence. “Documented concerns about linguistic unity in the U.S. date back to Benjamin Franklin’s opposition to the use of German — at one time the native language of about a third of the residents of Pennsylvania.” ( Linton pg.10) The people of America, as well as politicians and non-citizens reside on both sides of this polarizing issue as passing an official language bill is always on the front burner of America’s stove. But, while this is an issue that triggers an emotional response, American citizens should refrain from allowing their emotions to decide where they stand without taking a deeper look inside the issue.

     It is certainly a polarizing issue. So much so that individual states are passing their own laws regarding “Official English.” Like immigration, when the Federal Government fails to act or acts differently than some views held by local state governments, state governments pass their own laws. So now, not only are we divided by our opinions, but we are becoming divided as a nation. Like immigration, this issue must be uniform across the entire country or state laws will further determine where immigrants (legal and illegal) choose to live thus creating unfair situations for states that experience an influx of immigrants that do not have the infrastructure to handle them. All of this happens because a neighboring state changed a law. One state’s stand on a policy directly affects other states. This is something that is often ignored.

     There is plenty of support for an “Official English” law. Rasmussen Reports is a media company that collects, publishes and distributes public opinion information. They claim that, “87% Say English Should Be U.S. Official Language.” (Rasmussen Reports)  Proenglish.org published a “Top Ten Reasons to Make English the Official Language of the United States,” with #8 on the list being “To conform to the rest of the world: Eighty-five percent of the UN’s member nations have official languages. Fifty-three (53) of those nations have adopted English as their official language.” (proenglish.org) That is a great reason to name an official language, but the United States hardly has a reputation as a nation that “conform to the rest of the world.”

     There is also plenty of support against an “Official English” law. Dennis Baron is a professor of English and Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of several books on the English language. (PBS.org) His essay that appears on PBS.org reports that, “...opponents of official English remind us that without legislation we have managed to get over ninety-seven percent of the residents of this country to speak the national language. No country with an official language law even comes close.”  He dispels the argument that without an official language, immigrants never learn English. English speaking among immigrants is very high without passing a bill, so why do it? There are those who go so far as to say that not only should English not be the official language, but that it should be banned. David Baron states in his essay on PBS.org that, “I would like to offer a modest proposal to resolve the language impasse in Congress. Don’t make English official, ban it instead.” (Baron PBS.org) While this is a tongue in cheek statement, the author makes the point that it is as ridiculous as naming an official language.

     The debate over “Official English” is alive and well and America as a cohesive country, not as a group of individuals must learn the many sides of this tricky issue.

                                                           Works Cited

Baron, Dennis. “Don’t Make English Official” Do You Speak American? http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/officialamerican/banenglish/

Web. October 7, 2012.     

                                                                                                                                                 

Linton, April. “Language politics and policy in the United States implications for the immigration Debate” pages 10-37. EBSCOhost.   http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ohio-                                                                                                                                                                                                                         state.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=02777be5-dacc-4e0e-bced-     679b4aeb8788%40sessionmgr14&vid=4&hid=25. Web. October 7, 2012.

Pro English.org. “Ten Reasons to Make English the Official Language of the United States”     http://www.proenglish.org/data/backgrounders/167-ten-reasons-to-make-english-the-official-language-of-the-united-states.html  Web. October 7, 2012.

Rasmussen Reports.com. “87% Say English Should Be U.S. Official Language” May 11, 2010.                                                                                                                         http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public    content/politics/general_politics/may_2010/87say_english_should_be_u_s_official_language Web. October 7, 2012.

U.S. English.org. http://www.us-english.org/view/8 “Official English” Web. October 7, 2012.

It is called Spanglish

     Spanglish is here to stay. It’s been called a language, a mix of languages, the act of switching languages, and gibberish that is used to describe a speaker who uses English and Spanish but is fluent in neither. But whatever it is or whatever it is called, or however it is identified, it is spoken today in many communities of the United States where there is a significant Hispanic population. This is not exactly a new term. “The term Spanglish (espanglish in Spanish) appears to have been coined by the Puerto Rican journalist Salvador Tió (1954) in a newspaper column first published in 1952” ( John M. Lipski pg. 41) This is an exploration into Spanglish from two different perspectives. These two sources are about the same subject but presented in different ways. The sources do not argue with each other, but they do complement each other. The first is an academic paper written for a Spanglish convention at an American university. It is a very formal, academic presentation that is well documented with more identifiable sources that could potentially be used as primary sources.  The second is a video about the use of Spanglish produced by a Spanish cable television station and is more concerned with its descriptive use; that is, what is spoken and produced by users of Spanglish. In this video, Spanglish speakers are interviewed and asked to talk about Spanglish in their lives and also to give examples of Spanglish. It is a descriptive approach because it is only concerned with what is being said and how the language is used. It is very informal, but is still valuable as resource.

     This is the first source: http://www3.amherst.edu/~spanglish/garrido.htm. It is a paper for a presentation at a Spanglish conference at Amherst College. It does not only discuss English, Spanish, and Spanglish, but claims that there is more than one kind of Spanglish. It is concerned with identifying and labeling what of language is spoken and who is speaking it. It also looks at American culture and its ties to language, especially “Spanglish” It addresses prescriptivism and rules, laws and fluency as well as descriptivism and language use.

      The fact that this is an “.edu” site is a strong factor in determine if this site is deemed as credible. (Dr Jose Diaz class lecture) Another way to determine the credibility of a source is by identifying the author or authors. The author of this paper is easily identifiable. (Joaquín Garrido)                                   

    This source has an easily identifiable date (April 2-3, 2004) which is a good indication that this may be credible. Another item suggested by Dr Diaz was “Grey Literature.” This article is just that. It is an unpublished academic article for a presentation at a college. This is a very strong indication of credibility.     

     But the strongest indication of the credibility of this article is in the plethora of sources listed in its bibliography. The research has already been done. One could feel good about quoting this author because it is obvious that author has done the research. Not only could this article be considered a primary source, but any of the author’s sources would likely qualify as well.

     This article is definitely an informative article. It is loaded with information and statistics about various topics that the writer uses in an attempt to support his argument. It is also a persuasive article as the author attempts to prove that there are different kinds of Spanglish. This article is definitely a primary source. The material, based on several factors for judging sources, passes with flying colors.

     The overwhelming strength of this article is its impressive list of sources cited. This would lead the reader to more credible information. This article does not have a weakness other than perhaps lack of original material. Everything is a quote or paraphrase, but this is a strong source.

     The second source is a twenty minute news special documentary about Spanglish that takes place literally, on the streets of three different communities where the Spanglish is slightly different. http://www.myspace.com/video/rodgfilms/spanglish-news-special-documentary/51878838 It takes place in New York City, New York where there is a heavy Puerto Rican and Dominican influence, Hialeah, Florida where there is a strong Cuban influence, and Del Rio, Texas, a border town where there is obviously a huge Mexican influence. It speaks of geographical factors that determine what kind of Spanglish is spoken as well as socio-economic factors. This video exists independently of “MySpace” but this is where it was seen. It is a “.com” which is a red flag when determining credibility of sources. But this film is a documentary by a television company. The material within seems good. It shows vivid examples of people from different Hispanic cultures (Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Mexican) speaking Spanglish, and talking about Spanglish. It also interviews several celebrities who give their thoughts on Spanglish and even some who are cashing in on Spanglish.

     MySpace is not considered reliable, but this video is only shown there. It is produced by a cable company, which does not automatically qualify it or disqualify it from consideration as a primary source, but that would be better than MySpace. It is made by “Mun2” which is a subsidiary of NBC. It is likely a trustworthy source. The material is worthy, despite where it is being presented. And no matter who created it, it is a great example of how people speak. It is an excellent example of descriptive language in terms of English, Spanish or Spanglish. It comes right from the mouths of the speakers who speak this language, or conglomeration of languages.

     It does not have an author, but it does have a producer. That would suffice as an author in this case. There is a date of release which is a good sign of credibility.

     One of the strengths of this video is that is shows real people speaking the real language that they speak every day. It offers some of the advantages and some of the disadvantages of speaking Spanglish. It is reality. It also gets at peoples’ feelings about their own language use. The advantages of this are that there is a certain creativity when choosing which words to choose, whether English, Spanish, Spanglish, or like most often, some combination of the three. It is of conscious code switching, but not only as a creative outlet as in inventing, creating or mixing two or more words, but out of necessity. It is unconscious code switching where a word is used in one language because the word is not known in the other language.

      Many of the speakers speak of diglossia, (although the speakers do not identify the term) meaning they speak a certain way in one situation, and speak another way in a different one. It shows clearly that the language is in transition and continues to evolve. After all, language does not operate in a vacuum. It is constantly changing as stated here by Rosina Lippi-Green. “We begin with those linguistic facts of life that will be crucial to the issues raised in the

course of this book: All spoken language changes over time.• All spoken languages are equal in terms of linguistic potential.” (Rosina Lippi-Green pg. 60)

     Having the opportunity to see all of these definitions and theories at work is the strongest part of this video.  It is really is the animation of socio-linguistic laws. Another strength of this video is that it has written and printed examples of Spanglish as well as spoken examples. It is odd how certain words are selected. In some examples, the nouns are in English and verbs in Spanish, and at other times, vice versa.

     The weakest part of this article is that it is on MySpace. Social media is acceptable and can be used as a primary source, but this would be stronger outside of MySpace. This is an academic project that is well produced, but a more academic setting would serve it better. One good thing is that without social media, this piece may go un-noticed, and that would be a shame because it is an excellent production with vivid examples.

     The use of these two sources in particular gives the reader a better rounded sense of what is taking place. Having the article talk about “code switching” and define what is happening and give every example a label is excellent. To then watch this video and see all of these theories and definitions in motion paint a real picture as to what is happening. On one hand, you have the author of the article speaking about code switching. Then, in the video, it is witnessed in live real conversation. Reading a line from the article that says, “Speakers claim membership in the mainstream by speaking Spanglish” (http://www3.amherst.edu/~spanglish/garrido.htm) and then watching people from the video say it’s a social thing gives the viewer a high definition view of the big picture. Reading the author speaking of diglossia in academic terms is one thing, but seeing people say “Yeah, I do that” without knowing the definition or the term is quite another. The opportunity to see the definitions taking place in the real world really drives the lesson home.

     To see the non standard language variety at work with code switching, in real time and to see (and hear) heteroglossic beauty right before your eyes (and ears) is the best way to really understand what kind of English, Spanish, or Spanglish is being used and how language is so intricately tied to culture.

Works Cited

 Garrido, Joaquín.   “Spanglish, Spanish and English.”  An International Conference on Spanglish         Amherst College, April 2-3, 2004.  http://www3.amherst.edu/~spanglish/garrido.htm.

 Web. September 30, 2012.

 Gizzle, Rod. Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/51878838  February 7, 2009.

 Web. September 30, 2012.

 Diaz, Dr. Jose. Class lecture on “Finding Spanish Resources” The Ohio State University.
August 29, 2012

Guest Speaker.

Lipski, John M. Varieties of Spanish in the United States. Chapter 3. Pages 38-74. Georgetown University Press. 2008.
Electronic Print.

Lippi-Green, Rosina. English with an Accent. Chapter 1. Pages 5-26. Routledge. 2012.
Electronic Print.

  I remember that there were a few Spanish speakers in high school, and they were from Puerto Rico and Peru, but other than that, I never heard Spanish as a child growing up in the 70s and 80s in Columbus, Ohio. I was not a big Sesame Street child but I do remember hearing a Spanish word every once in a while on that show. There were a few Latino characters on TV too, but I had almost no exposure to the Spanish language as a child. It was my freshmen year at high school in 1984 when I first studied the language, but even then, I never heard it outside of the classroom. Immigrants and immigrant issues to me were for people from New York or Los Angeles, but not the very white suburbs of Columbus. So I was in for a big surprise in 1994 when I moved to Chicago.

     Wow!! Chicago is different than Columbus. There were signs that welcomed one to “Puerto Rico” There were Mexican flags draped over hoods of cars. There were as many tamale stands as there were beef stands and hot dog vendors. There were billboards in Spanish. There were entire Spanish TV stations with news, sports and entertainment. It was all over the radio as well. Mariachi music was new to me and it could be heard everywhere. They even had Chicago Cubs baseball games broadcast in Spanish over the radio. It was like there was another world existing within a world or even better, two worlds that overlapped each other. One thing that I noticed quickly was that the people who spoke Spanish spoke English, but not the other way around. At that time, I do not remember people complaining about the presence of another language.  But it was not just Spanish. There was Polish, Russian and a slew of other languages spoken and visible everywhere.  But Spanish was dominant as a language and a cultural presence. One could literally see it, hear it, and smell it!

     I was young and naïve and assumed all these people were Mexican. Many were, but that was wrong to just assume that.  We don’t celebrate Nicaraguan or Honduran holidays here, but they exist. They are totally a different culture than Mexico, but I had them grouped all together. Dominicans have little in common with Mexicans other than language and Puerto Ricans couldn’t be more different than Argentineans. Like in the Morales reading, they have Spanglish in common with each other, but the cultures remain separate. One funny story that always comes to mind when I try to explain Chicago was when I was in line at a Chinese restaurant and a Mexican women was trying to order Chinese from a Chinese woman. They were both speaking English, but neither could understand each other. I worked at a restaurant with Mexicans, Colombians, a man from El Salvador, Italians, Polish, Ukrainians, and a couple of Americans. There was a unique brand of English being spoken there, but everybody spoke a little Spanish. That was where I first began to understand the language. I still study Spanish to this day and attribute that to my experiences in Chicago. There was so much laughter about confusion between languages.  It had a profound effect on me.

Spanish in America

          Finding credible sources is essential to writing a good paper. There are several important factors that one must consider when using another person’s work as a primary source. This process is confusing to begin with, but when considering all the information that is now available online, this process gets harder and harder. But it is the most important part of a research paper so credible and reliable primary resources must be filtered out of the universe of cosmic internet debris. There are several guidelines to use when finding good resourses that have been discussed and some of these guidelines will be applied to this article: http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/iv-language-use-among-latinos/    This is an article from the PEW Research center that discusses how Latino people identify themselves through language and the importance of the Spanish language, and what happens to the language as generations

     One way to determine if an article is credible is to use a source that has been deemed as credible. As discussed in the lecture given by Dr Díaz, the Pew Research center is a good source. He even used an article from Pew as an example of a credible source, so most articles found at this site will likely be credible. This article has easy to identify authors, which are a good indication that the source is credible. It also has a date, which adds to the likelihood of credibility. Dr Díaz informed that those are two important details.

     Finding a website that ends in “.edu” is a good way to find a credible source. This article is a “.org” which can be credible, but a .edu is almost always an excellent source. But the fact that this site has a history of being reliable is its best attribute.

     This particular article is an informative article. It is a survey given to Spanish speaking immigrants that tracks 3 generations of the family in order to learn what happens to the Spanish language in the United States as generations pass. It also asks the person to place value on the importance of English. There are strengths and weaknesses to this survey as some questions are good, and some are not as good.

     One strength of this article is that it provides a plethora of statistics that could be used to support a thesis. Statistics can be great, especially from a research institution with a reliable history.  One of the great questions asks Spanish speakers if learning English is important to the success of future generations. Another good question asked was how important is it for future generations to retain the Spanish language. (It was interesting to see such a high number concerning this statistic based on past American immigrants and their desire to lose their mother tongue.

     One weakness of this article is the vagueness of some of the data. An example is that one of the potential responses to the survey were “very well/pretty well” in reference to reading and speaking in Spanish. Those are hardly scientific responses. These are people rating themselves. What does that mean? No degree of understanding is really known. The numbers may be used, but they may not really say anything.  Another question asked in what language television was watched.  It is very vague as that really does give a picture of ability to speak or understand. It seems to assume that there was always a choice between the Spanish or English when turning on the television. But even though those are not useful questions, there are some that are.

     It is hard to imagine that with so many people who speak English as a second or third language that there would ever be a Standard Language Ideology, but as generations pass, the native tongue disappears and the new tongue appears. The English gets better and better, or does it?

¿Quién?

Hola Hola Hola!
     Me llamo Timoteo Salvatore Tortorello y soy italiano. Mi abuelo vino a los Estados Unidos de Italia en 1904. Vivía en Chicago su entera vida. Mi padre nació en Chicago en 1935 y yo nací en Columbus en 1969. Mi abuelo no aprendió nunca como hablar inglés.

     Aunque hoy soy un hombre gordo, cuando era joven era muy flaco y atlético. Me gustaba mirar y jugar deportes de todos tipos. Hoy en día, no juego deportes, pero todavia, me gusta mirar los eventos en televisión.

     Mientras es verdad que tengo un estomogao grande, como un hipopótamo, no es más grande que el corazón. Siempre, he sido una persona muy generosa. No teníamos nunca mucho dinero y por eso comprendo a la gente que no tienen mucho. Creo que soy simpatico, pero eso es una pregunta para mis amigos.
     Siempre, he amado a los animales. Trabajo con 24 gatos y 24 perros. Me gusta escribir sobre animales y creo que gente puede aprender mucho de ellos. Tengo 2 gatos, se llaman Guiness y Sweet Pea y 1 perro, se llama Winston.

     Hay mucho que me gusta hacer. Por ejemplo, me encanta cocinar. Desde chiquito, mi cuarto preferito era la cocina. Tenía que plantarme en una silla para alcanzar los mecheros. Cuando tenía 5 años sabía como preparar huevos rancheros. Hoy, todavía disfruto de cocinar.
     La cosa que me gusta más que cocinar es estudiar español. De hecho, me interesan muchas lenguas. Siempre busco las significaciónes a la palabras de muchas idiomas diferentes. Las lenguas del mundo son fantásticos.
     Una cosa que no me gusta hacer es gastar dinero. No soy tacaño, pero me vuelve loco si gasto dinero. No necesito mucho, pero es imperativo utilizar lo que tengo.

     No quiero ser rico, pero sería un mentiroso si te dijera que no quise una casa grande cerca de la playa afuera de la ciudad de Santo Domingo en La República Domincana. Desde mi viaje a la isla, sigo soñar en regresar. No tengo una casa, ni muchas posesiones aqui, así eso es posible. No sé donde voy a vivir después de graduarme de Ohio State, pero dondequiera es, voy a hablar español.