Response to Chapter 2 Adult Biliteracy and Language Diversity

Chapter 2 Adult Biliteracy and Language Diversity

“The more accurate conclusion can be reached that, rather than educational attainment being a function of English ability, English ability is a function of educational attainment that was obtained under English or bilingual instruction” (45).

When we see results from data collected we tend to take it as it is and that’s why I found this chapter to be so interesting because it takes that data and actually shows what those results represent and mean beyond the assumption already made. The U.S. Census Bureau’s national language data “provides government agencies with the information for programs that serve the needs of the people who have difficulty speaking English” (38), yet these results are used to further pushes the assumption that English is the “desirable” language to speak in the U.S. As this chapter explains, not only does this conclusion perpetuate the notion that only by learning English will people prosper in this society but it neglects their education. There are subject matters that are difficult enough for English speakers to grasp but imposing that on non-English speakers makes it a very frustrating learning experience, “the forced use of only one language is stressful and unnatural” (18). How do we break from that cycle? How do can we move away from the ideology of English-only? There are Americans who feel very strongly against bilingualism in the classroom even with the amount of research and information that show the benefits of a person continuing their education in their primary language while learning English. “The more relevant fact is that the census does not collect the information necessary to assess language use in languages other than English” (40), and that is where it starts, with the information itself; formatting it so the data collected reflects a society where hundreds of different languages are spoken. There are communities where the majority of the signs in the neighborhood are in a different language, whether you go to Chinatown or Washington Heights, you can see places that do not reflect an English-only society.