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Destiny Romo

English 28

Professor Batty

3 November 2017

Being Bilingual Defines Who You Are

How I understand it is language shapes and changes your identity. It defines who you are as a

person. I strongly believe that the language or languages you speak says a lot about you. It can

really play a big part in your life and change a lot of things. It can also change how you view

things and cause a split in your world. Being bilingual changes the majority of things and in my

perspective it honestly helps you grow more as a person in the real world. Although some would

say that language does not contribute to ones identity, I argue that language in fact does change

your identity and defines who you are because it helps you grow as a person in many ways.

If spanish is your first language and thats the only language you know you can really struggle

a lot. Some people might think you are uneducated and just judge you right off the bat without

even talking to you first. They might view you differently when really they shouldnt. People

shouldnt judge a book by its cover, they should read the book first and then talk about it and

criticize it all they want. Just because first language isnt english doesnt mean they arent

capable of doing great and successful things with their life. My grandpa actually grew up in

Zacatecas and spanish was his first language. He didnt get much education when he was little

because he needed to get a job and help his mom out. He grew up, met my grandma, and they

moved here to the United States. He turned his life around and made himself a better person. He
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went back to school as an adult because he wanted to educate himself and so he did. He learned

english and also went to a university. Now hes a doctor and hes ran over 50 marathons. Hes

just one of the many examples of how being bilingual changes your life.

In chapter one of How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents I realized that the oldest sister

Carla struggles the most with everything throughout in her life. She struggles with trying to

identity who she is as a person. She feels like she hasnt been around and she felt like was losing

her native language at one point in the story. She overall struggles english the most because

spanish has always been her first language. English is a whole new language and change for her

and now that she's learned it she feels like it's changed how she is as a person. In chapter one

theres a quote that says In halting spanish, Yolanda reports on her sisters. When she reverts to

English, she is scolded, !En espanol! The more she practices, the sooner shell be back in her

native tongue, the aunts insist (Alvarez 7). In that quote, they are talking about shes not being

herself and how she will soon enough get native language back with lots of practice. In the

beginning of the quote, I feel like they are calling Carla out for not being self. It seems like

everyone is trying to get her back to how she was before.

Some people might say that language does not contribute to ones identity and does not define

who you are as a person. Linguist, Manuel Aicart says in his article Besides, most people who

claim to experience changes in their identity of behavior usually say that in relation to a language

they learned as adults, not in relation to their first language (Aicart pg.1). Manuel thinks that

language doesnt have a big impact on your life. I can see why hes saying that. He claims that

language doesnt have much to do with your identity and does not define who you are as a

person. However, I still insist that language does in fact define who you are and does have a big

impact on your life. Being bilingual is a great quality to have.

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Language is an important aspect of communication. It gives you more of an advantage to

everything and it really helps you succeed in the big world later on. I feel like the more educated

and the more you know the better. The more you educate yourself the more youll succeed in life

is how I see it. If you are bilingual, it helps you grow as a person and it can cause split of your

sense of yourself. When youre bilingual, I feel like the majority of people view things

differently. It also helps you view things differently and just open your third eye. When you are

bilingual, it opens so many doors for you in the real world. If you are bilingual and you are

applying for a job, that can really make a difference. They would most likely hire the person who

is bilingual over the person who only knows one language.

I feel like language really defines who are along with your personality as well. In chapter two,

Bilingual Identity:Being and Becoming Bilingual there is a quote that says exploring issues of

identity can be extremely complex, and necessitate engagement with a wide range of different

fields that have explored the notion of identity in different ways ( Springer Science 17). I think

that this quote is saying that being bilingual can say a lot about you. I also think that this quote is

saying identity can be defined in various ways because it is talking about the forms of identity

and how theres different ways people can be identified. In the quote it also mentions with a

wide range of different fields.

Being bilingual can also impact your social life if you think about it. If you speak more than

one language, your communication skills will be a lot better. Language has a lot to do with how

we communicate with one another. In my perspective, I think being bilingual is a great skill to

have. Its a great and important aspect to have when it comes to communicating. You just

understand things so much better and view things differently when youre bilingual. It changes

your perspective on a lot of things and helps you grow as a person. It helps you grow as a person
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because youre learning new languages and social skills that really help you out later on in your

future. Being bilingual helps you become more successful in my opinion.

In my conclusion, I argue that language does change your identity and defines who you are as a

person because when you are bilingual it helps you grow as a person. I also believe that it can

cause a split in your sense of self. Being bilingual makes you view things differently and is a

great skill to have for your future and anything really. Language shapes our identity as well and

learning a new language contributes to who are. I feel like when you learn a new language, it

changes you in a way but for the better. Yes, it might change you a little but at the same time its

showing that youve learned a lot more. Plus it gives you more of an advantage.

Works Citation Page

Chapter 2 pg.17 Springer Science + business + media singapose (2015) R. Fielding,

Multilingualism
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How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents pg.7

McWhater J.(2014). The Language Hoax. Why The World Looks The Same In Any Language.

New York: Oxford University Press.