Michelle Sanchez Patino
Throughout the entirety of LSP 2100 we have been discussing many different aspects of Latino existence in the United States. Through different historical and cultural perspectives we’ve seen how Latino history can be missed or warped depending on where you are. I think that one of the main themes of this course is exploring the differences within our community, and celebrating them while also celebrating the things that connect us. With my essay on multilingualism specifically focusing on my personal experience I’m exploring this theme. Language is such a big part of our culture and can be something that divides our community. There are some people that believe that knowing Spanish, perfectly at that, is very important in latinidad and there are others who think the opposite. With the research that I’ve done on bilingualism it doesn’t really matter which ‘side’ of the ‘argument’ you’re on because truly there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ bilingual. As I stay in my essay, I grew up speaking both English and Spanish. The importance of knowing Spanish has always been ingrained in me. This idea of language is something that I hope to carry on to future generations but it’s not necessarily necessary for all Latinos in the United States. This difference is something that should be celebrated in our community; Language is a part of our culture but it isn’t our culture entirely. I think that another thing that we talked about in class and can be seen in my essay is the idea of Pláticas. In class we saw that everyone had a slightly different interpretation of pláticas but at the end of the day it all came down to being a space where we felt comfortable to converse. Pláticas play different roles in my life depending on the seriousness of the plática. Whenever someone, my mom mostly, says vamos a platicar usually it is about something serious, but there are also times when it is something very light- hearted. In my essay I talk about something that me and my family frequently do, which is sit around our table and talk eventually leading to games. The games we play are always about testing my Spanish knowledge and even sometimes testing my parents’ English knowledge. The conversation to game transition is a perfect example of how pláticas are meant to evolve. I think back to our classrooms’ platica on our names. At first it was a little hard to get people to participate but eventually when the conversation evolved from a conversation with the 5ish people at the front of the room to a full out classroom conversation it became fun. Overall I really enjoyed this class. I was able to revisit history that I knew and learn about history that I didn’t. I was able to combine my fascination /knowledge of social linguistics with ideas that affect Latinos in the US. As a Latina in the US I’ve always taken pride in my culture and it was enriching to see that like mindedness in others.
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