In this essay, I will discuss the benefits of different versions of language, as well as discuss an examples of linguistic prejudice that I have witnessed first-hand.
If you are a native English speaker and grew up listening to nothing but English, you may feel like you speak the purest form of the language. In other words, there is no other outside language contaminating the version of English that you were taught. For non-native speakers trying to learn another foreign language, it can be supremely difficult and can takes years of practice to become fluent. I know from personal experience that learning another language is very difficult as I have taken five years of language in school and still am not fluent in Spanish. It doesn’t mean that it can’t be done, as I have witnessed with my grandma, who comes from Italy. She grew up speaking Italian and thought it would probably be the only language she would ever need to know or speak. However, when her family decided to up and leave Italy for America, it was time for her to start to learn English. Fast forward the seventy years that my grandma has lived here and she still doesn’t speak perfect …show more content…
Here in America we have many different accents and dialects that reflect on where we were raised in the country. Weather you were raised in New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, or Alabama, I promise you that even though you all speak English, there are different words used for different things or different accents heard on some words. Wherever you travel to in America, there will be different variations of the English language found, which can be a very interesting thing. It really adds to the diversity and culture here in America. Although many people come from the exact same country, they all speak a little different depending on where they were raised. New Yorkers speak completely different than someone who comes from Alabama or anywhere in the south. Different variations and word combinations may be used, but for the most part they are able to understand the different versions of English being spoken. This example can also be found in other foreign countries. I have witnessed my grandpa, who comes from Sicily (island off the boot of Italy) not be able to understand my grandma, who comes from Italy. Although they both speak Italian, there are different dialects used in different parts of the country. A Sicilian dialect and one heard in Venice or Rome are completely different versions of the Italian language. A similar example can also found in Mexico and Spain. My studies in