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English as a Second Language

By Ronald Huereca on Mar 5, 2008.

This post is somewhat of a departure from my earlier posts in an attempt to speak my mind on a topic I hold dear to me.

Not everyone speaks English as a first language. That is one thing I have to constantly remind myself, whether I’m writing for this site, my personal site, or at rather popular blog such as Weblog Tools Collection.

Case in fact, I am currently the only writer for RA Project that lives in the United States. Aside from Andrew, I am also the only writer that speaks english as a first language. The rest have learned english at their own will and have grasped it quite well.

Part of my heritage is that I am a half-Mexican. I speak a little of Spanish, but that’s only because I have actively been trying to learn it. The reasons I want to learn a foreign language are as follows:

• I want to learn a language that is very quickly growing in use in the United States.
• I want to continue my Mexican heritage by learning the language and culture.
• I want to help those in this country that have yet to adapt to the english language.

When I mention my reasons to those around me, some people will say, “But they’re in our country. They should speak english.”

Perhaps they should (I have no opinion on the topic), but that doesn’t change the fact that they don’t.

And in my local area isn’t the only place where non-English speakers are looked down upon. I was playing a video game where there were several people speaking Spanish. Some were from Argentina, some were from Panama. However, the Mexican jokes kept flying from the english speakers. I continued to talk with one of the guys from Panama (in spanish) and actually be-friended him.

My position is, everyone is human. And every individual is part of a unique culture. When someone refuses to accept other languages and cultures, he is doing a disservice to himself. There is so much more out there than just one country, one language, and one culture.

Blogging has widely changed my perspectives. Just yesterday I talked to people from Great Britain, India, Australia, China, Panama, Argentina, Canada, and the United States. Throughout the week I talk to people who live in many more countries. Sure the common foundation was the english language (in most cases), but it’s exhilarating to know that so much more exists out there.

I love blogging, and I love the readers I get the privilege to interact with. I am thankful for the many readers who have helped me or I was able to help. None of that would have been possible if I had refused to interact with those who may be a little different than me, or who may wake up and speak a different language.

Part of reader appreciation is recognizing the readers are indeed human. And part of that recognition is attempting to acknowledge and accept another person’s culture and language. When that attempt is made, doors appear out of nowhere and are wide open.

I love my language. I love my culture. And I love my country. But I try to keep my eyes open and recognize that where I am isn’t the only place, culture, or language in this world.

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