Carlyza Felix

3/13/2021
TOW Paper Project
Language pros and cons!
In this paper I will be talking about how language can bring you

opportunities or can bring you problems. Now on days we called the “Karens”

the sociality has chosen that name to call all the people that try to judge by the

appearance or by the language that someone is speaking. Language can be a

good or a bad thing to us. It can benefit us, or the people can take advantage of

it we really don’t know. How we speak it if we use some ascent or if we write it

or read something wrong those people are going to judge us? Language those

challenge us, for some people we can take advantage of and take action of

what we learn and read.

I am not talking about a Language for example Spanish, English, French

I am talking that there is different type of Spanish there is different type of

English and that there is different type of every language on the world. We can

speak it in a personal way that we make our own language in texts, a

professional way that we can take advantage of a friendly way that we always

use it with our friends or family. Language gives us opportunities and we are

trying our best to be successful on life that we try our best to learn new things.

Something that looks very simply a Language can be difficult and

complicated at the same time. Another example that I can give is that for

example I use different types of Spanish, my first language. I speak with my

family on a casual-respectful Spanish because I have more connection with my

family so I Can talk more calm and more peaceful but having respect for mom

and dad. But when I talk with friends, I use my friendly Spanish that is more of

“Fresa” it does makes a lot more difference and people can see how you can

speak different ways the same language. I use my professional Spanish, with
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3/13/2021
TOW Paper Project
fancier words, when I go to business appointments and it does make a big

difference and the people pay more attention to you. Speaking the same

language but in a different way does open your opportunities and it can help

you use it for your benefit or for your way. My personal experience can be a big

example that yes if you read or say something wrong yes people are going to

judge you.

An example that I can give is that a reading that my English professor

give us “Official American is best”, wrote by Alvarez, this reading is talking

about how immigrants are trying there best to have a better life. On this reading

it says that if you know more than one language those give us more

opportunities. So, if language doesn’t define us how does professor will be

different from students.

There are many ways that help us and a way that it can be discriminated

against is that people that nowadays we call them “Karens” can discriminate

against us and take advantage for their own benefit. People can discriminate

against us and can even bully us. A way that can define us is that if we speak

Spanish people will tell us “Mexican people” or you just speak English “Gringo

or Wero” and more it all depends on the language it discriminates against and it

can hurt our feelings in a bad way. We all know that all people have different

opinions and that everyone thinks differently.

Now on days there is many people that do not care anything else that

just their self and this is getting the people to discriminate each other. These

past months we have seen that people have judge a person by it skin color.

Many people do not think before talking and say things that people are being
Carlyza Felix
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TOW Paper Project
accuse or offended and this is getting to a level that people are losing life by

being just their self-speaking another language or being a different skin color.

Personally, I have experienced a type of discrimination because I

couldn’t speak English that well. When I was in 5 th grade my English teacher

ask me to read something at loud and I did it, but I have trouble reading it

because it was one of my first years studying in the USA. So, she had to help

me more that 5 times and she got mad at me because I couldn’t read so she

starts yelling at me. After this experience that my teacher star to making fun of

me I report her to the office, and everything change. So, if we start our own way

to help people and not judge so a person that is trying their best in this case, I

was trying my best, but the teacher got mad and starting to say things that were

unnecessary. I can basically say that she was being a Karen, a person that just

talks and those do not know what is on reality all about.

Another example that I can give is on the article “Does language define

your identity” In this article there is a man that he is original from Afghanistan

name Rabian Nasimi. He is giving his personal example that he is being a

person that his first language is Pastun he cannot communicate that well with

people on the USA because not many people can understand him. He is telling

that the audience that language those give us an opportunity or it can give us

problems. This man is trying to give you a perspective of being on someone

shoe’s that you are being judging and seeing a perspective of how they really

are not who they are.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head

but if you talk to him in his mother language that goes to his heart”, I love this

quote that I find on “Language and identity”. This is what makes the difference
Carlyza Felix
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TOW Paper Project
when you talk it can define you on a second your whole life by how you

communicate. We need to start changing the word by doing our part. Don’t

judge a book by its cover open the first page and start reading. This will change

the whole perspective on earth by just start making a difference.

In conclusion language have pros and cons and this can change a whole

life of a person to have benefits or to have worries. Language is a topic that can

have many points of view and this has been my personal experience on how I

have lived and how I have seen and learn. What do you think does language

have more pros or more cons?

Carlyza Felix
3/13/2021
TOW Paper Project

Sources with end text citations:

A. Alvarez, “Official American English Is Best” [ Short text from Bad Ideas About
Writing; the title is meant to be ironic] (pp. 93-98)

B. Sian Lewin, “Does language define your Identity?” Dec 16th, 2015 [ Posted in
Political Sociology, States and Nations, Student Voices]( the role of language in the
formation of identity in Afghanistan by Rabia Nasimi)

C. Kahar Zalmay, “Language and Identity” Feb 11th, 2017 [ International The News
article] ( The writer is the media adviser of Lok Virsa)

D. Maria Rydell, “Being a competent language user in a world of others [ Adult

migrants perceptions an dconstructions of communicative competence]
( linguistics and education vol.45 pp 101-109