Reading Journal #3

1. Think about the languages you speak, read, and/or write. For this prompt, I
want you to consider not only whole languages (e.g., English, Spanish, Mandarin
Chinese, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Russian, etc.), but also
dialects (e.g., British English, American English, Australian English), regional
accents (e.g., New England English, New Orleans and Cajun English, Southern
American English), slang (e.g., youth slang, internet slang), and other non-
alphabetic language systems (e.g., emojis, computer coding/ programming
languages) you know and use. With these in mind, describe your multilingual
identity. What languages do you speak, read, or write?
a. My multilingual identity would be Spanish and English. I can speak, read, and
write in both English and Spanish, they are however very specific types of
languages. English would be the American english, but with the eastern side as in
Florida. As for Spanish, my regional accent is Managua, Nicaragua. The spanish
and dialect spoken in the capital of Nicaragua, Managua, is very different from
the dialects and accent used in other areas of the country. Ever since I came to the
US, many spanish speaker have listened to me speak spanish and think that I am
from Venezuela because the accent and dialect used in Venezuela are very similar
to the one spoken in the capital of my country, Nicaragua.

2. Leonard defines "rhetorical attunement" as "an ear for, or tuning toward,

difference or multiplicity. . . .[it] invites the negotiation of meaning across
difference" (228). Describe a time when you made choices about which language,
dialect, accent, or slang you would use in a particular situation. What language
resources did you have available to use? How and why did you choose which
language tools and resources to use in that particular situation? Please provide
specific examples from your lived experiences and/or the article to support your
answer.
a. I have had many situations in which I had to choose which language of the two
that I know of I would use in order to successfully communicate and accomplish
whatever goal I or other people have. One time, back in my school in Nicaragua,
my english teacher did not know any spanish and my spanish teacher did not
know any english. We had a project due for both classes that had the exact same
format but both had to be in their respective languages and based on the novel
read on each separate class. I had to use my english writing, speaking, and reading
skills for the english class, and the same skills but in spanish for my spanish class.

3. How has this article made you think about your own linguistic identity? Has it
challenged, reaffirmed, or caused you to question or realize something about
yourself and/or the ways you speak, write, and use language? If you had to
describe yourself as a language user, what would you say? Does Leonard's
article help you to expand your description in any way? If so, how?
 a. This article made me think about my own linguistic identity in a more technical
and deeper way. I only thought that I spoke spanish and english, but Leonard was
right by stating that there are “regional accents” that explain “rhetorical
attunement” and its rhetorical in multilingualism which represent the instability
and contingency (Leonard 230). It has definitely reaffirmed and realize how the
languages that I speak and the way and style both have are native and
representative of my story and identity as a person. If I had to describe myself as a
language user I would definitely say that I am a ver outspoken and use dialects
that are unique and most likely only belong from the country I come from which
makes it all more cultural and gives more credit to my identity and cultural
background. Leonard helped me expand my description by providing context and
explanation of why I speak, express, write, and even read the way I do and why
sometime I would obviously struggle with either or both languages.

4. Please attempt to create a full, Works Cited citations for the Leonard article.
For help, see the Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide (Links to an
external site.)
a. Leonard, Rebecca Lorimer. “Multilingual Writing as Rhetorical Attunement.”

College English 76.3 (2014): 227–247. Print.