Hello again! Class started this week, but we only meet once or twice a week and we haven't been assigned anything yet, so there's not really much to report back on. I think it's going to be a fun semester though.
This is a blog post I wanted to put off. I wanted to wait until the middle of the semester or so. But I really couldn't put it off any longer. I've been thinking about this post, writing draft after draft to make sure it's perfect, and I think it needs to be said.
Don’t apologise for your accent. Your
accent is not a sign of weakness, though you oftentimes think that it is. Your
accent is a sign that you’ve dedicated years to learning a language so you will
be able to communicate with those outside the small parameters of the world
you grew up in; it’s a sign of courage.
Don’t apologise for the times you make
mistakes, the times you put words where they don’t belong or leave words out
completely. These are times of learning, both for you and for me. Your
grammatical errors offer an insight to your native tongue, and, instead of
apologising, I wish you would explain to me how it would be said in your language
because it can often explain why you said what you did in English. I know that
the times someone corrects your English or you catch yourself making errors
feels embarrassing, but I wish you wouldn’t view these things as embarrassing.
You’re learning, I’m learning, and learning is never anything to be ashamed of.
So without further ado, here is an open letter to my bilingual friends:
Don’t apologise for your accent. Your
accent is not a sign of weakness, though you oftentimes think that it is. Your
accent is a sign that you’ve dedicated years to learning a language so you will
be able to communicate with those outside the small parameters of the world
you grew up in; it’s a sign of courage.  |
| Squad goals |
Don’t ever for a second think that I think
you’re inferior to me or less intelligent than me because of your English
speaking abilities. I know that you’re incredibly smart (you’re smart enough to
learn a second language, obviously!), so you never need to try to explain
yourself to me.
Words cannot express how much I love you
and your presence in my life. Thanks to you, I feel as though I have learned
more about the world in two weeks than I have in my entire life.
I only ask one thing of you: that you are
never ashamed of your English proficiency – I promise you that it’s great.