Re: Pedro's Musings

ENANGEL who-is-at cityu.edu.hk
Tue, 24 Sep 1996 18:14:17 +0800

Thanks for your insightful musings! We have a diglossic situation in Hong
Kong, with English as the dominant language and Cantonese as the `low'
variety; after 1997, we might have a `triglossic' situation, still with
Cantonese at the bottom, but Mandarin Chinese and English in different
`high' domains. Ironically, Cantonese is the first language of the
majority of people here, but it seems to have a fate of remaining a `low'
variety! While middle class children have easy access to a bi/tri-lingual
/cultural identity, working class children live in a sociocultural and
school world where their lack of access to these symbolic resources is
perpetuated and reproduced. Middle class academics here find it difficult
to see through this, however; their standard arguments are: "it's a social
problem"; "they are not motivated to learn other languages"; "they are
lazy", "they have family problems", etc. ...

Angel

> From: IN%"xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu" 24-SEP-1996 13:17
> To: IN%"xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu"
> CC:
> Subj: Pedro's Musings
>
>
> Professor in Educational Psychology_UNIV. OF LOUISVILLE, 40292
> Phone: 588-0630__FAX 502-0726 310 SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
> Genieve;
> It seems "easier" (historically) to see the intentionality of colonial policy
> prior to the early 1900-50's. Suppression of the main mediational means was
> but one of the tools to neutralize non-Anglo forces in nation- building.
>
> Around this area (KY) where German immigration was considerable,laws in this
> century forbade German in all schools.
> (With respect to your other observation........)
> However, the situation in Paraguay and other Andean contexts is far from ideal
> and much different from that in North America. There, they represent the
> majority of the population unlike here. Why? Two hunches, the policy was not
> as bent on genocide perhaps and the populations of Native Americans were much
> larger at that time (?).
>
> Many still live under similar conditions to those found by the colonists. The
> economic development of those countries with high concentrations of Native
> Americans is much more limited and has not been able to penetrate many of
> those groups. Yet, mono-linguals in other than Spanish/Portuguese languages
> fare not that well. Alternators, those with mixed parentage in Peru, Bolivia
> etc stand a much better chance of "success".
>
> Diglossia (the condition of having the tongue tied ) is precisely the engine
> of marginalization for NON-dominant tongue beings who cannot easily master the
> means under present educational conditions. But it sure maintains cultural
> continuity!
> So does bilingualism (balanced) which opens the doors of choice. I know of
> a case in the U.S. where
> a student of Spanish/Latin origin, in which Dad ensured that the diglossia
> of Spanish occurred intentionally, to allow for maximal assimilation. The
> student is white, with a Spanish last name and culturally non-Latin, and has a
> full blooded American identity. This case shows an instance of voluntary
> tongue tying in which adaptation to the dominant culture was achieved at
> the expense of the immigrant one. Who is to judge? Personally, I would feel
> castrated in that case, (I better make it diglossed). This is different from
> having a policy that makes the children involuntary victims.
>
> In my view them, for those who cross borders in this life, regardless of their
> nature, it appears that a bi-cultural competence policy is a must. For those
> inside the dominant border, such is a plus. For those involuntarily outside
> the dominant borders, the choice might be illusory at best. Pedro
>
> REGARDS
>
>