Language in My Life Personal Essay

Speaking and language have always been a challenge for me as I grew up.  Since I was able to speak, my major weakness has always been pronunciation and grammar comprehension. Although I am ultimately to blame, I blame those around me for unintentionally forcing me to communicate in poor English. Growing up in New York City with a father who was an immigrant from the Caribbean and a mother who was from the South, I was destined not to speak proper English. 

Nonetheless, it is fantastic to live in New York City. The city is home to many different cultures, all of which speak different languages. Various dialects of Spanish, Chinese, Indo-European, Creole, English and other languages will be heard. Each language has its own set of rules and regulations, as do the dialects. This is noticeable in Spanish. The language has numerous different dialects based on where a person originated from. Puerto Rican Spanish and Dominican Spanish are the two main dialects of Spanish that I am familiar with hearing. The two dialects are entirely opposite, but they are both classified as Spanish. Not only are the various languages a massive component of my poor English, but so is New York slang, which is constantly changing. Whether you are listening to New York-based artists or watching videos of everyday New Yorkers, you will always notice the "New York" accent and words that are used in an "abnormal" way. As a young adult who was born and raised in New York, I have adapted to the way that people speak and what they actually mean. There are many words in New York slang that are the same but have different meanings based on the context of the situation and the way someone says it. As for the word "word", it has both a negative and neutral connotation to it depending on the situation. As a result of the various cultures, dialects, and languages, my English will never be what several individuals in this world deem appropriate. When it comes time for me to communicate or when I need to type or handwrite something, I have the urge to use slang terms or improper sentences that are not grammatically correct rather than using "proper" English or grammar.  By living in New York, I can say that my environment shaped how I communicate and express myself.  I would not claim it made me the best English speaker on the planet, but it surely adds individuality and a twist to my speech.

My parents and their families are also people I like to point the finger at. On my father's side, there is a significant Caribbean influence. My father was born on the small Caribbean island of St. Kitts but moved to St. Thomas as a child. My grandmother, who was also born and raised in St. Kitts, immigrated to the United States with my father and two aunts when my father was 16 years old. Despite the fact that my father lived in the United States for a longer period of time than he did in the islands, his accent and way of speaking are still largely inspired by the Caribbean. For example, my father says certain words in a different way. Vegetables are one word he says differently than most people. My father pronounces veggie-teb-bules instead of veg-tuh-blz. It may seem unusual for someone to say vegetables in that manner, but that is how he grew up saying it. My grandmother also pronounces and spells words differently than the average American. Her accent is much heavier than my father's because she lived in the Caribbean until she was an adult. To this day, I sometimes still struggle to understand what she is saying exactly. My mother's family, on the other hand, is very southern. My mother's family comes from a small town in South Carolina, where everyone is extremely southern. My mother was extremely fortunate enough not to have a thick southern accent, but the rest of her family was not. I do not understand a multitude of her family because their accents are insanely thick. For instance, when some of my family members speak, their pronunciation differs from that of New Yorkers or “proper” English speakers. They also have their own words, which have the same definition as regular words. For instance, the term "boe" can generally refer to a friend or a man in the context that someone says "come on man." Seeing as I spent a lot of time down in the south as a child during the summers and holidays, some people say they can usually hear a southern accent in my speech when I say certain phrases. I remember trying to pick up their slang and trying to imitate their accents when I was younger, but I never really imagined I would have a slight accent when I was older. My inability to say three was one of the most distinct memories I had. Although I was still very little and learning how to talk correctly, uttering the word "three" was the most difficult thing for me at the time. It is really truly fascinating to be able to be around two entirely different accents and cultures while still being able to comprehend both accents.

Even though the accents and slang of New York and my entire family have largely influenced my ability to speak proper English, my inability to comprehend certain phonetic and grammatical rules is also a significant factor in my inability to speak. I had always faced difficulties with those specific sections of English due to the fact that I could never grasp or fully comprehend the numerous rules and guidelines that go into attempting to build the perfect sentence. I constantly felt that I was being taught a method to grammar that was not in keeping with what I had learned prior to that year. Everything perplexed me, and it's troubling to think that I can't comprehend the rules of my own language. However, one of my middle school teachers reassured me that English is one of the world's most difficult and perplexing languages. I remind myself of that statement to reassure myself that it's okay if I struggle a little because I'm learning a difficult language with an excessive number of rules.