Growing up in predomiantly hispanic areas and not speaking spanish common? (Marshall: house, elementary school)

[Tejas12]

I have noticed in some west side and southside hispanic house holds the parents are bilingual but they speak to their children in English and the children speaking very little or no Spanish at all, is this common on the west and southsides of town?

[Grandmax4]

Originally Posted by Tejas12

I have noticed in some west side and southside hispanic house holds the parents are bilingual but they speak to their children in English and the children speaking very little or no Spanish at all, is this common on the west and southsides of town?

I grew up on the southside and my parents spoke to me in English. I understood Spanish (or Tex-Mex, really), but was discouraged from speaking it. My father was adamant that we speak proper English before learning Spanish. Also, the elementary school I attended in the 60's frowned upon speaking Spanish. Students were punished for speaking Spanish in the lunch line. If we were caught, we had to sit up on the cafetorium stage, serving as an example to speak English only. I, in turn, did the same with my kids. I know many of my friends had similar experiences.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

My husband's parents were both bilingual, but he grew up speaking only English. He said that he asked his mom why once, and she said she had worked hard to afford to raise him where he didn't need any Spanish.

[staunchcharacter]

On the flip side of this...

I am white and grew up with two multi-lingual parents who spoke to me in Spanish, French and German, always encouraging me to speak more than just English (and speak it correctly, with pride).

If I was raising children now, I'd do the exact same thing. Knowledge is power and speaking a few languages makes you even more marketable in this very competitive world.

[Grandmax4]

Originally Posted by staunchcharacter

On the flip side of this...

I am white and grew up with two multi-lingual parents who spoke to me in Spanish, French and German, always encouraging me to speak more than just English (and speak it correctly, with pride).

If I was raising children now, I'd do the exact same thing. Knowledge is power and speaking a few languages makes you even more marketable in this very competitive world.

I don't know if you grew up in South Texas back when I did, but the thinking was much different then. When you're being humiliated/punished for being brown and speaking Spanish, it didn't generate feelings of being knowledgeable or having a marketable skill. Fortunately, things are much different now.

[ashbeeigh]

We live in a completely different world today where for the most part culture is embraced. When cultures and people have been opressed for many years, forced to assimilate, it is hard to just jump in and start embracing what people have tried to hide for ages. It may seem strange to people who want to be culturally diverse by speaking different languages that culture (and things as valuable as a second or third language) are punished, but truth be told, it's a hard history to rewrite.

[CyVaquero]

A friend of mine was in town for a conference this Summer and that was one of the first things he commented on. He is Dominican and his wife is Mexican-American living on the border south of where we were stationed together, Yuma, AZ.

To put it in his words, "Mexicans are different here. I was in a restaurant last night surrounded by Mexican families and no one was speaking Spanish."

I would chalk it up to this is Texas, and things are different here, but my step-daughters' father is the same, both of his parents are native Spanish speakers from old northern New Mexico families who 'didn't cross the border, the border crossed them', but didn't teach Spanish to their kids because it was so frowned upon when they were growing up.

I think that dynamic changes considerably though as you get closer to the border and the generational separation from Mexico becomes shorter.

[ranchodrive]

Originally Posted by Grandmax4

I don't know if you grew up in South Texas back when I did, but the thinking was much different then. When you're being humiliated/punished for being brown and speaking Spanish, it didn't generate feelings of being knowledgeable or having a marketable skill. Fortunately, things are much different now.

Speaking Spanish in high school on the south side where I grew up in the 60s was not
allowed .
In between periods going from one classroom to another, there were hall guards who would
report you to the principal's office for punishment.
Although I did have a few "anglos" as school friends, mostly I stayed with kids like me who
spoke English & Spanish.
About the only time I felt intimidated was from the history teacher who spoke highly of the
heroes of the Alamo & had a very low opinion for Mexicans saying that by nature they
were a violent race .
Knowing that he was of German background, I stood up & asked him what was his opinion
with regards to brutality by a race that was committed to wiping out another because they
happened to be jews. I think he kind of back pedaled & change his opinion.
Later I learned that there were " Mexicans " that died defending the Alamo.
On a positive note to this is that since I could speak Spanish, it helped me make more
sales when I worked at Joske's tending to customers from Mexico.
It wasn't the Spanish that they use, but I was able to make myself understood.

BTW: In school we were at one time classified as "latin Americans" then it was changed
to "Americans with a Spanish surname" then to "Mexican Americans".
Not sure if the current is "Latinos".
The folks south of the border do not consider me as Mexican & the anglos don't consider
me a Texan. So for now I'm a Texican or Tejano...

[Grandmax4]

Originally Posted by ranchodrive

Speaking Spanish in high school on the south side where I grew up in the 60s was not
allowed .
In between periods going from one classroom to another, there were hall guards who would
report you to the principal's office for punishment.
Although I did have a few "anglos" as school friends, mostly I stayed with kids like me who
spoke English & Spanish.
About the only time I felt intimidated was from the history teacher who spoke highly of the
heroes of the Alamo & had a very low opinion for Mexicans saying that by nature they
were a violent race .
Knowing that he was of German background, I stood up & asked him what was his opinion
with regards to brutality by a race that was committed to wiping out another because they
happened to be jews. I think he kind of back pedaled & change his opinion.
Later I learned that there were " Mexicans " that died defending the Alamo.
On a positive note to this is that since I could speak Spanish, it helped me make more
sales when I worked at Joske's tending to customers from Mexico.
It wasn't the Spanish that they use, but I was able to make myself understood.

BTW: In school we were at one time classified as "latin Americans" then it was changed
to "Americans with a Spanish surname" then to "Mexican Americans".
Not sure if the current is "Latinos".
The folks south of the border do not consider me as Mexican & the anglos don't consider
me a Texan. So for now I'm a Texican or Tejano...

I love the way you handled that!

I've since learned to speak proper Spanish and it's been very useful to me. I was fortunate to have secured a position where the majority of our clients were based in Latin American countries. Nothing like immersion to quickly learn a language! The biggest compliment I ever received was, when meeting with Mexican client in Mexico, she asked where I was from and I told her the U.S. She told me I spoke like a native.

[staunchcharacter]

Originally Posted by Grandmax4

I don't know if you grew up in South Texas back when I did, but the thinking was much different then. When you're being humiliated/punished for being brown and speaking Spanish, it didn't generate feelings of being knowledgeable or having a marketable skill. Fortunately, things are much different now.

I understand, but admittedly am much too young to ever have had that issue.

Now, my Grandmother would tell me how immigrating to Chicago (from Ireland), the locals would give her the worst problems about her accent (of Gaelic influence), which she worked hard to get rid of. Eventually she landed a job with what was the flagship Marshall Fields store, but not until she was able to have a better grasp on how she spoke English.

A lot of that still exists today: Coming to this country and speaking what I would consider truly terrible English. I find it disrespectful at least and frankly, if you want to immigrate here, wonderful, but you also must find a way to assimilate. Speak the language and speak it well, with pride.