Don't be hatin'

In speaking about hate speech with my Conversation Partner. It seems, as though one of the most targeted groups of hate speech in Mexico are those who choose alternative sexual lifestyles. The comedy in Mexico is very crude and often targets gay men. The law forbids gay marriage, but does not forbid companies to discriminate against homosexuals or those who choose a gothic lifestyle, which is another targeted group.

We also spoke about the ‘guerrilleros’, who are revolutionaries in Mexico working for the rights of the people. The organization is called Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). The spokesman of the EZLN is Sub-Comandante Marcos, who can be seen with a black mask and pipe. The EZLN is alienated by the government and forced to hide in the Mexican state Chiapas. Much of their following is indigenous, but many Mexicans living in urban areas support the EZLN. Obviously the government is not pleased with the work of Sub-Comandante Marcos and the EZLN and is working against their efforts.

Artists, such as Manu Chao, have written songs to show their support for the EZLN. Click Here to hear a song by Manu Chao where he adds a speech of Sub-Comandante Marcos

"Men are better than women" Pshh..yeah.

I touched on gender differences between Spanish and English in The First Conversation: Part II. My Conversation Partner spoke about how the women are still belittled in many settings in Mexico, as if they are less capable than doing anything that a man does. The women are expected to take care of the family and the home. In many cases women are laughed at for ‘attempting’ to do things that men do. The women are expected to do as they are told. My Conversation Partner expressed her appreciation of the liberties that women have in this country.

There is a term in Spanish: ‘machista’ which really means (in my own words): a man who believes that he has the control over the women and that they have more power. These ‘machista’ are still very common (and accepted) in the Mexican culture.

Argument

In discussing argument with my Conversation Partner we agreed that for the most part that the typical American argument culture was similar to the Mexican argument culture, although argument may or may not be used in the same fashion as it is in America as a ‘place to stand’.

My Conversation Partner felt that the only people who were really not heard in an argument are young children, mainly because the people believe that they do not know what they are talking about. It is very similar in the United States.

The Trick Is...

I was interested in some of the things that helped her to learn English. The main thing that she mentioned was being in an English school setting (as mentioned before). She said that she had an English teacher (who actually spoke Spanish) who forced her and her classmates to speak English all of the time. This teacher did not allow any of the Spanish speakers to speak Spanish. At the time they all thought that she was a really challenging teacher and many of the students did not like her, but once they left her class they all realized how much they had actually learned.

This teacher would explain the words that the students didn’t know in other English words, she would also have the students explain the words for themselves.

Comida Mexicana is better than Mexican Food

Time and time again I have heard, “Oh Mexican food here is Americanized. It is not real Mexican food.” So I asked my C.P. what is SO different about the Mexican food, if there was a difference at all. The first thing she said was, “The tortillas have different tastes.” And then she moved on to, “It is really just so different.” She also mentioned that American-Mexican food is less spicy. She also said that when her mom makes the food that she used to make in Mexico (with the same recipes) they taste different, good, but not the same. It sounds like she enjoys her vacations back to Mexico and the real Mexican food.

Yo hablo español yand I speak English

I then asked her several questions about becoming and being bilingual. When she arrived in the United States from Mexico she entered a local high school second semester sophomore year. Upon arrival she did not speak any English whatsoever. She was learning English while taking all of the general high school classes in English, during this time she depended solely on those who could translate for her. This became a problem when she had a teacher who was unwilling to bend his rules for those who did not understand him.

Also during high school she ran into girls who were mean to her because she only spoke Spanish. This led us to a conversation about the irony of that situation: these girls were making fun of her for learning her second language by immersion, while they probably were unable to speak a second language themselves.

I asked her if she could tell that she had a ‘Mexican accent’ and she said that sometimes she could tell and sometimes she couldn’t. When she sees English words that are also in Spanish (or are similar) she has a tendency to pronounce them as she would in Spanish...which makes sense...

We then discussed the ups and downs to being bilingual. She, unlike Gloria Anzaldúa, did not really see any downsides to being bilingual. She mentioned it being handy to be able to speak both Spanish and English at work because often people come in who are unable to speak English. She has also been able to help translate outside of work. She mentioned that her sister does not speak English and my C.P. has translated for her in many situations including things such as doctor visits.

When I asked her about the pervasive monolingualism in this country she said that she believes that it is very important for people to learn English for conversational purposes, work purposes and just simply because it is the language most readily spoken in the United States.

She feels that having been in an English school setting for several years now is what has really helped her English skills. Unfortunately, not everyone who comes to this country has the opportunity to attend school, so that is not an option for everyone.

I asked her if she felt offended when non-native Spanish speakers speak Spanish to her. She said that when she was first learning English and that would happen she just figured that whoever she was speaking to could not understand her English. She did not think it was demeaning.

Me gusta your blog mucho!

In Southern California Spanish and English are commonly intermixed. My Conversation Partner said that it is common for her to hear a mixture of the two languages. (A concept that many English speakers refer to as Spanglish.) She said that it does not bother her. Many Spanish/English speakers will mix Spanish and English in their daily lives.

She also said that when she returns to Mexico for a visit she hears the people (who do not speak English) using more and more English vocabulary, such as nice, bye, cool and party. They also have begun to write SEE instead of Sí, when saying yes.