HW18072013

HW18072013

Lori LaFlamme Dr. Nancy Noonan English 1005-321 College Writing My coming into language I really cannot remember when I learned how to speak, but I do know my mother always used to say that once I started talking I never stopped! I guess I have always been a gabby Gail of sorts. I remember my Mom using flash cards with me before I started first grade, but that is about the best I can do for the learning process. My maternal grand parents both came over from England and I could always remember my grand Mother stating that we butchered the English language! She was not too keen on American slang and the use of "wicked" meant bad in her book. Therefore, a "wicked good" movie was unheard of. The word "ain't" was not a word while I was growing up and we were reprimanded if we used it. Now it has been accepted into the dictionary as a word. I guess even language can evolve along with society. I took Spanish while I was in high school and would like to take it again while I am in college. Back then I had no one to speak to in Spanish and practice my Spanish with other than the Spanish teacher and my friend who was also taking the course. I guess that could be my second coming into language. As Americans we don't always realize that we can lose the meaning of things as some things do not translate well into another language. It is not as simple as looking up words in another language and replacing them one by one in a sentence as we would speak it in English. I have great respect for people from other countries that come to America and learn our language, as it is not an easy one to learn. For now, I will just try to stick with English and complete my writing course