America is so quick to ridicule a fumbled pronunciation from the mouth of an immigrant. Not so fast! According to a brief analysis of the English language, this judgement struts from a platform of arrogant ignorance. Immersing in a foreign language, especially English, requires extreme cognitive effort and more importantly—time. Here’s why:
- English has no logical pronunciation. “Knife” has a silent “k.” “Wednesday” skips the annunciation of the first “d.” “Colonel” is a mess of its own, sounding more like “kernel.” Then, there are the contradictions. “Through” and “rough” both end in “gh” but one is read as “throo” while the other is pronounced “ruff.” Frustrated yet? English pronunciation is random, ridiculous and lacks logic—even when ignoring homophones. Naturally, it takes time to fully learn these odd syllables.
- After centuries of English, quaint idioms have formed. “Raining cats and dogs” or “beating around the bush” are two common idioms that, as usual, make no sense. The layering complexity of colloquial English only add to a pupil’s confusion.
- While The Economist explains why finding which language has the largest vocabulary is near impossible, English is certainly up there. For native writers, experimenting with English’s wide vocabulary is delightful. For immigrants, however, it’s terrifying.
- Ah, the dreaded homophones. These are sneaky devil words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. “The Holy Emperor was wholly disgusted by his holey hats” is a particularly diabolical example. Organizing meaning is difficult enough for an native English speaker; an immigrant’s challenge triples.
- In French, etiquette is understandable. To show respect when stating “you”, for instance, say “vous” instead of “tu.” English, however, has subtler routes to being polite—beyond “please” and “thank you.” Adding a “could you” or a “would you mind” before an order is considered good manners. Furthermore, the common unspoken practice is apologizing unnecessarily for small things. Immigrants wouldn’t mean to be impolite, they’d simply be unaware of the code. (Americans making fun of immigrants’ English, however, have no excuse.)
- Forget the oddness of English—science has its own tidbit to add. Medical Daily reports that immersing in a foreign language requires “brand new cognitive frameworks.” The more an immigrant’s first language differs from English, the more the brain has to rewire. While some American might boast of four years of getting an A in French, “simply translating the new structures through the filter of a native language isn’t learning. It’s memorizing.” Sorry chaps, immigrants have a challenge vaster than any French test.
English is hard. English is odd. But it shouldn’t matter whether the language is basic or not.
Be kind to immigrants not because of their bravery, strength or intelligence. Be kind to immigrants because it’s the right thing to do. Make a considerate America the new America.
Then, we will have crept closer to the light of the American dream.
