BahR

1-5-10

Knowing the language doesn’t always means that you’re able to pronounce the words correctly, around the world many people speaks different languages

“Say Street” My friend said in a very snarky tone, “ShhTreek” I attempted to repeat. “No Street” she said. “ShTreet,” I said again you could hear anger building in my throat.

She began to try to coach me again with saying the word she said “Okay say tree”

I again repeated her “Tree.” I could tell she was becoming restless when she said “ Okay now put an S on the beginning of tree.” “Okay, streck,” I Said. “No S-Tree-t” She screamed. “Forget it, I can’t say it right, don’t waist your time trying to help me.” I said in a frustrated monotone voice. “ It’s easy, I mean you know how to speak English so I don’t know why you can’t say “street” right?” She said with a sarcastic voice it seemed as if she was making a mockery out of me. At this point I was very upset and shouted, “ I don’t know why, I just can’t! Bye.” I said

I have had many stages in my life when I would reach a point that silence is all I could muster up, my mouth would shut as if my tongue was like a finger that got slammed in the door, it was throbbing wanting something to come out but it just couldn’t. When I’m around my friends, I “talk black” which is normal for me, I say some words differently then I usually say when I’m around my parents. “Sup Yo” I would say when I’m with my friends and “Hello” I would say when I’m around my friends. My friends say they can hear my accent a little.)

I’m supposed to speak another language by the name of Fula, but I don’t because I never lived with my father, that is his native language. I traveled from my country, Liberia to America because my dad wanted us to move here and establish a new life. He thinks there’s better education and changes in America for us. I Spoke English in my country but it wasn’t the same as the way people speak English in America. My English was so different that, whenever I talked to a person from America, they would have a confused face. Some of the words are the same just when we say those words it then becomes different, “Hello, Oo” that’s what we would say in my language.

 When it reaches the time to go back to school, I pray that I won’t mess up when I’m reading aloud in class. I know how to read, but sometimes I get mad at myself because it’s very hard for me to pronounce some words correctly in the way. I listen to how other kids in my classes speak and pronounce words. Their voices don’t have an accent, they don’t sound as if they’re nervous, I don’t hear fear in their voice. In the essay The Women Warrior, (Maxine Hong Kingston), the author describes when her little sister and her had to read in front of their teacher, they were scared that they might mess up. In the story the author was scared when it was her little sister’s turn to read. “She opened her mouth and a voice came out that wasn’t a proper either.” When you know a language, you don’t always know how to pronounce words in that language, the author and her little sister clearly knew or were engage in the English speaking language, but they didn’t know how to say or pronounce some words. It’s very difficult to say some words in a language.  

“Class, Please take out the class rules sheet” Mr. Kay Said

I Sat down, looking over the paper and praying in my head that he would not call on me. 
“Who wants to read the first paragraph?” –Mr. Kay Said

The other kids raised their hands eagerly ready to read. A lots of kids had already read and it was the time that my heart began to beat extremely fast. I get so nervous it feels like my tongue get stuck between my teeth and the words never come out right when I have to read in front of a large group.  In the Essay, The Women Warrior, By Maxine Hong Kingston, the author describes her reading to her teacher and how she felt, “you could hear the splinter in my voice, bones rubbing jugged against one another.” I always feel exactly the same when I’m reading aloud in class. I let fear take over the fact that I have an accent and I hate the way it sounds when I read. It’s doesn’t sound the same as the other kids when they read in my head it sounds wrong, confusing and people do not understand me.  I get nervous and hate myself because I can’t do anything about it.