Ha Vy Nguyen
Comics about counter-narratives
DANIELLA'S COUNTER-NARRATIVE
"The students from reception classes always had a bad reputation. We were looked down upon and laughed at. It was hard to learn French in such a toxic environment."
Lightbown and Spada (2021) mention that "learners' identities impact on what they can do and how they can participate in classrooms, which naturally affects how much they can learn. For example, one of the 'ESL' children was consistently excluded from imaginative interactive activities with her peers; another learner was perceived as someone who never listened or did the 'right thing'. These identities could eventually lead to their isolation and to restricted or less powerful participation in their classroom community" (p. 90). Daniella's experience at school with her peers and teacher limited her opportunities and motivation to practice and to continue to develop the second language at school and outside the classroom. Her teacher was unknowingly prejudiced against immigrant students by thinking they naturally do not perform as well as other pupils. It's important to break down those stereotypes! Daniella's identity as a Mexican immigrant in a White dominated, French-speaking space made it difficult for her to acquire a second language.
Reference
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2021). How languages are learned (5th edition). Oxford University Press.
HA VY'S COUNTER-NARRATIVE
"Growing up, I always felt like an impostor whenever I spoke English."
Lightbown and Spada (2021) posit that a "learner’s ethnic affiliation and their sense of identity are linked to how they acquire a second language. They found that students who had achieved a high degree of fluency in the second language could be seen as being less loyal to their ethnic group. Such perceptions can influence people's desire to achieve high levels of proficiency in the second language, especially when it implies a threat to one group's identity" (p. 70). The way my Vietnamese relatives treated me discouraged me from learning English. I remember purposely speaking to my family in broken English with a Vietnamese accent so they wouldn't think I had been 'white washed'. How my teacher perceived Asian people didn't help either. When you're labeled as a 'quiet and reserved student', you unintentionally want to live up to that image.
Reference
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2021). How languages are learned (5th edition). Oxford University Press.
ATHARV'S COUNTER-NARRATIVE
"Acquiring a language is often perceived as a crucial tool for children's growth. But we rarely think about what is lost when language is gained."
Spolsky (as cited in McIvor, 2020) postulates that "language is fundamental in defining identity" (p. 88). Due to India's colonial past, Atharv and his parents were convinced that speaking English would make one appear more educated and cultured, as opposed to Hindi. This increased Atharv's motivation for learning English at school, but he didn't know something very valuable would be put at stake.
"Related to identity are common losses and fears that accompany SLA, such as fear of loss of connection to culture and fear of loss of ways of life" (McIvor, 2020, p. 89). McIvor (2020) mention that for Indigenous people, this loss has already happened after colonization. What they must do next is learn their own Indigenous second language in order to become whole again. This will allow them to revive the 'old ways' and shed some of the 'new'. In one study, an Indigenous woman state that she found a part of her soul that was missing after learning her Indigenous language. Similarly, Atharv felt like he had lost an important piece of his identity and culture after years of speaking English. Nonetheless, he was able to slowly gain it back by re-acquiring his mother tongue.
Reference
McIvor, O. (2020). Indigenous Language Revitalization and Applied Linguistics: Parallel Histories, Shared Futures? Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 40, 78-96. doi:10.1017/S0267190520000094