Read on Twitter
In search of material for this week's BPE, I began as I usually do: googling "bilingualism" and seeing what comes up. Hey, you've got to start somewhere! #BPE #BI504 @cmleider @MattSim45655371 @emrlyons
I half read a number of articles, and while some were interesting and well-written, most covered topics that we've already talked about at length during our program. Then I found something that seemed a bit different: a look at the role of bilingualism in Quebecois politics.
Unfortunately, I don't know much about Canadian politics and I soon found myself out of my depth and unable to follow. But I still thought it was an interesting topic! So I decided to take a look at bilingualism in American politics. https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article92240702.html
Finding an article was harder than I expected. This one is unfortunately not very recent; it was published in the lead up to the 2016 election. I know no one is interested in reliving the 2016 election, but the article approaches the topic from a mostly linguistic perspective.
Some of it we already know. The author states that "affluent Whites often are praised for speaking the very same languages immigrants are punished for speaking" in regard to Kaine being chosen as VP over "qualified Latino candidates..."
"...[who] were passed over for not speaking Spanish fluently enough". While the author ultimately defends Kaine's Spanish ability as an asset, he also admits that "bilingualism is no substitute for Latino voices and Latino leadership".
Another (more recent) article I looked at drives this point home. The author writes, "Those of us who grew up bilingual understand the complexities of holding onto and embracing either language." https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/opinion/bilingual-children.html
She continues, "Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said on Twitter, 'Growing up, Spanish was my first language — but like many 1st generation Latinx Americans, I have to continuously work at it & improve. It’s not perfect.'"
It's clear that politicians understand that Latinx Americans cannot be ignored. The first article I shared notes that even Trump had signs printed in 2016 that read "Hispanics para [sic] Trump", and who can forget those "Make Mexico Great Again Also" hats? Lord.
However, in American politics it seems that language often serves as a little more than a prop. While the 2018 midterms made me feel a bit more hopeful, it still seems that most politicians view bilingualism as little more than a box to check.
What do you think about the state of bilingualism in American politics? Does anyone follow politics in any other multilingual countries? How do they differ from American politics, or are they similar? How and when are minority languages used by politicians?
