----- Original Message ----- From: Don Allen To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2009 8:31 PM Subject: Re: [tips] Estonia
Would you like to explain why Latino/a Americans aren't "real Americans"? while you're at it please extend the arguement to Chinese- Americans, Korean-Americans, etc. In an effort to avoid being euro-centric please tell us all the percentage of "African-Americans" who fluently speak one of the many African languages as well as speak English. Send us all something. -Don. First of all,no where in my post did I state hat hyphenated-Americans were not real Americans,It will be naive to think that all korean-Americans speak Korean or German-Americans speak German or Polish-Americans speak Polish. Maybe first generation immigrants do but the second and third generations may know little of the languages of their parents and grandparents.Certainly immigration and naturalization have diversified the amount of languages spoken in the United States but none remain as statistically significant as the use of English.I remembered visiting back in the 1960s a Polish college called Alliance College in Cambridge Springs,Pa where instructions were also in Polish,but that was rare.It is my understanding tha Alliance has been converted to a State penitentiary. Languages spoken in the U.S probably has to do with a cross-cultural adjustmant strategies of assimilation,integration,marginalization,and separation. PLease note that African-American is not a linguistic category,but refers to a racial and ethnic group.There is the case of a white dude from South Africa who became a naturalized U.S citizen.He tried to seek some aid from a university based on the fact that he was African-American,His argument did not fly and made many U.S born blacks angry at him. The U.S defines African-American by the "one drop"rule..The "one drop" rule states that anyone whose geneology vontains one African canncestor is black. Race is defined here by biological descent.In the Americas ,however 'race is defined by physiological appearances,hence the 'social race" idea in the Americas. Let me advise you not to travel to South America and refer to Venezuelans,Colombians,Ecuadorians as Americans. Btw,when we sing "God bless America",are we also referring toCanada,Central America,and South America? Send me and Stephen Black something. Michael sylvester,PhD DAytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
