Blog #9

While reading McKay, chapter one, I definitely agree with the idea that the media has a great impact on people’s incentives and motivation to learn English. I believe that pop culture plays a huge role in people’s lives, this day and age. In a literacy class that I took, we discussed how much of an impact pop culture and the media has on our literacy practices. It’s obvious how the media also plays a role in language use. Most movies, and music, advertising, and the internet are in English. If the popular music, movies, magazines, websites, etc., are in English, it obviously gives people more of a reason to actually want to learn English. I found in interesting how on page 15, when discussing music, they mention that since English is the dominant language for music production that local musicians use code-switching in their music. When I first read that, I figured that meant that they were trying to be more like the mainstream, popular music by using English. And, Mckay shares that in some cases the English is used to show modernity and globalization.  However, they gave an example saying how the code-switching to English was sometimes used as a way to make fun of Western culture. I found that interesting because it shows that not all people and cultures support the language shift to English. Not all see English as a language of power and still place importance and emphasis on their native language. However, overall, you can see why English can be viewed as important to youths who place an emphasis on pop culture and the media. I find it weird though how a lot of Latino artists will use code-switching in their music, even though their music is popular in the United States. I understand that when they code-switch to Spanish, they are targeting a specific audience, Latino youths. I just find it interesting how code-switching can have such different meanings and purposes. Another concept that I found interesting was how to distinguish monolingualism versus bilingualism (22). McKay asks the question, how much knowledge must one have of a second language to be considered monolingual/bilingual? Some people think that if you have a basic understanding of a language, in regards to reading, writing, speaking and comprehension, then you are bilingual. Other people think that you have to know more than just the language, but also the culture and the unspoken aspects of a language. While I can speak, read and write in Spanish, I often wonder if certain people would consider me to be bilingual. It’s possible that in some people’s eyes, I would be monolingual. I may not know or share certain cultural aspects of those who speak Spanish as a native language. But, since I’m not from that culture does that mean that I cannot be bilingual and speak that language? In the United States, we expect people who are not native to our country to learn English. However, we also expect those people to replace their native language with English. Bilingualism is not being promoted, rather monolingualism is. The double standard in language is very interesting to me. Because English is viewed as the dominant language and promotes the idea of modernity and globalization, it is believed that all people should want to learn English to survive in this world.