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4 multilingual USASergio Bendixen, “Multilingual polling,” from the Columbia Journalism Review, Jan./Feb. 2003. “I live in a state where 40 percent of the people don't speak English at home. We journalists are missing the boat by assuming that we know what ‘public opinion' is.” A 2003 article from the Columbia Journalism Review that discusses an element seldom considered by pollsters when designing surveys and questionnaires—language. Bendixen is a Florida-based expert in Hispanic public opinion research in the United States and Latin America.
For Response1. Why does pollster Rob Schroth argue that “English-only polling is a major methodological failure”? Do you agree? Why or why not? 2. Bendixen concludes his argument with a twist on the often-used metaphor of immigration as a “tide.” How does the suggestion of surfing change the metaphor? Is it effective? Why or why not? (See Otto Santa Ana’s reading in Chapter 1, “Immigration as Dangerous Waters,” for helpful ideas and information). 3. The Columbia Journalism Review is written by journalists, for journalists. Click on “Language Corner” and follow five or six of the links on the page, skimming and reading the items on language usage. How does CJR’s advice on language usage compare with the usage manual that you use (or have used) in your classes? What are the differences in style/tone? Why might such differences exist? Do you find any differences in the usage suggestions made between your manual and CJR? Write an essay comparing and contrasting CJR’s usage advice with that of your manual, including matters of style/tone, concrete advice, and the range of usage questions each resource addresses. Neil Conan and guests, “Ethnic Media,” Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio, Nov. 12, 2002. ”[On ethnic TV, t]hey do see people speaking with a strong accent. They do see people speaking in their own languages. But when you look at mainstream, everybody speak perfect American English and they're all like[set as em dash]--you know, there's not as many ethnic faces. And they don't feel as much that they're being represented. They feel that they're Americans, but they don't feel like mainstream media want to see them as Americans.” An NPR broadcast in which Neil Conan explores the topic of ethnic media in the United States. As you will hear, ethnic media have often been credited as the most important means for immigrants to not only stay informed on events in their homelands and their new communities, but also to receive important information about the responsibilities and requirements of life in the United States. Conan interviews four journalists in different media and takes calls and e-mails from eleven listeners in various parts of the country.
For Response1. We know that in interview situations, the responses don’t always match the questions. There may be a variety of reasons for the discrepancy, including deliberate manipulation of the conversation on the part of the interviewee, honest misunderstanding of the question, and everything in between. Listen carefully to the program for instances of mismatch between Conan’s questions and the interviewee’s responses. How would you account for that mismatch? Provide evidence from the interview to back up your conclusion. 2. Work with one or two classmates to survey the ethnic media (television, radio, and print) available in your region (Don’t forget—some of it may be in English!). Based on the criteria and opinions you heard in Conan’s program, how well do you think the ethnic populations of your area are being served by these media? What might be missing that could be of service to those audiences? If you live in one of the very few U.S. communities with little or no immigrant population, select a nearby city or region to investigate. 3. The first guest, Andrew Lam, co-founder of New California Media, clearly speaks non-native English; his speech contains frequent examples of what could be considered grammatical errors. Do you think he should not have been invited to appear on the program for that reason? Why or why not? Freewrite your ideas and opinions on that question; examine all the possibilities that occur to you. How often do you hear English spoken with a distinct foreign accent by newscasters, announcers, disk jockeys, and/or other media professionals? Write an essay in which you explore the implications and consequences of the homogenized standard English that predominates in the spoken media of radio and television. How does the custom of homogenized speech affect how we think of ourselves as a nation? James Crawford, “Making sense of Census 2000,” from the Education Policy Studies Laboratory, Language Policy Research Unit, Arizona State University, 2002. ”In a time of anxiety about the assimilation of immigrants, perhaps it is no accident that the census tends to overstate the number of minority language speakers while understating their proficiency in English.” James Crawford uses language data from the 2000 census to argue that Anglicization in the United States has never been faster; he also presents a critique of the way that the questionnaires are written and offers suggestions for improving them. Crawford is a former journalist and currently serves as Executive Director of the National Association for Bilingual Education.
For Response1. Why does Crawford think that census figures “feed the perception that English is ‘threatened’ and needs ‘legal protection’”? How would the changes in data gathering that Crawford proposes reduce that perception? (If you believe they wouldn’t, explain why not.) Write an essay responding to these questions, providing examples to support your conclusions. If you include information from other sources, be sure to use appropriate citation. 2. What, according to Crawford, are the consequences of the loss of heritage language skills? Do you agree? Why or why not? 3. In discussing the surprising statistic reported in the census data that there are more Spanish speakers than there are people who identify as Latino or Hispanic, Crawford poses the question, “¿Que pasó?” Why might Crawford have switched into Spanish for this question? What rhetorical function does the switch serve? Is he safe in assuming that even non-Spanish-speaking members of his audience would understand? Why or why not? |
