Interview with Kenny
Kenny and I finally found time to sit down and talk, after being so busy with school. We sat right next to the window chatting casually over frozen yogurt at Yogli Mogli’s. He is a freshman at Emory University, and his family is from northern India. Although his parents are from India, he was born in America unlike Nadia, Sammie, and myself. He explained to me how India is divided into different states similar to America. His parents are from the state of Gujarat and therefore speak Gujarati, a language derived from Hindi. Although Kenny spent all of his life in America, he still has the ability to speak, read and write and understand his parent’s native language. He described how this was a result of consistent usage of Gujarati in his home between him and his parents.
Kenny's story is similar to Nadia's because not only is Kenny bilingual, his parents are as well. In this case, it is exceptionally challenging for any family to not fall into the habit of speaking only English. Since India is so heavily populated with such diversity in language and dialects, it is hard for Kenny to find people to speak to in Gujarati. Even if they are from India, there is no guarantee that they will speak his specific language. However, he finds time to talk to his older brother, and the two of them speak Gujarati to each other.
Kenny’s Gujarati affected his English and English affect his Gujarati. In the instances that he came back to visit his family in India, he described how it was intimidating to speak to the natives in Gujarat because they could immediately tell that he was not a native speaker. He claimed that his “Gujarati had an American accent”. He isn't as fluent in his native language as my other interviewees, however his story accurately describes the struggles faced by many hyphenated Americans.
Kenny's story is similar to Nadia's because not only is Kenny bilingual, his parents are as well. In this case, it is exceptionally challenging for any family to not fall into the habit of speaking only English. Since India is so heavily populated with such diversity in language and dialects, it is hard for Kenny to find people to speak to in Gujarati. Even if they are from India, there is no guarantee that they will speak his specific language. However, he finds time to talk to his older brother, and the two of them speak Gujarati to each other.
Kenny’s Gujarati affected his English and English affect his Gujarati. In the instances that he came back to visit his family in India, he described how it was intimidating to speak to the natives in Gujarat because they could immediately tell that he was not a native speaker. He claimed that his “Gujarati had an American accent”. He isn't as fluent in his native language as my other interviewees, however his story accurately describes the struggles faced by many hyphenated Americans.