ELLs in Michigan

According to the MLA LanguageMap DataCenter, the two largest groups of speakers of languages other than English in my state, Michigan, are Spanish-speakers and Arabic-speakers.

Source: https://apps.mla.org/map_data

Spanish is a Romance language, meaning of Latin origin and uses the Latin alphabet. It’s is the second largest native language in the world and is the official language in 22 different countries (mostly Spain, South and Central America, and Mexico). [Source: This infographic.] Mexico has the largest population of Spanish-speakers, followed by the USA at almost 40 million, according to 2011 data [Source: US Census Data]. In Michigan, the majority of Spanish-speaking immigrants come from Mexico and they make up 5% of the state population. Only 1.2% of all immigrants in Michigan are undocumented. Another study shows that three-quarters of Hispanics in Michigan are native-born American citizens. This state is heavily agricultural, and there is a history of families moving from Mexico or southern states to work as migrant laborers. While immigrants are still arriving in Michigan now, many are documented and there is already an established community of Spanish-speaking, American families here.

            Linguistically, Spanish and English share many similarities, such as the alphabet and Latin roots. There are a few significant pronunciation differences that may present challenges to ELLs. Spanish pronunciation is much more phonetic. The vowels (AEIOU) only have one sound each. There are fewer consonants with multiple pronunciations – for example, s and z both make the English “s” sound. Consonants aren’t usually combined to make new sounds, like “th” in “that”. The letter h is actually silent in Spanish, and the letter j makes the English “h” sound. This can make literacy more difficult in English than in Spanish for non-native speakers. 

            While many Spanish-speaking students are American-born and therefore raised around American cultural values, there are some differences that may cause social difficulties for those students (with the caveat that these are generalizations and each Spanish-speaking country has a distinct culture): Mexican culture is much more hierarchical (respect authority, children should do as their told) and is much less individualistic than in the States (close-knit extended family, and multiple generations may live in the same household). This means some students may struggle to speak out or raise questions as much as their native English-speaking classmates, and parents (especially those who don’t speak English) may not feel comfortable raising questions or concerns about their child.

            Arabic is a Semitic language spoken in 22 countries in the Middle East. There are many dialects of Arabic, and often people from different regions will communicate using “Modern Standard Arabic.” Dearborn, Michigan, in the Detroit metro area is home to one of the largest Arab communities in the USA (an estimated 400,000 people). There has been immigration from the Middle East to the Detroit area for over 100 years, due to the auto industry, but recent immigrants hail mostly from Iraq and Lebanon, many of whom are escaping religious persecution.  

            Arabic uses the Arabic alphabet, and there are some significant differences in syntax, so this will present some linguistic challenges to ELLs. Looking at generalizations about Iraqi and Lebanese culture, Arabic-speaking families tend to be very close-knit, traditional (and probably conservative in terms of dress and behavior), and hierarchical where adults and people in authority have the most say and are not often questioned. Like Spanish-speaking students, this may cause social clashes with other students who may find Arabic-speaking ELLs to dress differently, or be much more timid in the classroom.

References:

A Guide to Arabic. (n.d.). In BBC Languages. Retrieved July 21, 2016, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/other/arabic/guide/facts.shtml

Cultural Dimensions: Iraq. (n.d.). In Geert Hofstede. Retrieved July 21, 2016, from https://geert-hofstede.com/iraq.html

Cultural Dimensions: Mexico. (n.d.). In Geert Hofstede. Retrieved July 21, 2016, from https://geert-hofstede.com/mexico.html

Facts About the Arabic Language. (2014, February 6). In International House. Retrieved July 21, 2016, from http://www.arabicegypt.com/news/facts-about-the-arabic-language

Hassoun, R. (n.d.). About The Michigan Arab American Community. In Arab America. Retrieved July 21, 2016, from http://www.arabamerica.com/michigan/

Michigan League for Human Services. (2010, September). Fact Sheet: Michigan Immigration. In Michigan League for Public Policy. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from www.milhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/FactSheetMIImmigration.pdf

Mack, J. (2015, November 23). 6% of Michigan residents are foreign born, and 9 other facts about immigrants. In MLive.com. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://s.mlive.com/kYVGvBJ

Ryan, C. (2013, August). Language Use in the United States: 2011. In Census.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2016, from https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf

speakinglatino. (n.d.). 13 Cool & Interesting Facts About The Spanish Language. In infogram. Retrieved July 21, 2016, from https://infogr.am/13-Cool-and-Interesting-Facts-About-the-Spanish-Language