[Student Reports] Foregin Language

Rebek Ihn / 10th, Crescenta Valley HS

A girl clad in a bright pink dress with pigtails stuttered in a Korean accent "H-h-hi. M-m-my name is J-j-enny." Yes her name was Jenny. Little did everyone know just how much this 1.5-generation Korean would improve within a year.

Jenny's fluent English appalled the rest of the church girls. She had arrived from Korea in the sixth grade and rapidly improved her English by seventh grade. However that was four years ago; she might as well pass off for a second-generation Korean now.

Nevertheless there are some 1.5-generation Koreans who do not strive to improve their English. In fact once they are placed in ESL they tend to interact with only other Korean kids. As a matter of fact ESL classes are flooded with 1.5-generation Koreans. Since Koreans may not be comfortable with English they usually use Korean with one another. For this reason some Koreans may not be able to expand their vocabulary and speaking skills in English.

On the contrary Jenny actively participated in her classes; she even remained after class to ask the teacher questions. In fact she was not afraid to speak English in her Korean accent. As a result the teachers were more interested in helping Jenny enhance her English subject. She read books all day and night which resulted in her fluent flawless English now. Even to this day Jenny manages to squeeze in at least two books per week despite her busy schedule as a junior. Additionally Jenny mingles with both non-Koreans and Koreans which demonstrates her Americanized and Korean demeanor. Jenny's rapid improvement in English within a year takes some Koreans about five years to reach her level.

Some of the factors that may contribute to some Koreans' lack of motivation to master English may be due to the abundant amount of Koreans. As mentioned earlier once first-generation Koreans meet they actively speak in Korean. As a result they will only continue to expand their Korean skills despite their immigration to the U.S. In addition Koreans may struggle with the abrupt cultural difference for Korean culture is drastically different from American culture. For instance many Koreans never raise their hands unless they feel competent to answer the teacher's question. Contrarily American Mexican and other foreign students do not hesitate to raise their hands despite the high possibility of getting the question wrong.

Once Koreans eventually stabilize themselves in the Americanized environment they should explore the deeper ends of the American culture to fully master English.