Speaking in Tongues
By Gayle YglesiasThe Guardsman
“Speaking in Tongues” is a documentary that follows four kids and their exposure in various “immersion classes” that allow them to develop their skills in different languages to become bilingual at an early age.
An immersion class is a class that is taught in a specific language—the language that the student must learn to speak. Research reveals that kids are learning beyond expectations.
In watching this documentary, viewers will be stunned at the ability and quickness these young children have in catching on to languages that were once foreign to them. Immersion classes brighten the future for kids and improve their academic performance as they grow up.
These classes cause the brain to use areas not typically utilized at such a young age. It makes their brains do work, which studies show, translate to higher academics.
Community activist Ling-chi Wang says that children acquire second and third languages more efficiently at a young age. This documentary aims to encourage the placement of young children in immersion classes. However, voters in the United States have passed “English only” laws in 31 states, which shatters the reality of future generations becoming multilingual individuals.
Durell Laury is a young, African-American boy in kindergarten who attends an immersion class where he is spoken to only in Chinese. The children in the classroom associate their teacher with the Chinese language, because she believes in using the language as a tool to introduce the concepts instead of teaching the children the language itself.
Julian Enis, a Caucasian eighth grader, has been in a Chinese immersion program for nine years. He believes the Chinese culture has come to be a part of him, and he embraces it as if it were his own. He will make use of his nine years in immersion classes when he travels abroad in a program that allows him to visit China.
Jason Patiño, a Mexican-American fifth grader fluent in English and Spanish, takes advantage of his immersion class, which allows him to quickly learn two different languages both at school and at home. His teacher believes social ties and alliances weaken when kids grow more fluent in English and less in their native language. Had Patiño not attended an immersion school, his teacher believes his writing and Spanish speaking skills would diminish. His parents believe he is very privileged to speak more than one language.
Kelly Wong is a Chinese-American sixth grader fluent in both Chinese and English, but her parents speak very little Chinese. They’ve lost touch with their Chinese language roots and are ashamed of no longer knowing how to speak the language they grew up with. Through her immersion class, she learns to grow closer to her family and take advantage of being a bilingual child.
Becoming bilingual through immersion classes is a big step in preparing oneself to be part of the global multicultural community. This documentary clearly illustrates how amazingly the brain works at such a young age, and how immersion classes can change the lives of newer generations, one child at time.
For more information please visit http://speakingintonguesfilm.info. “Speaking in Tongues” premieres on KQED public television on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m.
