Private and Public Language
“Private and Public Language” is an essay by Richard Rodriquez that aims at presenting the challenges faced in a bilingual system of education in America. The idea of private and public languages is common among bilingual individuals. The main challenge is always to gain fluency in the public language, which is always the second language that an individual is forced by circumstances to learn. The essay “Private and Public Language” is based on the challenges faced during the transition from private language to a public language. Richard Rodriquez presents his journey in the attempt to learn English as a second language and outlines the challenges that he went through before becoming fluent in the language.
Richard Rodriquez was born in a Spanish-speaking family, and thus, Spanish was his first language. Richard was fluent in Spanish and did not expect to be required to learn a second language in his life. The American education system is presented as a difficult path for a bilingual student since English is not a natural language. Besides, Rodriguez had mastered the comfort of speaking Spanish with his family, and he always felt secure since Spanish gave him a sense of love. Rodriquez gives his readers a perception that English was a public language because almost everyone in America was expected to know English. Also, companies held their meetings in English, and therefore business would be hard for anyone without the knowledge of English. Generally, Rodriquez compares the difference between languages to the opening and closing of a screen door since one was the exact opposite of the other.
The idea of bilingual language comes with challenges as students find difficulties transiting from their private languages to the public language. Richard recalls the first time he heard his name pronounced in English. The name Richard appeared foreign to Rodriquez, so was the whole idea of the English language. Rodriquez was used to seeing his father return home and speak in Spanish to a happy family that did not have language difficulties. Generally, Rodriquez was not ready to start a journey of learning a new language. The journey to learn English took the efforts of both the teachers and parents, and parents used to speak English to their children to help them excel in the class. Moreover, the public language was a perception that changed after the child became exposed to reality.
The main challenge of learning a second language was the perception held by the learners. Richard Rodriquez felt that his language was being taken from him. However, Rodriquez continued practicing, and one day, he was able to answer an English question. The journey towards fluency in English was challenging, and Rodriquez recalls the intensity of his journey. Unlike other students, Rodriquez had to learn a new language that he was supposed to use in his communication, yet the other students were using their private language. Although Rodriquez’s lack of English fluency did not hinder his academic success, the gap between private and public language is presented as continuous in the whole essay.
In sum, “Private and Public Language” is an essay by Richard Rodriquez that presents the challenges of being in a bilingual education system. The main idea in the essay is the transition from a private language to a public language due to surrounding circumstances. Richard Rodriquez presents his life from speaking Spanish as his only language to learning English in school.