There is not an exact definition for the term "broken English" as it is more of a phrase rather than a word. However, many would define it as an improperly structured version of the English language spoken by a non-native speaker. More often than not, this phrase tends to have a derogatory connotation. Many immigrant parents (and inevitably their children) are faced by communication challenges when speaking the English language as a non-native speaker. The truth of the matter is that immigrants in an English speaking country are judged continuously as uneducated because of their "limited" ways of expressing their thoughts and feelings through the English language. We mustn't criticize or judge others because of how they annunciate certain English words or speak the language we are natives of. We should instead be able to patiently hear and try to understand what they are saying and be able to assist them as best as we can because we could be them in a foreign land. We need to break the ignorance of thinking that we are better than others because of how they speak. We can only do that by traveling more, intently listening to others, and having the curiosity to learn, and not judge.
I can genuinely say that the best way to break ignorance of one's culture or lifestyle is to be them for a day, week, or even a whole month! You can only do that by leaving the comfort of your couch and getting on a plane to a land far away. Fortunately, I have been able to travel to several countries, and every time I go, I learn an essential life lesson. The last time I visited a country, I learned to appreciate what I had because I saw that there were people with literally nothing to their names. I believe if people traveled more, they would focus less on minor things like how a person speaks, or sounds when they speak, and more on things that matter: like fighting obesity in India. NBC NEWS quotes in their article "5 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits of Traveling Abroad" and said, "Traveling the world isn't just fun and exciting; there's ample research to suggest it's highly beneficial for your physical, mental and emotional health as well." The article (based on proven research from several accredited agencies) shows that traveling can make you healthier, relieve stress, enhance your creativity, boost happiness and satisfaction, and lower the risk of depression. Therefore, without a doubt, we can say that traveling, at its minimum, can help a person break their ignorance of another's culture or lifestyle through tangible life experiences.
Our society today seems to define listening as the ability to respond when something is said, or while been said. That is not listening: that is waiting to see when the next time is you can speak. When we listen to people, we should be intently giving them our undivided attention. The Merriam-Webster defines undivided as "complete or total." Therefore, waiting to respond to say what you think is right is not listening intently. Listening with intention is completely giving your attention to the one who is seeking it, and not trying to formulate an answer while they are still speaking. I believe when we intently listen, it opens the opportunity for our paradigms to be shifted, most times into a better perspective. It also creates an opportunity for us to learn things that we didn't otherwise know or considered. Intently listening would help in understanding someone, let's say, for example, if you got to know why they pronounce a particular word the way they do. When we listen to people, we don't conclude; meaning that we allow them to be themselves and enabling us to be ourselves. My personality is one that attracts others into having genuine and sincere personal conversations with me, and I believe that is because I listen intently. When people share their concerns or problems with me, I do my very best not to try to offer advice initially, I listen. I have noticed as I listen, I've been able to help people come to their conclusions- for they deep down know what the best solution is. Most of the time when someone shares an intimate situation with you, it's not because they want you to give them your expertise: they just want you to sit there quietly and give them your undivided attention. When appropriate, they will ask you for advice if they want one from you. What we need in our world today is people who listen and speak when called for. However, this is not the case nowadays, we speak, and then we speak.
Middle and high school kids seem to be the ones to mind the most about having an immigrant parent. I know this because I was once that kid, and the opinion of my friends affected how I viewed my mother. The perception of one's parent not being up to par, or as other local parents (in terms of the language barrier), typically derived from how they think others perceive their parents. Like the rest of the world did, as a kid, I viewed my mom as sub-standard when it came to communicating through the English language. If I was curious enough to learn why my mom communicated the way she did, the world's perception on who she was wouldn't have affected mine perception of her as a child. Though I understood what she said, I believe I would have communicated with my mom more if I would have personally taken the time to learn why she spoke the way she did.
With hands-on knowledge comes valuable experiences that can perpetually help a person understand why things are the way they are rather than initially judging. Traveling takes away ignorance and replaces it with something valuable- knowledge and experience. With knowledge and experience, a person can be way more intentional about listening to someone since they can relate to them in a certain way. Intently listening to others will help us put people in the driver's seat of their own lives as we guide them to find realistic solutions to their everyday problems. We are not experts to other people's problems but are mere guides with our own experience that they can filter to find their solutions. Lastly, we need to shy away from assumptions as they can lead us into wrong conclusions. When we assume that we know something, we accept ignorance and allow ourselves to become open to criticism. Instead, we need to have the curiosity to learn the very things we don't know and for the ones we do know, share that knowledge with those who don't to break the chain of ignorance.
By: Prince L. Jarbo
