COMMON AND MANY LATINO HOUSEHOLDS.

KIDS WITH SPANISH SPEAKING PARENTS WHO ARE NOT RAISED TO SPEAK A LANGUAGE.

THE SPEAK, THE LANGUAGE THEMSELVES.

>> THEY'RE SOMETIMES KNOWN AS NOTICEABLE KIDS AND THEY CAN FACE CRITICISM FROM FELLOW LATINOS WHO SAY THEY SHOULD KNOW THE LANGUAGE TO IDENTIFY WITH THE CULTURE.

RESEARCH SHOWS IT'S BECOMING HARDER FOR BILINGUAL SPEAKERS TO RAISE BILINGUAL CHILDREN, BUT ALSO POINTS TO FACTORS THAT CAN IMPROVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPANISH DEVELOPMENT.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE, LOURDES TORRES, THE PROFESSOR OF LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINO STUDIES AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY, OF THAT RESEARCH, SPANISH IN CHICAGO, ISMAIL THEM OVER A SPANISH TEACHER AND FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE LANGUAGE LEARNER, LITERATURE ADVISORY BOARD AND SETTLE ON.

A LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER AND WRITER.

THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US.

I THINK THIS IS A REALLY INTERESTING TOPIC.

THIS.

I WANT TO GO TO YOU.

HOW MUCH PEOPLE RELATE LANGUAGE TO CULTURE?

WELL, I LANGUAGE IS AN INTIMATE PART OF CULTURE.

>> BECAUSE OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS EXPECTATION WHEN THEY SEE THAT THE NURSE THEY'RE ABLE TO SPEAK SPANISH.

BUT THERE IS NO LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT TO BEING LATINO.

SO THAT'S KIND OF AN UNFAIR ASSESSMENT TO MAKE AND CAUSES A LOT OF SHAME AND FERRY.

FEELINGS OF INFERIORITY AND LATINOS WHO DON'T SPEAK SPANISH.

BUT YES, I I THANK THEM EVEN LETTING US WHO DON'T SPEAK SPANISH ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE AND A LOT OF LATINO WHO DON'T SPEAK.

THE LANGUAGE HAVE STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT IT AND FEELINGS OF REGRET QUITE OFTEN.

SO WHILE THE OFTEN ARTICULATE THAT IT'S NOT AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE CULTURE.

THEY ALSO KNOW, BUT IT IS.

AND AND THEY YOU KNOW, HAVE NEGATIVE FEELINGS ABOUT NOT KNOWING IT BETTER, THAT IT A LITTLE.

THANK YOU FOR WANT TO GO TO YOUR LATINO WHO DOESN'T SPEAK SPANISH.

CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE?

WHAT WHAT IT WHAT IT WAS LIKE GROWING UP.

>> YEAH, I'M SO FOR ME.

I I GREW UP IN THE CAROLINAS, WHICH PRIMARILY LIKE A LIKE WHITE POPULATION.

SO I KIND OF FEEL LIKE FOR ME GROWING UP BY A WASN'T AROUND PEOPLE THAT WERE SPEAKING SPANISH ALL OF THE TIME.

SO MICHAEL AND SENSE OF LIKE LATINO IDENTITY WAS VERY DIFFERENT.

THEN LIKE WHEN I MOVED TO CHICAGO AND LIKE WAS AROUND SO MUCH MORE LIKE COMMUNITY.

SO I FEEL LIKE IT'S REALLY LIKE IN CHICAGO THAT I'VE KIND OF HAD MORE OWNERSHIP OVER LIKE MY OWN.

THAT BEING ON THIS.

YOU SAID YOU'RE PUERTO RICAN AND MEXICAN YES, DID YOU EVER QUESTION WHY DIDN'T SPEAK SPANISH?

>> I KNOW I DIDN'T REALLY THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL LIKE MAYBE LIKE I WAS LIKE A LITTLE BIT OLDER AND THEN LIKE TALKING TO LIKE MY PARENTS AND ALSO LIKE MY GRANDPARENTS, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF IT IS ABOUT JUST LIKE TRYING TO MAKE LIKE LIFE IS EASY FOR YOU.

WHATEVER THEY PERCEIVE WILL BE EASY FOR YOU LIKE WHEN YOU'RE GROWING UP, YOU KNOW, BUT I DO THINK THAT LIKE FOR THOSE OF US DON'T SPEAK SPANISH LAKE AS YOU START TO GET OLDER, IT DOES LIKE START TO FEEL LIKE A LAKE.

I WISH I ACCESS TO THIS.

THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE AS THEY WANT TO GO TO YOU.

DO YOU SEE THAT KIDS ARE NOW MORE ENCOURAGING?

>> AND THEN BITING 2 OTHER LATINOS, DESPITE THEIR LEVEL OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY.

DEFINITELY.

>> I TRULY DO BELIEVE THAT THE LATINO COMMUNITY EVERYONE NO MATTER THE LANGUAGE THEY SPEAK.

AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE SEEING ALSO IN THE CLASSROOMS.

I AM SPANISH TEACHER WILL TEACH HERITAGE STUDENTS AND THE WANT TO FEEL A SENSE OF CONNECTION.

02:00AM LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE.

AND SO ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS THE LANGUAGE AND THEY WANT TO THEY'RE CURIOUS ABOUT IT.

THEY WANT TO BE PART OF IT.

AND SO I SEE MORE AND MORE STUDENTS JOINING MY CAUSE.

MY HAIR JUST CLASSES ALONGSIDE OTHER STUDENTS WHO WANT TO SPANISH.

THINK THERE WAS ALWAYS A POINT THAT REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL, EVEN.

>> THEY MAKE FUN OF YOU FOR SPEAKING LIKE BROKEN SPANISH, WHICH EVEN BK, I THINK BECOMES MORE INTIMIDATING, TOO.

WANT TO SPEAK SPANISH I WANT TO GO DO YOUR RESEARCH ALSO FOUND THEIR COMPLEX FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF SOMEONE'S VAN IS PROFICIENCY SAYS SUCH AS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE LANGUAGE OR WHAT LANGUAGE IS SPOKEN AT HOME.

WHAT STOOD OUT TO YOU?

WELL, WHAT WE DID THIS STUDY MY MY CO OTHER CAMP, A TAOS SKI AND I HAVE SOME AIR POINTS ON SCREEN.

YEAH.

>> WHAT WE FOUND WAS ALL ALMOST UNIVERSALLY EVERYBODY, EVEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE A >> WHO DON'T SPEAK A LOT OF SPANISH VALUE SPANISH.

SO THE ATTITUDES ABOUT SPANISH ARE HOW VERY POSITIVE, REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF SPANISH THAT PEOPLE SPEAK, WHAT WE FOUND IN OUR RESEARCH WAS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WORK WHO MAINTAIN THE LANGUAGE, THE BEST WHERE PEOPLE HAD SPANISH SPEAKING A BOY OR PARENTS IN THE HOUSEHOLD WHO HAD A LOT OF CONTACT MY NOLAN WILL SPANISH SPEAKERS, PEOPLE WHO TOOK FREQUENT TRIPS TO OR PUERTO RICO, WHICH WAY THE 2 WE WERE LOOKING AT AND MAKE SURE WEEKENDS CHILDREN LEARNED PRIMARILY SPANISH BEFORE THEY GOT TO SCHOOL.

OTHER WORDS, THEY WERE IN HOUSEHOLDS THEY HAVE WITH TAKING CARE OF THEM OR THEIR PARENTS WAR, A NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKERS.

SO THEY DIDN'T SPEAK ANY ENGLISH UNTIL GET TO SCHOOL.

THOSE KINDS CONDITIONS.

A REALLY POSITIVE FOR HAVING PEOPLE GIRL UP AND BEING STRONG IN THE LANGUAGE.

AND WE'LL TELL YOU ACTUALLY SHARED WITH ME THAT YOU MOVED IN WITH THEIR GRANDFATHER.

DO.

WOULD YOU SAY THAT THAT ALSO BROUGHT YOU CLOSER TO YOUR ROOTS?

>> AND ALSO YOUR WORK AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.

>> YEAH, I THINK THAT LIKE FOR ME, LIKE MILEY PHOTO WORK IS A WAY FOR ME TO LIKE EXPLORE.

BUT ALSO LIKE CELEBRATE LIKE THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

AND FOR ME LIKE IT'S REALLY LIKE I THINK VALIDATED LIKE MY OWN SENSE OF BEING ON KIND OF LIKE MEETING SO MANY PEOPLE AND LIKE SEEING THE SIMILARITIES OF THE WAYS THAT LIKE WE ALL RELATE, NO MATTER KIND OF LIKE HOW WE GREW UP.

LIKE-FOR-LIKE SOLIDIFIES LIKE WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME TO FEEL EMPOWERED.

AL IS BEING LATINO COMPARED TO MAYBE, YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO.

ARE YOU?

>> MIGHT HAVE FELT DIFFERENT.

I THINK SO.

LAKE.

IT'S LIKE WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF GROWING UP IN LIKE NORTH CAROLINA, THERE'S LIKE AN ASPECT OF LAKE SAFETY OF LIKE HOW SAFE IS IT FOR ME TO EMBRACE ASIDE ANY UNLIKE?

>> MAYBE LIKE WANTING TO LIKE PUSH AWAY FROM A BULLET BEING AND CHICAGO WHERE THERE IS JUST LIKE MORE LIKE COMMUNITY FOR ME TO KIND OF LIKE PUSH MYSELF INTO.

I THINK IT'S LIKE REALLY HELPED WITH GREATEST AROUND THE U.S. ARE A MOTHER OF A YOUNG CHILD.

YOU WRITE CHILDREN'S BOOK.

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE.

>> AND ALSO THAT JOURNEY OF TEACHING HER DAUGHTER SPANISH.

>> YES, I DO HAVE A SON WHO IS IMMERSION SPANISH PROGRAM GOT PLUS FONDA.

JUST ALL AND I DO SPEAK TO HIM IN SPANISH AT HOME, BUT JUST BEING IN THE SETTING HIS CLASSMATES ALSO SPEAK SPANISH, RAISE TEACHERS, TEACHING THEM IN SPANISH REALLY HELPS DEVELOP ACQUISITION.

YES, I WRITTEN LOWS.

KING SAID THAT I CAN, WHICH IS A VERY TRADITIONAL TREND.

TRADITION AND LATINO CULTURES.

WE 15, YES, A HUGE FOR THE TRADITION.

>> AND AM I RIGHT LANGUAGE LEARNER TO LITERATURE, WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE STYLE THAT MAKES LANGUAGE ACCESSIBLE, FUN AND RICH WITH CULTURE.

IT COMES WITH ON ONLINE PLATFORM AUDIO AND MANY MORE TO COME, INCLUDING THIS APRIL AVENUE RELEASED.

COMING THAT'S REALLY GREAT.

WE ONLY HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE QUESTION.

A COUPLE SECONDS.

I WANT TO GO TO YOU.

WHAT ARE SOME WORDS YOU WANT TO GIVE TO PEOPLE OUR INTIMIDATE TO SPEAK SPANISH OR THEY KNOW IT, BUT THEY JUST FEEL LIKE THEY WANT TO TALK BECAUSE I DON'T SPEAK PROPERLY.

THEY HAVE TO KEEP SPEAKING IT ADULTS AROUND THEM HAVE TO EXCEPT WHAT COMES OUT.

THE BILINGUALISM, THE COACH, WHICH ALL OF IT IS GOOD AND WE SHOULD HELP PEOPLE BE AFFIRMED IN WHATEVER LANGUAGE IS WHATEVER WAYS OF SPEAKING THEY HAVE APPRECIATE THIS