As a child I watched television shows like "Sesame Street" that stressed learning the English language. I attended a Catholic school, where most of my classmates were Caucasian or Hispanic, all English-speakers for the most part. English was my first language. However, Spanish was never far away. Growing up one-half Mexican meant that I was surrounded by Spanish-speakers quite often. Every member of my maternal family speaks Spanish. My grandmother uses her own version of "spanglish," that all of us have learned to comprehend. Statements like, "Your tia Nene esta en the hospital" or "Claro que it's the best thing," were understood through context clues and years of experience.
From "What Makes Me Who I Am?"
Audience: A close friend of another ethnic background
Comments: Notice the shift from English to Spanish and the translations
The food of Hispanics is appreciated by everyone: Mexicans, Americans, and those with no Mexican roots. Chili con Carne (chili peppers with beef) and el Tamale (ground beef with chili wrapped in corn meal dough and steamed in corn husk) are Mexican combinations of Old World and New World foods. Hispanic food is based on corn, chili peppers, and beans. . . . Once as I was walking down the streets of Mexico when my family and I had gone to eat and shop, which is a frequent weekend activity for those of us who live by the border, I noticed carts of food on every corner. People were selling corn, breads, candy, tacos, and paletas (ice cream made of real fruit).
From memo to Dr. Balester regarding reflections on final class portfolio
Comment: The student tries to create a familiar tone by using colloquial language and upper case (as in computer conferencing, where upper case can mean "shouting"). It ends with a fragment.
Back in December when I was hunting for "the right" classes, trying to decide whether I really wanted to stray from prestigious Biomedical Science, I found Advanced Composition. . . . I finally decided to register for the class, mainly because my grades needed a good lift, and since writing is something I enjoy, I figured I would have an easy time at it. After hearing your first-day lecture, I kept thinking how humiliated I was going to be when all these older and obviously smarter students got As and I had all the F papers. In reality, the assignments were a lot easier to get through than I thought . . . I went from thinking the first day of class "WHAT WAS I THINKING???" to "I'M GONNA BE AN ENGLISH MAJOR!!" I believe that the day I finally admitted to myself that I'm better at writing than I am at math and science was when I got Essay #2 back. A good grade, and not just from some high school teacher who hands out bonus points just for being in class.
From "Who Am I?"
Audience: A group of people at an AA meeting
Comment: The first excerpt includes a comma splice which reflects how the essay would be read aloud and shows the connection between the ideas; the second excerpt ends with a fairly powerful fragment.
Wendy was the last one I dropped off that night. Right before she got out she hugged me, gave me a kiss of the forehead, and went inside. I knew what she was thinking. She was thinking that she knew the humiliation I had just experienced and it was ok, her silence promised me that she did not love me any less.
I will never willingly subject my children, or anyone else's children for that matter, to an alcoholic. Not even if he is their grandfather.
From "Christianity: Is It an Ethnicity?"
Audience: not specified
Comment: I wasn't sure if the comma splice below was intentional, and the sentence might work powerfully with a period in place of the comma, but this also represents a common use of the comma splice that might be termed rhetorical.
I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church and went to church every Sunday whether I wanted to or not. I went to all the events at church and knew what it was all about. Then one day my faith became my own and I made the best decision of my life, I asked Jesus into my heart.
From: "Change Is Good"
Audience: College-aged peers
Comment: This paragraph supports a more scholarly (i.e., researched) approach. The student shows his first-hand knowledge of Hinglish as he defends its use.
I have personal experience with this language. I am a first-generation American. In my home my mother and father speak to each other mainly in Hindi. However their language is sprinkled here and there with the English we speak here in America. As far as communicating with my sister and me, I could say my parents speak Hinglish. An example of what my mother might say to me, "Abhi dinner kow." That means, "Come eat your dinner." . . . When I went to India this past December I saw a television advertisement, which epitomized Hinglish. It was for Pepsi Cola. They used the larger than life actor of Hindi films named Shah Rukh Kahn and at the end of the ad he had a Pepsi bottle in his hand saying "Yehi hai right choice baby," . . .