In Phase 2, which is the Synthesis Essay, I learned that everyone’s argument is different based on language expectations of the English language like language discrimination with immigrants, for example. Also, I learned how to target different audiences that need to hear your voice or your argument within English specifically. It’s interesting to know different topics that are related to English in general, along with different groups of people like African immigrants, Hispanic immigrants, and etc. For example, I was writing about “The Dominance & Globalization of Standard English Marginalizing African Immigrants” for my Synthesis Essay. As I was researching and writing about my topic, I realized that this topic interests me to talk about and how I understand that language isn’t for everyone who migrates to the US, especially immigrants. Immigrants find the English language challenging when their English is discriminated against by people.

There are certain topics that argue about different groups of people dealing with language or accent discrimination like ESL students, Hispanic/Latino immigrants or immigrants in general. However, I chose to write about African immigrants specifically, where they feel prejudiced against by people who make assumptions about them. I learned that all groups of people speak their type of English to communicate with rather than American English in the US. It was fascinating for me to argue or talk about people being discriminated against by their accent or where they came from and it gave me an idea to talk about African immigrants more where they face challenges of accent discrimination or having less economic opportunities because they are not perceived as speaking “standardized” English. 

The Dominance & Globalization of Standard English Marginalize African Immigrants

In today’s media, some stories were told about immigrants from Africa not learning “Standard English” right away when they come to the US and it isn’t only about learning a new language but learning a new way of communicating. When it comes to learning a new language, most African immigrants feel pressured that “Standard” English is the only way of communication while their native languages are excluded from communicating with their families. This essay will address how the dominance and globalization of Standard English marginalize immigrants from Africa by devaluing their native languages, reinforcing linguistic hierarchies rooted in colonial histories, and enforcing unfair linguistic norms that hinder their cultural expression, social integration, and economic opportunities.

Immigrants from Africa feel unfamiliar when it comes to speaking “Standard English” even though their first native language is English but it is different in terms of language speaking and learning based on their cultural differences and expression. In Patriann Smith’s article “How Does a Black Person Speak English? Beyond American Language Norms,” Patriann Smith examines how many African immigrants who migrated to the US are judged based on the way they speak English. She explains that, “The study is focused on immigrant educators because they originate from a different social and geographic context, bring with them distinct standardized Englishes from their home countries that represent novelty in the U.S. context, and, unlike their Black American faculty counterparts, are largely unfamiliar with the linguistic and cultural biases toward using certain variations of English in the U.S. context upon their migration to the United States” (108). Smith’s observation from her perspective reveals that not a lot of African immigrants learn “proper English” based on the countries they originated in Africa. Learning a new, unfamiliar language can be very difficult for newcomers to a country, especially in the US. It is unfair for many African immigrants to be discriminated against compared to “proper English” speakers and not receive the opportunity to socially integrate with other communities of people, the way “standard English speakers” can. Similarly, another scholar, Manka Nkimberg, talks about how African immigrants are unfamiliar with “Standard English” in the U.S. and how linguistic discrimination affects their status as immigrants. In Manka Nkimbergs’s article, “All I know is that there is a lot of discrimination: Older African immigrants’ experiences of discrimination in the United States, “ she states that African immigrants faces challenges of linguistic discrimination and how it affects their identity as immigrants. She says that, “In addition to being Black, African immigrants may experience additional discrimination because of their status as immigrants or because of different accents” (197). Nkimberg highlights that the status of African immigrants affects them being unfamiliar with how language is being spoken based on their character. At the same time, both of these authors indicates that immigrants from Africa are not familiar with the language being spoken and how it is different when it comes to language speaking based on their cultural differences.

African immigrants face challenges of accent discrimination whenever they speak to someone, and people don’t understand what they are trying to say. They think that it is not “Standardized English” and assume that they aren’t “intelligent” enough to speak English. In Manka Nkimberg’s article “All I know is that there is a lot of discrimination”: Older African immigrants’ experiences of discrimination in the United States,” Manka Nkimberg explains the effects of African immigrants feeling left out and feeling like they are not intelligent enough to speak English normally. She states that, “Some even noted that because of their accents, people assumed they were not educated or qualified to carry out their jobs. They recounted negative emotional responses to this, including a feeling of not belonging, feeling upset, and/or disrespected” (198). Nkimberg points out that people judge African immigrants as not “educated” enough to learn normal English and the assumptions can affect them by making them feel left out, like they don’t belong in the community. Similarly, another author, Christine Ro, addresses the discrimination against African immigrants, explaining how it makes them feel like they aren’t accepted, like their English isn’t “normalized” enough. In her article “The persuasive problem of linguistic racism,” Ro explains what happened at work when an Ethiopian-accented staff member was discriminated against because of his accent and how he was treated differently from other employees at work. She states that, “An Ethiopian-accented staff member had reported that his colleagues frequently interrupted him during Zoom calls, commented on the unintelligibility of his English and excluded him from meetings. He became self-conscious during the meetings that he was able to attend, and ended up using the chat feature instead of speaking up, says Kia Roberts, Triangle’s founder and principal” (1). Ro’s examination reveals how he was judged by his accent and how it has caused him to use the chat feature instead of speaking up, despite speaking the same language. Together, both of these authors explain that accent discrimination makes African immigrants uncomfortable speaking because of the assumptions made about his character based on the way he speaks.

When it comes to economic opportunities, people often expect others to learn and speak “standardized” English so they can be better understood in professional contexts. In Kevin J. A Thomas’ article “African Immigration and the Black Immigrant Paradox,” Thomas talks about how African immigrants who don’t speak English very well don’t have job opportunities, like in a labor market. He says that, “Some may further argue that, although many African immigrants speak English very well, there are still others who do not, which could negatively affect the opportunities available to them” (p. 1). African immigrants are often excluded from employment opportunities simply because they are not perceived as speaking “standardized” English. This linguistic discrimination contributes to reduced economic stability, and African immigrants often earn less than members of other racial groups, like white people for example. Likewise, another author, Christine Ro, highlights how people expect African immigrants to speak English normally to be better understood in professional contexts when it comes to economic opportunities. In Christine Ro’s article, “The pervasive problem of ‘linguistic racism,” she discusses about how linguistic racism against African immigrants will get worse if they aren’t accepted into job opportunities and etc. She explains that, “At worst, linguistic racism can lead to deprivation in education, employment, health and housing” (1). Ro’s analysis reveals that linguistic racism can lead to denial or lack of economic opportunities for African immigrants that don’t speak “standard” English. All together, both of these authors demonstrate that there are less opportunities for African immigrants simply because their language speaking aren’t recognized enough for people to better understand.

Most African immigrants are concerned with their cultural identity and background when other students in school make it challenging when they are being discriminated against by their cultural background and language. In Lydiah Kananu Kiramba’s article “It’s Like They Don’t Recognize What I Bring to the Classroom”: African Immigrant Youths’ Multilingual and Navigation in United States Schools,” Kiramba talks about how African Immigrant students struggle with socializing and communicating with others in classes. She states that, “From the immigrant student perspectives, this study manifestly highlights how a lack of knowledge concerning African immigrant student cultural backgrounds led to perceived and actual discrimination, which consequently negatively impacted student academic progress” (12). Kiramba’s observation states that the concerns of the African immigrant students’ cultural backgrounds and differences have led to discrimination against them because they have different accents. It can harm students’ academic progress and affect the way they learn language because they face discrimination based on their cultural background or identity. In addition, another scholar, Manka Nkimberg, talks about how African immigrants are seen “differently” than people in general when it comes to daily life activities. In Manka Nkimberg’s article “All I know is that there is a lot of discrimination: Older African Immigrants’ experiences of discrimination in the United States,” Nkimberg states that African Immigrants are treated differently when they are at work or school than others. She says that, “They related experiences of being told that Africans are not wanted in the U.S., receiving unfair treatment and insults from the people they interacted with at work, school or during health care encounters” (199). Nkimberg’s analysis basically reveals that even though immigrants from Africa have their own cultural background and differences, they are still being treated unfairly by people they work with and it is challenging for African Immigrants to get along if people make comments about their character and identity. Together, both of these authors explain that African immigrants’ cultural identity and backgrounds are being prejudiced against by people who make assumptions about their culture and where they came from.In summary, immigrants from Africa are often discriminated against because their English isn’t “standard” enough to understand, and they don’t socially integrate with groups of people who speak Standard American English. There are less economic opportunities for African immigrants who cannot speak “Standard American” English. It can affect the way people speak and not everyone learns English right away when they come to the US at first, which makes African immigrants feel left out because their English isn’t accepted in the community. Every group of people has different ideas of how to speak in English with their families, despite being prejudiced against by people who might have a hard time understanding, just because they are from different countries in the African continent.