Me and My "Englishes"

My family is a big melting pot of different languages. That may sound funny, but when your first cousins speak only english, your aunt speaks spanish, and your niece speaks nepali, you get the hang of adjusting to your surrounding. My parents grew up in Nepal, where there is 123 different languages,out of that, my parents understand and fluently speak at least five as well as English. As a child I would hear my parents speak Nepali, while my aunt would laugh and accidently insert some spanish slang and my cousin and I spoke English. I grew up to understand and speak Nepali, (apparently with a prominent American accent, but I choose to believe that I speak fairly well), but unlike Amy Tan there was not a drastic difference in my English when speaking to my parents. While my parents would speak in Nepali to each other, they would speak in English with my brother and I. Other things aside, my big and diverse family loved reunions and get togethers, anything that would put the Thapa Family under one roof. When these special occasions occured, I would be surrounded by different languages and religions, however even though there were differences, we all spoke english with one another.The combination was weirdly comfortable for me, but one thing that stood out was how I spoke Nepali with adults and elders compared to people younger than me. There is a certain way in which you should address adults, in Nepal there is formal and informal language that is directed towards a specific groups of people. When speaking with adults I have to switch my Nepali to a formal communications, however with kids and peers younger than me I speak informal Nepal. This holds true English as well, just not as intense as Nepali, where a mix in formality can be interpreted as disrespect. At school, my english changes based on the person I am talking to, If I am talking to a teacher I will speak in a formal way, in contrast when I speak to friends I speak informally. I have learned to adjust to my surroundings and change my way of speaking so it is appropriate.

My “Englishes” give me very different personas as it really depends on the context and the people I am speaking with. At home with my direct family, I speak with a mix of formal and informal, I still joke around and add slangs but am more respectful to my parents. In comparison, when speaking to my friends and texting I speak very informally, and use “text language” with slang and shortcuts and with teachers, I speak formal English. Likewise, when I am speaking to a stranger I use formal English, but as I gradually get closer to someone I start to use informal English. English gives an individual power to communicate the appropriate message to people around you. However, it is important that there is a balance between these two ways of speaking. One must possess both formal and informal english to properly communicate with different people.