two heads one body

Subtle flex sheesh

Argentine-Chilean-American. Interesting to think about how his background and bilingual upbringing influenced his perspective in this essay.

What does he mean by these last two sentences?

Wow I never considered this. Must have been so scary.

The more our world is globalized, the more the power of a lingua franca is diffused. I like "deterritorializing language"

Migration is more prevalent so languages and cultures move with people

Easier to travel and communicate globally

Relatable! Growing up white American (Spanish and English) and Indonesian, I've struggled to feel really at home in either culture and feeling completely linguistically competent. I used to feel this was a burden, but have grown to realize how beautiful it is to be able to blend so many cultures to create something special I can share within my family and with other people with similar backgrounds.

There is political, economic, and social reasons for choosing to assimilate. Makes it easier to climb and gain power in whichever part of the world you're inhabiting.

How feasible is this model? Perhaps it's feasible if you live in, say, a NYC neighborhood that is almost entirely populated with people from the same culture and language. Makes me think of nearby Sunset Park Chinatown. You can feel transported to a city in China, and there can be entire pockets where you need to communicate in Cantonese or Mandarin.

One strategy for adapting to a new home. Does assimilation necessitate suppressing one's old identity/language in favor of picking up a new identity/language? Can they live in harmony?

reminds me of being in Montreal recently. Francophone vs. Anglophone decades-old debate and how it relates to culture, class, etc.

language tied to identity and culture, especially for immigrants