What makes a person a particular race?

[Malthus]

How dare you discrimate against illeterates

Deliberate? 

[merithyn]

I don't doubt your attachment to this family (some of the things you mention appear to be more a close relationship with them, which is perfectly understandable and normal), or that you have picked up things from them, but going as far as making you feel Hispanic seems quite weird from my point of view. Did you get to learn Spanish? You seem to have slipped a bit with it (It's calzones, mi hija and nariz. Sopa doesn't mean rice, but soup. It's arroz the word you're looking for).

Er.. no, I meant what I said. To my family, casones (again, I don't know the spelling, I never saw the word written down) were panties or underwear. Calzones are pizzas folded over. "M'ja" is the contraction of "mi hija", which means "my daughter". It's pronounced mee-ha, and I've never once heard anyone in my family pronounce it mi hija, as it two separate words. And I didn't remember the spelling of nariz because like casones, I don't remember seeing it written down.

As for rice, it's actually sopa arroz, which my family shortened to just "sopa". Interestingly, we just had a conversation about this with a young lady from Northern Mexico. She and her family called fidello "sopa" and rice "arroz", while my family called fidello, well, fidello, and rice "sopa". It seems to be a colloquialism depending on where in Mexico you're from.

My foster father was second generation and despised "wet backs". He did not speak Spanish in the house, nor did his children. To him, he was an American and the American language was English. My elder sisters (foster sisters) learned Spanish when they went to Mexico. My elder foster brother still doesn't know it. My younger biological sister is fluent in Spanish because she learned it from my elder sisters and their husbands (all three married Mexican Nationals). I studied Spanish in college but since I moved away from my family when I was 18, never practiced it at home, and was never fluent. I understand quite a bit more than I can speak, but that's not saying much.

[HVC]

How dare you discrimate against illeterates

Deliberate? 

I'll say yes

[merithyn]

That's why I said she was slipping.  She got the gist of the thing, but missed a letter here and there.

And learning to write a language is part of the whole learning languages thing, it's not just about speaking. 

My nieces and nephews are fluent in Spanish, but can't read or write it. In fact, when I'd ask for help with my Spanish homework they were worse than helpless unless I spoke it out loud. I'm not slipping, as I never knew it. They're words that I may have seen once or twice in Spanish class, but they're words that I use daily, or at least weekly.

By the way, before you say that my nieces and nephews can't possibly be Mexican since they can't read or write the language, they were born in Mexico to Mexican parents with black hair, brown skin, and brown eyes.

[merithyn]

There are no shorthands of that kind in Spanish.

What kind of Spanish? The spoken kind? Because if that's what you mean, it's quite clear that you're talking out of your ass.

[garbon]

There are no shorthands of that kind in Spanish.

Spain is not the only source of Spanish. People definitely say mija here.

[garbon]

And learning to write a language is part of the whole learning languages thing, it's not just about speaking. 

I'd be happy if a great emphasis was put on speaking. Here the emphasis is traditionally on reading and writing...which might help someone read a novel or chat online, but leaves you in a tough spot if you suddenly need to speak a language.

[The Larch]

Er.. no, I meant what I said. To my family, casones (again, I don't know the spelling, I never saw the word written down) were panties or underwear. Calzones are pizzas folded over. "M'ja" is the contraction of "mi hija", which means "my daughter". It's pronounced mee-ha, and I've never once heard anyone in my family pronounce it mi hija, as it two separate words. And I didn't remember the spelling of nariz because like casones, I don't remember seeing it written down.

I guess that the difference is between Mexican Spanish and Spain's Spanish, as for instance there the sound z is pronounced more like s. As I said to garbon about the mi hija/m'ja thingie, there are no shorthands of that kind in Spanish, I guess it's something more coloquial in Mexican Spanish usage.

As for rice, it's actually sopa arroz, which my family shortened to just "sopa". Interestingly, we just had a conversation about this with a young lady from Northern Mexico. She and her family called fidello "sopa" and rice "arroz", while my family called fidello, well, fidello, and rice "sopa". It seems to be a colloquialism depending on where in Mexico you're from.

Ok then. That one puzzled me, as they were totally different things. 

My foster father was second generation and despised "wet backs". He did not speak Spanish in the house, nor did his children. To him, he was an American and the American language was English. My elder sisters (foster sisters) learned Spanish when they went to Mexico. My elder foster brother still doesn't know it. My younger biological sister is fluent in Spanish because she learned it from my elder sisters and their husbands (all three married Mexican Nationals). I studied Spanish in college but since I moved away from my family when I was 18, never practiced it at home, and was never fluent. I understand quite a bit more than I can speak, but that's not saying much.

Personally I think it's a pity that 2nd generation immigrants loose their mother tongue. I can understand the need to integrate in the host country, but getting to the point of "erasing" your past, so to speak, seems to me a bit too much.

[Caliga]

My ancestors spoke fluent German for like 7 generations following immigration.

I am only of the second generation to not speak it fluently. 

[Admiral Yi]

My ancestors spoke fluent German for like 7 generations following immigration.

I am only of the second generation to not speak it fluently. 

Bund swine.  Goddamn sauerkraut.

[merithyn]

so kat, did you know Meri was your cousin?

Keep this in mind: this is Languish. There are some things you share here, and other things you don't. I know that my foster family has come up - and the fact that they're Mexican. But no, I've never explained it in as much detail. As I've said, I've struggled with what all of this makes me, what it all means to me, etc. Not exactly the kind of thing you throw to the wolves, now, is it?

That being said, I'm much more comfortable with where I fall now. Makes it easier to try to explain to someone else.

[Caliga]

Meri, I was just messing with you... honestly I don't give a crap how you label yourself. 

I do agree with what someone (forget who) said earlier that race is really mostly about how others perceive you rather than how you perceive yourself.

[katmai]

red headed latinas

[garbon]

As I've said, I've struggled with what all of this makes me, what it all means to me, etc.

It shouldn't make or mean anything.

[Slargos]

If a pig is born in a stable and spends all its time among the horses, is it then a horse?