Wednesday, September 6, 2023

ONE LINEA ENGLISH, LA OTHER ESPANOL= BILINGUAL

 (Ed.'s Note: Those of us who still remember when speaking Spanish was prohibited (and punished) in the schools will relate to this old poem that was originally written and published by yours truly in El Portavoz, the MEChA newsletter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1984. It was later reprinted locally in Dr. G.F. McHale-Scully's El Rocinante in the Feb, 19, 1991 edition, 32 years ago. Note how every other line is in either Spanish or English, making it, in effect, bilingual.)


ESTIMADO MISTER
By Juan Montoya

The school is yours
La lengua nuestra

And still you insist on English
Para niños y maestra

Speaking in Spanish, you say
Nos volvera analfabetos

But even Oxford won't show you
Como se gana el respeto

Mexican, Cuban, Hispanic
No hayan valor en ninguna

But we can function in both
Y Ud. solamente en una

You've never witnessed a child
Comprendiendo una lección

When you use his mother tongue
En vez de la del sajón

Your paperwork and degrees
Dis'que es persona educada

Maybe that's why you can come up
Con tan chulas pendejadas

c/s

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Juan, you have a flair for the obvious, bro.

Pos, si, Apa, dicen que El Montoya es Chicano hasta el hueso.

habla espanol y eeeeeeenglish, el guey.


Anonymous said...

Tex-Mex not bi-lengua, another gringo mistake. when will they learn. pendejos.

Anonymous said...

That's why you are All-Mexican, Montoya.

Just can't let it go.

Have to front Mexico every chance you get.

Go back to Mexico, ese!!!


Anonymous said...

La Resaca elemetary where all the teachers where white, FAT, ugly and smelly would spank you, with a board 6 inches wide and 3ft long and abt 2 inches thick. If that was not available at the time of the CRIME a ruler would do. Speaking Spanish was a crime punishable with a whipping, (happy it wasn't hanging). I would go days not speaking anything while at school. My favorite escape route was the big windows. I jumped the window to get outside and ran home, which was 2 blocks away. ADIOS I shouted but the following day was WAR.

My mom always cooked cookies in the morning so I had a prize waiting at my home. She would always tell me that she was ready and knew I would be home soon. mymother....WOW!

Anonymous said...

Too Mexican for my tastes, Toya.

unamerican, ese.


Anonymous said...

I tend to disagree. Very few can function in both languages. In fact, most can't function in either. just saying!

Anonymous said...

Mecha bigots looked down at real Mexican born US citizen because I was a real Hispanic. Payback is voting against your indios like the twin Castro midgets from San Antonio.

Anonymous said...

Reminds of a terrible principal who calls herself a leader and has a phd in leadership. Puro pedo. Vieja pedorra que no sabe hacer nada Kristine Garza es una mensa y ahorra trabaja en el distrito de Pharr. Anteriormente la desocuparon del distrito de McAllen por ser idiota y no saber hacer su trabajo.

Pendejos por a ver ocupado esa mujer que no sabe ser lider. Le va causar dano a los ninos, a los empleados de esa escuela y a la comunidad.

Pero bueno como va el dicho, al mal tiempo buena cara.

Anonymous said...

Whole generation of dual language community members I solo wonderful.
God Bless America!!!

Anonymous said...

September 6, 2023 at 7:55 AM September 6, 2023 at 8:56 AM

como chingas pinche gavacho wanna be but can't,ese eres un mamon. cockroach european mojado...

Anonymous said...

Ho

Hum


Anonymous said...

TLS ALV

Anonymous said...

As usual we have the pobres pendejos LOSERS that can only offer negativism, even to something as simple as bilingualism. Sure, it's not Tex-Mex but, who said it was??? Your pinche little minds have to work overtime to complain about whatever.
Being bilingual is certainly a benefit nowadays and has been for quite some time. I worked for a major US corporation after college (BBA) and, unfortunately for mono-linguals (English only for you nitpickers) for that time period (the 70s), one of the requirements for hiring was that you had to be bilingual, English and Spanish. Worked well for me as I had a successful 30-year career with this company.
Those of you that knock bilingualism have never been out of the Valley. Get used to it because very soon the USA will be a majority of Hispanics. Whether you brown-faced wannabee whites like it or not.
BTW, very nice poem, JMon!

Anonymous said...

juan brought back memories from Victoria heights 1960's remember the teachers would either spank you or use a ruler on your hands until they were red because you said anything in Spanish, which at that time was not allowed and then years later lol they started a bilingual program, pos hijos de la you know what.

henrysalinas said...


Mr. Montoya,

You have hit the nail on the head; I am 75 yrs old and remember the spanking we got for speaking Spanish on school grounds. I have a cousin who is a phd in bi-lngual education who had never heard of such thing as spanking for speaking Spanish. I will share this poem with her if it's ok with you. She teaches at UTSA. thanks again for sharing it with us poor, bi-lingual pendejos who can operate in 2 languages with no problemo.

Anonymous said...

September 6, 2023 at 9:43 AM
Get the fuc* out of here pinche gringo mamon wanna be white coco, o eres un gringo mamon?

Anonymous said...

September 6, 2023 at 7:55 AM
pinche coco wanna be white gringo y tu mama que es mallata? y tu hatian mamon.

Anonymous said...

September 6, 2023 at 9:43 AM September 6, 2023 at 12:11 PM
You have to have your finger up your ass to function idiota, pinche gringo/mojado.

Anonymous said...

They can’t speak English or Spanish properly...another moronic narrative!

Anonymous said...

Learning to speak Spanish is a waste of time. Mexico has never been or will ever be worth a shit. Learn to speak and write Chinese and or Russian. Learn the languages that will dominate the earth, that's if Democrats remain in power.

rita