Fotu: Rubera Dje - Nha ninhu kiridu Por Agnelo A. Montrond
BROCKTON, EUA - Since the colonial period, Cape Verdeans have undergone many struggles with success: the literary movement to denounce the unfavorable situation on the archipelago aligned with the movement for the independence made it possible on July 5th, 1975 which marked the beginning of a new era; the first Cape Verdean government took office and was recognized worldwide; they successfully faced the challenge of developing the poor country they inherited; continued efforts have been made for the betterment and empowerment of their lives; improvements has been made in several sectors: infrastructure, transportation, education, economy, public health, safety, security, etc; the first constitution of Cape Verde was draft; the international cooperation has provided a tremendous help in Cape Verdeans quest for development, namely the human resources – many Cape Verdeans have gotten their college degrees overseas and have returned to the archipelago to better serve the country.
Approximately 10 years after the independence, a major change occurred on the Cape Verdean political system: a democratic form of government was adopted on the republic of Cape Verde and a significant progress on the human rights became reality. A new government took office and the constitution was revised in order to grant more freedom and rights to all Cape Verdeans. That constitutional revision kept Portuguese as the official language of Cape Verde and set forth a provision that clearly states that the government of Cape Verde should create conditions to enable the Cape Verdean Language to become official along with Portuguese. It further states that all Cape Verdean citizens must know and use the two official languages: Cape Verdean Language and Portuguese.
Even though the due follow-up to the aforementioned constitutional disposition has been missing in action by all those to whom it may duly concern, we must recognize that a lot has been done in an effort to promote and value the Cape Verdean national language. Institutions of Higher Education in the United States, namely Massasoit Community College, Bridgewater State College, amongst others, have been providing a tremendous help by offering courses in Cape Verdean Creole to area residents. Americans from different walks of life, who interact with Cape Verdeans either socially or professionally, have enrolled in those courses in an effort to initiate the learning and development of the Cape Verdean Language, History, and Culture. Many have witnessed that by getting acquainted with the Cape Verdean language and culture, they felt they were better prepared to interrelate with Cape Verdeans regardless of their ages, social status, or educational background. We all know that studying different languages and cultures allows for the establishment of greater and effective interaction between people. On this tone, I would like to remind you that today’s American society is no longer a "melting-pot". It is rather “a mosaic" that mirrors strong and growing distinct ethnic identities that remain a vital factor in shaping values and principles.
Last but not least, let me cite and quote the following:"Unless the teacher understands how the student is using her/his speech organs in producing a native language sound and what s/he should be doing to reproduce the foreign language sound acceptably, s/he cannot help the student beyond a certain stage of earnest but inaccurate imitation." [Wilga Rivers - Teaching Foreign Language Skills]. From this quotation we can infer that all teachers serving English Language Learners (ELL) and language teachers, namely teachers of ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) who study the sound system of their students’ native language will be better prepared to deliver an effective quality language instruction and appropriately deal with common mistakes resulting from either interference or transference of the structure and functionality of their native language into the target language, English Language Arts in this case.
Agnelo A. Montrond
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