Yo! Speak English Philly Immigration

In this episode we hear from Philadelphia immigrants, from the early 20th century and from the early 21st century, who adapted to their new homes without fluency in English.  David Kaplan, who arrived from Russia in 1911, talks about the challenges of becoming an American while retaining the Yiddish language and culture. Esther Davalos, who worked as a Spanish language translator, recalls a memorable story underscoring the importance of pronunciation, and what can go awry with new language skills. Min “Mandy” Wang, who moved to Philadelphia in 2018, shares her anxieties about communication as she adapted to her new life in Philly. Laura Gomez, who immigrated as a child in the early 21st century, remembers the strategies she used to succeed in her American school.

In this episode you will hear in their own words how immigrants in the early 20th and 21st centuries learned English and assimilated into life in Philly. Some new Philadelphians read English, but can’t speak it. Some speak, but can’t read it. Some have absolutely no knowledge of it. Every immigrant finds their own solution for language acquisition. In this episode we will hear from Gilda Cetrullo who in the 1920s learned English at the movies. In 1916 Anna Aleski settled into a Polish speaking community in the neighborhood of Port Richmond to help resolve her language challenges. Irina Melekhina learned English as a second language in the Soviet Union prior to moving to Northeast Philly in 1994.  And Xichuan “Matt” Zhang shares his transition from learning English as a student in China to actively speaking the language in Philly in the 1990s. Finally, Yan Tai Lau shares her recent experiences at the Literacy Center on Market Street. Hear the many ways these resourceful individuals refined their English language skills in the Philly community.