“My English is Not Bad… How’s Your Polish?‪”‬ Yo! Speak English

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.