Monolingual Americans

Author: Issa

June 21st 2025

Alafia. My name is Issa. I'm a 16-year-old homeschooled African American currently living in Benin, West Africa. My life is pretty interesting, to say the least. My destiny called for me to be initiated into spiritual esoteric knowledge early in life. I've mastered blending cultures and navigating five languages. Calling me a polyglot is an understatement.

I have a curiosity for human psychology and sociology. I spend a lot of time meeting new people, which helps me broaden my perspective on life. I've never written a blog before, but I feel led to share my unique view of the world. I like to call my perspective "rose-colored," which reminds me of the rose bushes from my childhood home in California. I would wander off in the garden for hours, just thinking about my life, people patterns, and why people do the things they do. At an early age, my family nicknamed me "flower child."

This blog is about bringing awareness and enlightenment to things people do, or in some cases don't do. It's just my rose-colored perspective.

In my most recent wander in thought, I stewed on Americans and their lack of needing or wanting to know more than one language. This really irked me. As a third-culture kid, I've had many conversations with foreigners from all over the world. Even if they were from Brazil, France, or Benin, they all spoke English as a second or even third language. This observation led me to realize that most of the world is taught to be bilingual as a minimum standard. I also realized that most people in the U.S. can only speak one language and make no real effort to learn others.

In California, we have a diverse population with many rich cultures and ethnicities. It's common for people to hire migrant workers to help clean houses, take care of lawns, or provide taxi service. Some of these migrant workers are new to speaking English. There are times when Americans berate them for not speaking English. They think they are less intelligent because their sentence structure isn't as sophisticated as a native English speaker. Americans need to have more compassion when interacting with foreigners who are making an effort to learn English. Don't think of them as dumb or less intelligent. Science proves that the more languages you speak, the more you actually use your brain. The brain function of a multilingual person is significantly higher than a monolingual person. This means that a person who is working for you in a domestic capacity is actually more intelligent and uses more of their brain.

At the same time, there are many Americans who plan trips to a different country and make no effort to learn the language. Sometimes they won't even know what language is spoken in the country they're traveling to.  They just expect that someone speaks English. Furthermore, I’ve met a lot of repatriates and expatriates who have moved to Benin and many of them don't bother to learn the basics of French which is the national language. They have the attitude of, "Why should I learn another language when everyone speaks English?" or "Why would I want to learn their language?" This attitude makes Americans look bad. I know for a fact this double standard is rooted in self-entitlement. Whether they are aware of it or not, Americans expect to be catered to. If you're traveling to a non-English speaking country, it's a no-brainer: go out there and pick up a second language! At least learn the basics. Apps like Duolingo can help you ease into a new language.

I offer my insight because as I travel and live abroad, I've been made aware of stereotypes that people from other countries have about Americans. They tell me all the time that Americans seem arrogant and entitled because of their lack of accepting other cultures and languages. I've been praised for having the humility and openness to learn different cultures and languages. I can't tell you how many times people abroad are amazed at how I embody the accents and cadence of whatever language I'm speaking, like a native speaker.  I hope my perspective inspires you to learn more languages, connect with new friends, and broaden your horizon. 

Being multilingual has benefited me in many areas of my life. I travel a lot and sometimes I feel alone.  Learning new languages has helped me make friends wherever I go.  This makes me feel that the world is my home. So, I wanted to share my experience, as I see the world through rose-colored glasses. 

Until next time, 

ISSA

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