The new americans story from the tampa tribune

Copyright 2002 The Tribune Co. Publishes The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
May 26, 2002, Sunday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NATION/WORLD, Pg. 1
LENGTH: 676 words
HEADLINE: English Is Foreign To Rising Number
BYLINE: CLOE CABRERA and DOUG STANLEY, of The Tampa Tribune; Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656. Reporter Doug Stanley can be reached at (813) 259-7364.

BODY:

NEARLY 1 IN 4 FLORIDIANS SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGE

TAMPA - When Korean-born Kim Myong met her husband, she couldn't speak his language - and he couldn't speak hers.

"We used a dictionary to communicate," says Kim Knapp, 47, who came to the United States with her U.S.-born husband, David, in 1999. "We still use a dictionary, but not as much."

Twenty years later, Knapp has an English vocabulary extensive enough to allow her a thriving career as an accountant but says it hasn't been easy.

"I've struggled for over 10 years with English," she says. "English is my homework until I die."

Knapp isn't the only one working on her English.

Nearly one in four Florida residents speaks a language other than English in their home, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau 2000 data. That's a jump from a decade earlier, when about 17 percent of residents made that claim.

Asian immigrants and Spanish-speakers stand out as groups with larger numbers of people who don't speak English well. In Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, about half of the 30,000 people who speak Asian or Pacific Island languages (the two are categorized together) reported they don't speak English well.

Slightly fewer than half the counties' 204,000 Spanish-speakers reported they don't speak English well.

"The language issue is America's biggest challenge," says Tony Morejon, the county's Hispanic liaison. "This isn't the America of our great- grandparents, where you didn't need to learn English. You lose out on a lot of things when you don't speak English.

"Unfortunately, it's not like a pill you take and you learn it. It takes time, and what limits them [immigrants] is they have to take care of their families."

That has been the problem for Ismael Perez, who arrived here in 1997 from Cuba.

"When I got here, the first thing I did was enroll in English classes," Perez, 34, says in Spanish.

But settling into a desk - and staying awake - after cutting trees for 15 hours a day quickly proved impossible. Still eager to learn, Perez found another way.

"I've learned a lot of English from my customers, who are at least 90 percent American-born," says Perez, who lays tile and plays in a band.

"They correct me when I say a word the wrong way. They explain words and meanings to me. They help me so much. I can make a living and learn at the same time."

The group that seems to pick up English easiest are those who speak Indo-European languages, a broad category that includes French and Italian, Pennsylvania Dutch, Serbo-Croatian and Punjabi. In Hillsborough, nearly 27,000 people speak one of these languages - only 7,700 say they don't speak English well.

The dramatic increases in residents who don't speak English poses challenges for schools, social service agencies, businesses and law enforcement.

But they also add vitality to our communities.

"They certainly are contributing to the economy," says Carmen Sorondo, who oversees limited-English classes for Hillsborough County public schools. "They join the work force even with non-English skills. They also become consumers and have a positive impact on the economy."

Children often master English long before the adults in their lives; youth and daily schooling provide a big boost.

In Hillsborough County's public schools, more than 100 languages from 200 countries are represented. Benito Middle School in New Tampa has one of the most diverse campuses, with 108 students who speak 18 languages in the school's ESOL class, which stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages.

"The variety of languages spoken can be difficult," said Barbara Hancock, principal at Benito.

"Most aides and ESOL teachers are Spanish-speaking. When you have 27 or 30 languages, we don't have someone that speaks the language and can relate to the students."

It's important to learn the language, Kim Knapp says.

She says she learned by dealing with customers.

"Once I got the opportunity, I took it," she says. "It really taught me to speak English."

GRAPHIC: PHOTO (C)

Tribune photo by VICTOR JUNCO

(C) Kim Knapp of Korea came to the United States in 1999 with her husband, David. The couple used a dictionary to communicate until she built her English vocabulary.

LOAD-DATE: May 28, 2002