Sounds familiar?
It’s an idea that has shaped immigration policies, social norms, and even classrooms. But here’s the thing: Expecting cultural uniformity isn’t just outdated—it’s fundamentally wrong.
A Conversation That Flips the Script
On the latest Teacher Talking Time podcast, I had the honor of having an insightful conversation with Dr. Angelica Galante to discuss a powerful concept: Plurilingual Pluricultural Competence (PPC) – a framework that starts with one simple idea:
“There isn’t one correct way to speak, behave, or belong. Multiple ways of being can—and should—co-exist.” (Angelica Galante)
Language, Culture, and the Danger of Erasure
What jumped out most in our chat? Well, allow me to break down a few key ideas from our conversation:
- Different cultural behaviors are not strange—they’re just different. What feels “normal” to one person might feel unfamiliar to another, but that doesn’t make it wrong.
- We rarely notice cultural values when they align with our own. But when they differ, the reaction is often resistance instead of curiosity.
- Understanding should be the goal, not elimination. The real challenge is not how to “fit in” but how to create spaces where multiple ways of speaking and existing are equally valued.
Now picture this:
A Spanish speaker from Argentina and one from Spain will have slight linguistic and cultural differences, but their interaction is mostly seamless. Now, put someone from Japan and someone from Brazil in the same room, and the contrast in communication styles might be much bigger. But that contrast isn’t a problem—it’s an opportunity to learn and expand perspectives.
The Quiet Crisis: Linguistic Genocide
What caught my attention is that this doesn’t just apply to spoken interactions—it applies to language access as well.
Dr. Galante challenges a critical question:
“If you’re studying at an English-speaking university, why should you have to stick to English-only content?”
With that in mind, why not encourage students to:
- Read academic papers in multiple languages?
- Watch news, listen to podcasts, and engage with media in different languages?
- Maintain and develop their multilingual identity instead of suppressing it?
Ignoring those options feeds what scholars call linguistic genocide: heritage languages erased within two or three generations because “blending in” seems safer than sounding different.
History shows us how immigrant communities often lose their heritage languages within two or three generations due to societal pressure to assimilate. Many of us know people—perhaps even in our own families—who have lost their ancestral languages because they were made to believe that speaking anything other than the dominant language was a weakness rather than a strength.
When asked, Dr. Galante puts it bluntly:
“One of the things I’m most interested in is not convincing those who need to be convinced, but empowering those who speak multiple languages to stop taking crap from people who discriminate against them.”
Own Your Multilingual Identity
So, if someone makes you feel inferior because of your accent, your language, or the way you express yourself—do not apologize.
Your language is valid. Your culture is valid. Your way of communicating is valid.
The real question isn’t whether multilingualism and multiculturalism should be “accepted.” The question is:
Why are we still acting like they’re the exception instead of the norm?
You can watch our full conversation with Dr. Angelica Galante here: Stop Apologizing for Being Multilingual – Dr. Angelica Galante
Have you ever felt pressured to conform to a single language or cultural norm? How do you navigate multilingual and multicultural spaces? Let me know in the comments 👇
