The word “bilingualism” may be defined as the ability to speak two languages fluently, or the habitual use of two languages. Being able to speak more than one language, or to at least be conversational in a language other than the one learned in childhood, can prove to be advantageous in several ways.
The Advantages of Being Bilingual
Henri Delacroix, a French psychologist stated, “The individual’s whole experience is built upon the plan of his language.” The ability to converse in a different language opens up many windows and doors of opportunity for an individual not only in an economic sense as The Economist emphasizes by stating that “being at least bi-lingual could increase the average American’s retirement fund somewhere in the ballpark of $67,000 over the course of a career,” [1] but as New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof so adequately pointed out, it also allows a person to have extraordinary cultural experiences.
Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist, brilliantly stated, “In the lives of individuals and societies, language is a factor of greater importance than any other. For the study of language to remain solely the business of a handful of specialists would be a quite unacceptable state of affairs.” And Frank Smith, Psycholinguist, Professor of Education and author, stated, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”
The State of Utah Sets a Precedent in Bilingualism
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof stated,
Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, is an example of a city mixing together with different languages — largely because of the high concentration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served missions abroad — and it’s something young people should pursue. [1]
He also points out that language diversity alone is not what sets Utah apart from most other states, but rather, it is language diversity intermingled with a “wealth of international experience,” which he notes is in short supply in the American higher educational system. He further stated,
One of the aims of higher education is to broaden perspectives, and what better way than by a home stay in a really different country, like Bangladesh or Senegal? Time abroad also leaves one more aware of the complex prism of suspicion through which the United States is often viewed. If more Americans had overseas experience, our foreign policy might be wiser. [2]
According to the University of Utah, there are more than 130 languages spoken in commerce in Utah on a daily basis, making Utah a center for both trade and global companies. Thus, it is not uncommon to find the state listed at the top of Forbes list as one of the best states in which to conduct business.
Perhaps it was Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein, an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language who stated it best when he said, “The limits of my language are the limits of my world. If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.”
Elaine Bradley is the drummer and backup vocalist for the Provo, Utah, based rock band Neon Trees. The band released Habits, its first full length album in 2010, and since then, their first single “Animal” has reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Alternative Rock Chart. The band released a second album in 2012, and have publicized that a new album will be released on 22 April 2014. The album is called “Pop Psychology.” The band has also planned a tour of Europe and North America, with the tour ending in Salt Lake City, Utah on 16 June 2014.
An Early Love for Music
Elaine says that she has always been a performer. One of the things that she enjoyed doing when she was a little girl was making tapes and pretend to be a radio DJ complete with songs, stories, and commercials. She is the youngest of seven kids and grew up with older siblings playing music constantly. She recalls being exposed to the music of Led-Zeppelin and Depeche Mode at a very early age. She recalls that she and her siblings enjoyed singing together, and they often sang Depeche Mode harmonies while doing the dishes. She further recalls that one of her earliest musical memories was from kindergarten, sitting on the bus, staring out the window and singing “You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago to herself. When she was 7 years old, an older brother gave her a tape of Led Zeppelin which she listened to over and over again.
She actually became interested in playing the drums around the age of 5, and her parents bought her first real drum set for her thirteenth birthday. She recalls:
I became enthralled with the drums at an early age. I think I was about five when I started banging on pots and pans with wooden spoons. I would ask my parents for drums frequently, but they thought it was a phase that would pass. After several years, and tireless begging, they bought me a Sears’s drum set. It was a bass, snare, floor tom, hi-hat and crash (tiny splash cymbal mounted on the bass drum). I thought it was the coolest thing ever! Frankly, I wasn’t very good, but I played it all the time. Within a year, that little set was destroyed. Then my parents bought me my first real set—a black Tama Rock star with Paiste cymbals. [1]
During her freshman year in high school, she formed a band with some of her friends and she played the drums and sang “until we could find a drummer.” Eventually a drummer was found, and Elaine moved to playing the guitar. She states,
It was during this time period of not playing the drums that I became better at them. That may sound weird, but it’s true. I would listen to and watch our drummer, and then I would air drum to everything in the car or at home. I learned to think of drumming in a way I hadn’t before—as an equal instrument, capable of evoking feeling just like bass and guitar. [1]
Mormonism and the Pursuit of a Musical Career
In a 2011 interview with The Mormon Women Project, Bradley spoke about her childhood and admitted that although she grew up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there were many years when she rebelled against the teachings of the Church. She became more fascinated with attaining worldly riches through a career in music, and eventually became involved with drugs. She stated, “I went down the wrong path and stopped thinking about God and the church because I knew that if I did, it would mean something, and I would have to change something,” [2] Concerning her youth and being a member of the Church, she has commented:
Growing up, I never liked being Mormon. I remember sitting in Primary and thinking, “I wish I didn’t know this. Why was I born into this family? My friends are so much luckier than I am because they don’t have all of these weird rules.” I was a rebellious kid. I remember singing “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” and thinking it was really preposterous because I didn’t want to be called on a mission. That said, I think I felt that way because I knew that the gospel was true. There was this nagging feeling that it was true mixed with my desire for worldly fame and fortune. Growing up, I felt within me this collision of two distinct worlds. I didn’t really make peace with that tension until I was 21 and maybe even to a certain extent until recently.
I remember having a conversation with my mom in high school. We were driving in the car, and she said to me, “I know you want to be a rock star but what if Heavenly Father were to say that’s not what He wants for you?” I told her point blank that I wouldn’t listen. I wasn’t willing. I had the erroneous thought that Heavenly Father did not want me to be happy. Whatever I wanted, He would tell me to do something else just to spite me. Somehow I got the impression that Heavenly Father was laughing at me from heaven. So in response to that fear, I just ignored Him. I always knew that God was there. The gospel made sense to me and spoke to me on a certain level but at the same time it made me angry. I wanted to be ignorant. During high school one of my biggest complaints was that people in the church were not cool. It was very disappointing for me that most of my friends were outside of the church, and most of the people in the church were people I didn’t want to hang out with. Of course, this complaint was just a cover for my fears about God judging me. In general, it was a really difficult time. [3]
It wasn’t until she was 21 years of age and had a discussion about religion with her boyfriend who was a Christian that Bradley finally realized the importance of having a relationship with God. In her recently released “I’m a Mormon” video she explains:
I remember I started researching what the Bible was all about, just very fundamental topics. And so I remember being so surprised and excited that there was this Jesus Christ who was my Savior. So that created the natural desire for me to want to stop drinking. There was never a moment where it was like, ‘This is the last time.’ It just kind of stopped. [2]
Bradley later served an LDS mission to Frankfurt, Germany. Today she continues to live according to the teachings and the standards of The Church of Jesus Christ. As a band, the members of Neon Trees have agreed to refrain from drugs and alcohol. “I really try to include God in my decisions about music and the band. I ask him to open doors or close doors as necessary. I kind of keep an open heart about it, “she said. [2] In the video she also stated, “I find that I feel so much better, and so much more myself, when I follow the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than I ever did when I didn’t care about what they were.” [2]
The word “pioneer” is basically defined as a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area. A synonym for the word “pioneer” is the word “trailblazer” which perfectly describes Jane Elizabeth Manning James, an early African-American member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church by the media and others).
A Young Seeker of Truth
Jane Elizabeth Manning James was born to Isaac and Eliza Manning in Wilton, Connecticut, on 22 September 1822. At the young age of six, she went to live with the family of Joseph Fitch, a wealthy White farmer in Connecticut. She was raised by the Fitch’s daughter and lived as a servant in their home, but she was not a slave. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and it was there that she became grounded in Christian principles which later helped to prepare her to receive and accept the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ which was preached by two Mormon missionaries traveling through the area where she lived. In her own words, Jane recounted her conversion to Mormonism:
When about fourteen years old, I joined the Presbyterian Church—yet I did not feel satisfied. It seemed to me there was something more that I was looking for. I had belonged to the [Presbyterian] Church about eighteen months when an Elder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, [who] was traveling through our country, preached there. The pastor of the Presbyterian Church forbade me going to hear them as he had heard I had expressed a desire to hear them; nevertheless I went on a Sunday and was fully convinced that it was the true gospel he presented and I must embrace it. The following Sunday I was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [1]
A Stalwart Pioneer
After hearing the Mormon Elder, Charles Wandell, preach the message of the restored gospel, Jane shared the message with other members of her family who were also baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 1843, one year after she was baptized and as preparations were being made for the Latter-day Saints in the area to immigrate to Nauvoo, Illinois, Jane and eight members of her family joined the larger group. Again in her own words, Jane recounted the details of the arduous journey:
One year after I was baptized, I started for Nauvoo with my mother, Eliza Manning, my brothers Isaac Lewis, and Peter, my sisters, Sarah Stebbins and Angeline Manning, my brother-in-law Anthony Stebbins, Lucinda Manning (a sister-in-law), and myself in the fall of 1840 [sic]. We started from Wilton, Connecticut, and traveled by canal to Buffalo, New York. We were to go to Columbus, Ohio before our fares were to be collected, but they insisted on having the money at Buffalo and would not take us farther. So we left the boat and started on foot to travel a distance of over eight hundred miles.
We walked until our shoes were worn out, and our feet became sore and cracked open and bled until you could see the whole print of our feet with blood on the ground. We stopped and united in prayer to the Lord; we asked God the Eternal Father to heal our feet. Our prayers were answered and our feet were healed forthwith. [1]
When Jane and her family finally arrived in Peoria, Illinois, they were faced with opposition once again when the local authorities threatened to imprison them because they could not produce their “free papers” – papers stating that they were free Blacks and not slaves. After a time, they were able to convince the authorities that they had never been slaves, and therefore did not need “freedom papers,” and were allowed to continue on their way.
The Faith That Sustained Them in Their Journey
Frightened at the threat of imprisonment, they were anxious to move on but were slowed by a river. Seeing no bridge, they forded the river by walking into the stream until the cold water swirled around their necks. Afterward—wet, cold, frightened, and hungry—they pressed on their way, sleeping sometimes in the shelter of a log cabin, other times in the open, even when the snow fell. Jane remembered the faith that sustained them when she said, “We went on our way rejoicing, singing hymns, and thanking God for his infinite goodness and mercy to us, in blessing us—protecting us—and healing our feet.” As they approached La Harpe, Illinois, they prayed for a sick baby and it was healed. It was an exhilarating experience that gave them new hope as they entered the city of Nauvoo. [2]
Upon their arrival in Nauvoo, the welcome from the Mormons was not as warm as they had expected. In fact, as Jane recalls, her family of recent Black converts who had traveled many miles by foot to join with the Saints, was repudiated by some of the members.
A Prophet’s Warm Welcome
However, the Prophet Joseph Smith welcomed the wearied travelers with open arms into his home. She recalled that “Brother Joseph took a chair and sat down by me and said, ‘You have been the head of this little band, haven’t you?’ I answered, ‘Yes sir.’ He then said, ‘God bless you.’ “[2] Joseph assured the Mannings that they were among friends and would be protected, and invited them to stay at the Mansion House until homes could be found for them.
Within a week, members of the family were able to find homes and jobs, and on the morning that they were leaving Joseph’s home, he found Jane weeping and asked why she was upset. She responded, “The folks have all gone and got themselves homes, and I have got none.” [2]
“Yes, you have,” he said, “you have a home right here if you want it. You mustn’t cry, we dry up all tears here.” He left the room and returned shortly with Emma. “Sister Emma,” he said, “here is a girl that says she has no home, haven’t you a home for her?”
Emma offered Jane the same warm hospitality she had given scores of others in similar need. Satisfied that the tears were over, the Prophet left Emma and Jane to arrange the details. Jane was a willing worker and told Emma of her skills. She could wash and iron clothes and was a good cook and housekeeper. “When you are rested,” Emma said, “you may do the washing, if you would just as soon do that.” Jane began the following morning. [2]
Jane remained part of the Smith household for several months. She enjoyed the associations of Joseph and Emma’s family, and she often visited with Lucy Smith, Joseph’s mother. She soon became friends with other members of the household including Sarah and Maria Lawrence and Eliza and Emily Partridge.
An Eternal Family of Her Own
After the Prophet was martyred in the Carthage Jail in Carthage, Illinois, she went to live in the home of Brigham Young. It was there that she met and married Isaac James, a native of New Jersey, who had converted to Mormonism in 1839 at the age of 19. After they were married, the couple left for the Utah territory. In 1846, Jane gave birth to her second son while at Winter Quarters, Nebraska. Isaac and Jane Manning James and their sons Sylvester and Silas were the first free blacks to settle in Utah. They immigrated with the Ira Eldredge Company, and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 19 September 19 1847. In the spring of 1848, Isaac and Jane became the parents of Mary Ann, the first Black child born in Utah.
BYU Play Celebrates the Life of Jane Elizabeth Manning James
As Black History month draws to a close (in February 2014), Brigham Young University (BYU) is presenting the award-winning play “I Am Jane” which celebrates the life of Black Mormon pioneer, Jane Elizabeth Manning James. The cast of the play consists of nearly all Black actors. The play will be performed nightly from 25 February through 1 March at 7:30 PM, with a 2:00 PM matinee on Saturday in the Joseph F. Smith Building on the Provo, Utah campus. All characters in the play portray actual historical figures, and the script includes actual words that were spoken by the figures portrayed as often as possible.
With only 265 students of African lineage out of a student body of 30,000 students, finding enough actors to fill all of the roles for the presentation was not an easy task. So, why go through the trouble of putting on such a production? Playwright and Professor, Margaret Young, stated, “Simply because it matters, and this year it matters even more than it has previously.” [3] She notes that The Church of Jesus Christ posted a new online gospel topic on “Race and the Priesthood” which addressed the previous Priesthood ban which prohibited Black males from holding the Priesthood, and Blacks in general from participating in temple rituals. Although the ban ended in 1978, justification for the ban has continued for decades.
“Today, the church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else,” the church statement says. “Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.” [3]
Young further states that those involved in the production “hope that it will inspire the empathetic imagination in all who see it, that all may be edified and also challenged. Janes’ faith, which saw beyond any racial distinctions should mentor our faith.” [3]
Jane Elizabeth Manning James died on 16 April 1908 in Salt Lake City. A special monument to her is located in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, close to her grave site, to commemorate her life and faith.
As part of a larger study on religious values, diversity, and immigration, the Public Religion Research Institute released an infographic which shows the age range of religious affiliations throughout America. Concerning the infographic, Tony Jones in his blog post on Patheos titled “Bye-Bye Millenials” stated,
Here, in living color, we see the church’s failure to engage an entire generation.
You’ll notice that it [the infographic] also undermines the evangelical claim that they’re doing better with younger generations than progressive Christians. You’ll see that’s not true. In fact, the evangelical drop is more precipitous than the mainline drop — they’ve also got further to fall. [1]
Evangelicals Experience Decrease, Other Faiths Witness Increase in Number of Millenials
While the evangelicals may be experiencing a decrease in the retention rate of the younger generations, other Christian groups are maintaining their numbers, and even in some cases, are increasing in the number of members of their congregations who are a part of the younger generations. Jana Riess in her article, “Mormons gaining ground in the 18 to 29 age group,” commented, “Black Protestants are holding steady; nonwhite Catholics are exploding; and Mormons (of all ethnicities combined) have moved from a 2% share in the 65+ age group to a 3% share among that generation’s grandkids.” [2] She also carefully notes that one of the main differences between Mormonism and other mainline religious groups is that the trend of disaffiliation within Mormonism often occurs later than sooner in life. (more…)
When young men and young women go out to serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a faith often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church), they are religious ambassadors who present a message that brings purpose and peace. When these missionaries return home, they are equipped with specific skills and talents that help them connect and communicate with others. Many former Mormon missionaries use their missionary skills (in addition to formal education and training) to serve the United States as ambassadors to other countries.
What Makes Mormon Missionaries Good Ambassadors?
Mormon missionaries make great ambassadors because they’ve been ambassadors before. The message they share on Mormon missions is somewhat different than that of an international ambassador, but the overall basics are the same.
While serving missions, they learn how to approach strangers and talk to them candidly. They learn how to connect with people and how to share and stand up for what they believe. The social and communications skills that they learn in the field help to prepare them for the rest of their lives. (more…)
Henri Delacroix, a French psychologist stated, “The individual’s whole experience is built upon the plan of his language.” The ability to converse in a different language opens up many windows and doors of opportunity for an individual not only in an economic sense as The Economist emphasizes by stating that “being at least bi-lingual could increase the average American’s retirement fund somewhere in the ballpark of $67,000 over the course of a career,” [1] but as New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof so adequately pointed out, it also allows a person to have extraordinary cultural experiences.
According to the University of Utah, there are more than 130 languages spoken in commerce in Utah on a daily basis, making Utah a center for both trade and global companies. Thus, it is not uncommon to find the state listed at the top of Forbes list as one of the best states in which to conduct business.
