1. The Mexican American culture has contributed a lot to our American culture that has
helped shape our views of the world. Contributing from different views and styles of
culture values, distinct expressions of various forms of arts and family values. There are
specific characteristics to communication styles that can be used when communicating
in the Mexican American community. The first specific communication style is nonverbal
and is seen through expressing admiration and respectful greeting to an older female
family member. it is common to greet them with a kiss on the cheek because this is
seen as a sign of acknowledgment and respect to the family especially with the
grandparents in the family (Jennifer,G 2016). A second form of communication style can
be used as a respectful form of addressing an adult by referring to them in the form of
“Usted”. Another sign of respect and to show formality is to add the word “Don” when
speaking to an older male and the word “Done” as a sign of respect when speaking to
an older female. A form of communication between friends or siblings can be a type of
pig latin it is used by taking the consonant and replacing it with the letter “F’. This is a
code language that is used informally to communicate in a form so others would not be
able to understand.
People higher up in the hierarchy or meeting older adults should be respected more
than children in our culture. When being introduced formally it is highly suggested to
speak in that form because to speak in the “Tu” form is an informal way of addressing
an individual. Mexican American people communicate differently depending on the
setting of their environment and who they are communicating with. Mexican Americans
are commonly known to be soft spoken, a raised voice is thought to indicate anger;
staying calm is a respected virtue. A form of bonding through communication for
Mexican Americans can be through participating in the traditions such as attending
celebrations from Mexico.
One of the biggest celebrations that a lot of people in California especially the bay area
participate in is the celebration of cinco de mayo. On the 5th of May the people gather
together to commemorate the Mexican army's victory over France at the battle of puebla

2. during the Franco-Mexican War. This seven year war started in 1861 and ended until
1867. Even though it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco
de Mayo has become a celebration of the Mexican culture for everyone, especially in
areas with large Mexican-American populations such as San Jose and Los Angeles
California. Some of the Cinco de Mayo traditions include mariachi music performances,
parades where people show all of the beautiful district dressed and colorful clothing to
street festivals where people of different cultures can be apart of the celebration. Some
of the largest areas where these festivals are held are in Los Angeles, Chicago and
Houston; Chicano activist raised awareness of the holiday in the 1960’s. The third
characteristic of the Mexican American culture is a non-verbal communication style that
is a sign as respect; this is the nodding of the head when listening to the speaker. It can
be mistaken or misinterpreted as if the listener is in agreement with the speaker when
they really do not; nodding may mean nothing more than respect for the speaker.
The fourth communication style to be aware of when communicating with Mexican
Americans was explained by my interviewee. She explained that she uses spanish at
home and in the homes of older spanish speaking relatives to show the respect to the
family culture. Many parents and grandparents that are traditional will teach their
children to retain their culture and acknowledge their culture. In ​traditional​ Mexican
American homes it was made sure the children responded always in the spanish
language. Recently the homes to the 3rd and 4th generation ​children​ it is no longer the
case of this enforced spanish language. In some cases it can ​even​ be ​consider​ to be
disrespectful if they see someone responding in english when spoken in spanish
or to hold an english conversation in from of an individual who only speaks
Spanish. ​Often times Mexican Americans use their english in public settings such as
school and work. It is important when speaking to older people in the community
responds to in the language first spoken to.