Gunn is known for its diverse community of people from all different backgrounds, one of these being Iranian. Persian is the official language of Iran and is also known for its endonym Farsi. Sophomore Arman Miri learned Farsi as his first language and continues to speak the language with his relatives and family every day.
In the past Miri has had trouble with code switching—the practice of switching between two or more languages—but has since become an expert in this application. “Not anymore, but when I was younger I would always mix up words in school and I wouldn’t pronounce things correctly,” he said.
Despite being well versed in both languages Miri believes that it is difficult to become excellent in one tongue. “I can communicate with more people, but it makes it more difficult to master one language because you’re trying to juggle between multiple languages,” he said.
To Miri, Farsi is more than a language: it’s a part of his identity. “It’s like a culture basically, it has its own holidays and traditions but its not a religion,” he said.
In order to stay in touch with his culture, Miri actively participates in its traditions and culture. “We celebrate the holidays and I speak the language nearly everyday with my grandparents,” he said.