Hey Guys! This is Joyce. I’m
doing something similar to Nam’s post except on a reading from this Tuesday
(5/29). Good luck to Jeremiah and his new son!!
My Question:
In
thinking about literacy, language plays an essential part, especially in
Freire’s concept of “emancipatory literacy”. Freire writes that “language
represents who we are and represents our existence”. Similarly, language and
identity come hand in hand in G. Anzaldua’s literacy autobiography, “How to
Tame a Wild Tongue”. Struggling to reconcile the two opposing discourses that
embody the English and Spanish languages, Anzaldua uses the space of her
writing, an act of literacy in and of itself, to construct her identity through
a new form of bilingual literacy, where both Spanish and English need not be
denied. I find it worth thinking about how Anzaldua was able to do so. She uses
both Spanish and English in her essay, switching fluidly between the two
languages without pausing to translate. Why? What is the effect of her doing
so? How does this inform the way she internalizes language as part of her identity?
Response:
Anzaldua
is an example of someone who kept her culture and identity close to heart,
thereby suffering oppression. She writes, “I cannot accept the legitimacy of
myself. Until I am free to write bilingually and to switch codes without having
always to translate…as long as I have to accommodate the English speakers
rather than having them accommodate me, my tongue will be illegitimate.” It
seems however, that by writing this piece where Chicano Spanish is fluidly
weaved and integrated with English to the point that some of her main points
are made in Spanish, Anzaldua is legitimizing herself. As her English reader, I
am made to accommodate her language,
finding myself asking Spanish speaking friends and resorting to translating
sites to get the full meaning of her writing. Some of her thoughts turned out
to be quite important: For example, “Un
lenguaje que corresponde a un modo de vivir”, which means “A language that
corresponds to a way of life”, elaborated how integral a part language plays in
Anzaldua’s culture in a whole new sense. It was frustrating at first, but I
came to understand it as Anzaldua’s freedom in asserting her identity through
her native language. I could also see it as a mechanism to turn the tables and
allow the readers to taste the language barrier disconnects she went through.
In this way, she internalizes her languages to prove a part of her identity,
proving her statement that “ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity”.
Gloria Anzaldua’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” touches on the ways in which linguistic oppression continues to be internalized and works to form one’s identity. As Yvonne points out, Anzaldua embraces her roots through her use of integration of Spanish and English in her writing. Throughout the piece, the idea that one’s identity is closely connected to language is conveyed. Anzaldua works to create an identity that inhabits a space of in-between through her use of Spanish language throughout the piece. As we discussed in class, that there are different registers, Anzaldua works to highlight different spaces in which different types of Spanish, English and in-between work for communication to be completed and to create understanding. This work of using different registers highlights the idea that rather than limiting an individual, language needs to be used in efforts of allowing individuals the opportunity of finding a “ language [in] which they can connect their identity to, one capable of communicating the realities and values to themselves” (55). This work can be done through allowing an integration of languages to occur. Instead of using “standards” of languages, embracing this in-between of language will allow for identities to be embraced and preserved. Anzaldua highlights that in fact there is this in-between through her discussion of the idea that “there is no one Chicano language, just as there is no one Chicano experience”(58). For these experiences and identities to be valued, there must be work done to identify the possibility of being linguistically in-between. Anzaldua remains hopeful in regards to future integration in which she believes there is a possibility for “the inner struggle [to] cease” (63).
ReplyDeleteThis was an amazing article. Anzaldua is writing from a space that is largely influenced by her essence as a Chicana lesbian. Her stories with language are powerful as they show a very important aspect of the politics of language in our society. Going back to Anzaldua's point of view, she is focusing on the topic of fluidity and social construction of language in her piece. The way that she is able to navigate between all languages is her mode of survival in a geopolitical space that attempts to deny her some space. The borderlands is a space that Anzaldua has carved for people that have been denied such spaces in the larger discourses of "legitimate" literacy practices. In Anzaldua's, "How to tame a wild tongue," she conveys the idea that language is part of a person's identity. She makes it possible for us to think that the Chicana/os in the United States have gone through unique experiences that challenges the Mexican-American identity. This is clear when she talks about Chicano Spanish amongst Chicana females (gendered aspect of language). Further, Chicanas are often uncomfortable speaking Chicana Spanish with Latinos because of the feeling that their language is not as superior as the standard form of Spanish. This relates back to educational settings in the ways that certain language registers aren't accounted for in standardized testing. We discussed, extensively, on how a student should be able to feel connected to their education in order to excel in school. Anzaldua taught us that language is a medium in which people view and interpret their world, perhaps the language is one of various "worlds" someone carries. In any case, we must be able to understand these differences in order to better understand students with different linguistic needs.
ReplyDelete