“Language, any language has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and a carrier of culture” (Thiongo). With the reading Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature, the group discussions and lecture, I have a better understanding of the importance of language. If you take away someone’s language, you take away their culture. Thiongo raises an interesting point that the “final triumph of a system of domination [is] when the dominated start singing its virtue.” With this quote, I thought about my own culture and the language used. I wondered if Filipinos were subjected to language suppression, in what ways were they under the colonizer’s control and are they were working on decolonizing their minds.
According to an article, Background Notes on Countries of the World: Philippines, there are 87 languages commonly used nationwide. The top three languages spoken are Cebuano, by people in the Visayas, Tagalog by people around Manila, and Ilocano spoken by people of Northern Luzon. There are numerous resources giving different amounts of languages and dialects presently used in the Philippines. They range from 87 to 171. According to Wilson, there are 171 languages, some close to extinction, only spoken by fewer than 100 and some spoken by millions. The majority of the languages are used by a limited population, mainly those who are isolated away from the urban areas or by indigenous people. This wide range shows the wide diversity of the Philippine people. These languages often overlap with each other, they can include different variations, and most are based on the influence of the colonization of Spaniards and Americans. Many languages spoken depend on the region or area the people are from. Al...
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Gloria Anzaldua, wrote the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” communicating and describing her adolescence in a society brimming with sexism, cultural imperialism, racism, low self-esteem, and identity formation. The reason one comes to America is to finer themselves academically, and intellectually. One must learn to speak English to live among the American’s, because that is the language they speak. Though, no one has the right to deprive you of your familiar tongue. At a young age, Anzaldua was scolded, even mistreated for speaking her native “Chicano” tongue. Anzaldúa described this ignorance, cruelty, and discrimination when she states: “I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess – that was good for three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler.” She overcomes this hostility throughout her life.
Anzaldúa's main point in the essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” is that Language is important and part of who we are. People should not be forced to speak another langue or criticized for speaking their own language. Anzaldúa says “So if you want to hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity - I am my language”. (pp.416) Language defines who we are. and when we are forced to change out language we are forced to change who we are.
Language is a mean of communication in any given society. It represents the ability to evolve and progress through the ongoing process of living with other human beings. Many can perceive this instrument as tool of liberation and transformation but others as an instrument to enslave, manipulate or oppress a group of people. Whichever the case one need to acknowledge that it is necessary and not a waste of time the many different discussions about this ongoing topic regardless of the time period or social context any country might have. In Puerto Rico, there has been an ongoing dilemma about languages; Dr. Alicia Pousada examines on her essay what many might define “the language madness on the island”. Throughout this paper some of her most interesting ideas will be shared and discussed so that this already extended topic might find another page to take place.
‘Speaking in Tongues’ exemplifies these differing ideologies by focusing on a conversation between the uncle of the Cantonese-immersion student Kelly and his mother. Kelly’s Uncle shares the hope of all the families of language-immersion students, that the language skills gained will follow and aid their children throughout their lives. When prompted, parents explained the hope that through language-immersion children might maintain a respect for their heritage, form a competitive edge in the job market, grow into responsible and respectful world citizens and find a door to a higher class
Language is a matter that touches many American cultures. Cultures thrive on their languages and customs to define the people they are. However, second languages can divide not only people of a specific group but also members of a particular family. Several writers address the unvarying difficulty of learning a second language in America. Many rhetorical devices are used to sustain their assertions and to shape the reader. An Asian-American author speaks about multilingualism in American today. Tan (2002) uses rhetorical devices to support her claims about her frustrations with a mother who does not speak English very well. Throughout this paper, I will analyze Tan’s cause-and-effect structure, personal experiences, and pathos appeal. This essay will show how Tan supports her claim through these rhetorical elements.
Even though the dominance of a language can allow for the loss of a culture, it can also bring awareness. In schools, local community centers and other various places, foreign languages are taught, not only do non-native speakers take on these languages but native speakers do as well to keep their culture. By doing so it “revitalizes cultures and cultural artifacts through foreign influences, technologies, and markets.” (Gerdes
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Encounters: Essays for Exploration and Inquiry. 2nd ed. Ed. Pat C. Hoy II and Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 603-07.
In Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, an excerpt from her book Borderlands/La Fronter in 1987, she demonstrates that identity can be asserted through language. You can tell a lot about a person by their language. Language is your way of representing who you are as a person, and most importantly, your culture. Culture defines the most about a person. Anzaldúa shares her aggravation of not being able to speak her language, “until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself" (Anzaldúa 378). Being seen as an individual of English as Second Language (ESL), Anzaldúa does not appreciate how she has to assist in translating to English or Spanish, where she would rather speak Spanglish. “[A]s long as I have to accommodate the English speaker rather than having them accommodate me, my tongue will be illegitimate” (Anzaldúa 378). Talking bad about her language severely impacts her identity, “I am my language” (Anzaldúa 378). A person’s identity should not be seen less because of the language they speak. Anzaldúa states that she will have her voice, though she cannot express her passion for her language with the restraint of no freedom act to embrace it, she will. Her audiences that she is reaching to are those who share the same struggle of their identities just like her, and also speaking out to people who do look down upon people like her because of where she is form and what language she speaks.
The essay How to Tame a Wild Tongue, by Gloria Anzaldua, highlights the difficulties Chicanos have being raised in the United States. In the essay, Anzaldua also describes her problem with self identity regarding which language she should speak due to the ethnocentric views and the cultural imperialistic nature of others. In the essay it seemed that no matter what language Anzaldua spoke she was criticised for it. When she spoke English the American born English speakers criticised her for her accent. Or when she spoke Spanish the Spanish speakers claimed the way she spoke Spanish is not proper. Society tried to tame Anzaldua’s tongue mainly by making her feel like a social outcast. However, she was able to overcome this through a strong sense
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue." 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 4th Edition. Ed. Samuel Cohen. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 417-23. Print.
Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." Across Cultures. Eds. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Singleton. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 26-31.
‘Mother Tongue’ is a short story written by Amy Tan for American literary magazine, The Threepenny Review (Shea, n.d.). This text raises ideas around the way we speak or use language throughout our daily lives, and what truly counts as ‘proper’ English.
...xpressing her Chinese culture. Mastering a second language allows her to articulate her and her mother’s thoughts; it is a foundation for her pride and a foundation to express herself. For Gloria Anzaldua, instead of choosing one language over the other, she chose a mix of the two and fights for it. She realized the value of her language when she lost it and now treasures it. The kind of Spanish she speaks is neither English nor Spanish, but both. It is overflowing with culture from Medieval Spain, France, Germany, etc., just from the origins of the words. It is her pride and a representation of herself, fighting and living. In conclusion, in addition to Lera Boroditsky’s article proving that the structure of language affects how we think, the articles by Eric Liu, Amy Tan, and Gloria Anzaldua show how language is a foundation for a person’s culture, pride, and self.
Gloria Anzaldula is a Mexican-American writer who wrote “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” Through this chapter, Anzaldula voices her views on language, and what it means to her. Anzaldua states “a language which they can connect their identity to” (Anzaldua 530). She is multi-lingual and believes that her languages are not only a part of who
The idea to include L1 as part of the language teaching system has been debated upon in recent years. The strong anti-L1 suggest on a complete prohibition of L1 in classrooms, while many others see L1 as a tool to better students’ learning of the TL. This section will highlight the pros and cons arguments for using the L1 in classrooms, along with further evidence supporting the advantages mother tongue bring to the language learning, and teaching process.