Chas Bohrer

Professor Young

ENGW 1100: How to Tame a Wild Tongue Questions

1 September 2015

               Hello Internet! It is me Chas again bringing you a second amazing blog woot woot! I have just read chapter 7 of Gloria Anzaldua’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” 245-255. In the opening paragraph she writes that the dentist struggles with removing the metal from her mouth because her tongue is pushing away the dentist’s tools. She starts off by telling us this because of how difficult it was for her growing up speaking both Spanish and English. She could not fit in with the Latinas that well and couldn’t fit in the American girls. Anzaldua writes in Spanish throughout the chapter. I know very little Spanish and struggled understanding why throwing Spanish here and there would help out the pint of the essay.

               I thought the point of the essay was to tell us how life was growing up speaking Chicano and how she had to change the way she spoke for other people. Where she went to school she had to take to language classes that were focused on removing her accent. Academic English and Standard Spanish are the formal ways of speaking those languages. Standard Spanish or Castilian is what is spoken in most Spanish speaking languages like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, several islands in the Caribbean, and a lot of Mexico. While Academic English is used in documents, formal papers, and in any academic work as the Academic English would suggest.

               Speaking and writing with Academic English identifies us as educated individuals, as we have went through the proper schooling to learn how to write correctly. It is not necessary to write in academic English to identify ourselves, we can identify ourselves any way we want. I identify myself as being a white male by listening to heavy metal, rock, and the classics. Even though anybody could listen to that type of music they are commonly associated with white teenagers. I wear baggy jeans, a t-shirt, and try to keep myself well groomed. The way I dress and take of myself is another stereotype that I associate with white people. I don’t think stereotypes are a sound way of identifying myself though. Since I am a young kid I do stupid things regularly and am not the brightest individual.

               I’ve heard that twins create their own secret language to communicate with each other. I think that’s too much work creating a secret language that only you and your friends know when there’s another perfectly fine language out there that everybody already uses.

               English being my primary language I still speak it poorly and most people that I know have a better understanding of how it works than I do and I’ve been speaking it forever. Most people think you have to talk differently when you’re with your friends which you sort of do I guess. I think you just have to respect people when you talk with them for example you wouldn’t call your teacher your homie. Same thing with your parents you wouldn’t call your dad broski unless he’s okay with it.

               Anzaldua says that she is her language meaning that her language identifies her. I don’t think my language identifies me or it should identify anybody. Identifying people to me is just another form of judging others. English does identify me in my opinion. People who do not speak English as their primary language or are not from U.S. will identify English with me.

               Lastly I would want to talk about is having an identity important. Having an identity does separate you from other people and makes you stand out from the crowd. I think that we do not need to force ourselves to have an identity to stick out. A lot of people try to act different by dressing in a way that gathers attention, or speaking differently to stick out. Then there are some people who are just “weird” and can’t help but stick out from everybody else. I have a funny way of talking with people that always sticks in their minds, I have a strange way of making people feel better which is what I think my strongest trait as a person. Those little things that I have identify me as a person and help me be distinguished from everybody else because not everybody is fun to talk to or is nice.

Anzaldua, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” Teaching Developmental Writing. Ed. Susan Naomi Bernstein. Fourth ed. New York: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2013. 245 – 255. Print