Our language our identity Essay

Identity can be perceived through words is maven of the many ideas that are illustrated throughout Gloria Anzalduas How to Tame a Wild Tongue. The speech you speak is a part of your elaboration, and your finale is what defines a psyche the most. Living in a country that is seen to be melting pot of many cultures and heritages, you are bound to encounter soulfulness of another culture but that doesnt cerebrate we suppress their expertness to represent who they are because of their lack of k straightwayledge pertaining to the primary language apply in this country. Immigrants use language to preserve their culture heritage and personal identity in a foreign land but fear of judgment, prohibition and linguistic terrorism affect their ability to fit in and be who they are not only by Americans but also by their have people.linguistic terrorism is a marge employ by Anzaldua herself to express her salubrious emotions on the suppression of her language by others. This term is utilise to describe an action of suppression by a absolute majority group to a minority group because of their values, norms and even language. This occurs because one ordinarily feels dominant and superior over the other. Anzaldua states in her essay that Our language has been utilise against us by the dominant culture we use our language differences against from each one other. (136) Living in a diverse cultural country much(prenominal) as the United States, many immigrants feel the learn to learn the give up face in order to communicate and fit in with friendship. umteen arent able to completely emerge themselves into the American way of doing things without sacrificing a part of themselves through their cultural heritage and identity. Majority of them feel the need to learn English in order to get a job. however then they are suppressed because they speak with precise simple English with heavy accents. Once these immigrants start to feel comfortable with their Engli sh, they are lots pushed off by their native tongue because of embarrassment and disrespect to their own language.There are times when groups that have tried so grave to fit in with the Americans are looked down upon by their own culture and society. Anzaldua says, Pocho, cultural traitor, youre speech production the oppressors language by speaking English, youre ruining the Spanish language, I have been accused by various Latinos and Latinas (133). This portrays how her own people have looked down upon her because the English she speaks now is evident through her Spanish, shaming the language as a whole in their eyes. Such things cause people to feel discouraged and fear beingness judged by their own culture.This fear of judgment causes people to have triple moral senses. Sociologists use the term double conscience, a term that coined by W.E.B. Du Bois, to inform such phenomena. It is a way of awareness of who you are and a very opposite awareness of what other people see yo u as in contrast to that. The way you act at home would be varied in terms of your values, social norms and language. Once you leave your home and count on another society, those values, norms and even language change to those that are commonly believed and used in that newer society.Anzaldua notes that My home tongues are the languages I speak with my sister and brother, with my friends extend five listed From school, the media and job situations regulation and working class English. From Mamagrande Locha and from readingstandard Spanish and standard Mexican Spanish (134). A double conscience or a multiple on can be used to explain Anzalduas reason for using contrary languages in different parts and areas of her daily life. She talks about how she picked up different languages from different places because it was important for her to fit in and communicate with them, changing her conscience on the way .Gloria Anzaldua is a strong activist when it comes to the connection betwe en language and identity. In her essay How to Tame a Wild Tongue she outlines her strong emotional arguments about the ability for one to conform to a society by disposing their own language or identity. Your identity is determined by language, the language you speak is a part of your culture, and your culture is what defines a person because of their beliefs, norms and values. Even though there will always be Linguistic Terrorism and suppression, it is important to remember that your language is what makes you who you are and changing from one language to another is something you must do but that doesnt mean you let that change your true language or your true identity. effect Cited PageAnzaldua, Gloria. How to tame a wild tongue. Fields of Reading Motives for report ed. Nancy R. Comley, David Hamilton, Carl H. Klaus, Robert Scholes, Nancy Sommers, Jason Tougaw. Ninth ed. New York Bedford/St. Martin, 2013. 131-141. Print