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Per. 6
10/5/16
Speak My Language
Have you ever heard the term Now you are speaking my language? Most often, it is
used when people connect over a common interest, or way of doing things. Language itself
works the same way, just as interest directly correlates with identity. But how does language
In some peoples opinions, its where you come from that defines your identity. In Gloria
Anzalduas essay called How to Tame A Wild Tongue, she clearly is very passionate with this
statement: ...for a people who cannot entirely identify with either standard A language which
they can connect their identity to Her source of identity is clearly culture and language. As a
Hispanic woman, or as she prefers, Chicano, she grew up in an area that heavily tried to take that
identity from her. She very passionately insists that her Chicano-Spanish is a part of her, just like
the other languages she speaks. She thoroughly argues that language and her culture makes up
who she is, as is claimed loudly and intensely in this phrase from her essay: Ethnic identity is
For others, language might be a part of identity in the way they speak or act when they are
home. The way you communicate with your family and the language you use at home are a part
of you. The way you talk at your home may not be the same way you speak when in a work or
school environment. Most often, you speak comfortably, able to speak your thoughts and
knowing how to communicate to them in a way you understand the most. In Amy Tans essay,
Mother Tongue, she actually touches on this subject. As an Asian American, whose mother is
originally from Asia, Amy Tan does use a different type of English, often referred to as broken
English when she is at home. (Referring to her husband) It has become our language of
intimacy, a different sort of English, that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with.
Clearly, when at home, she is able to communicate in a way that comes the most natural her. It is
As both authors have demonstrated, each of their languages that they speak are directly
connected to how they are shaped as human beings. Both are attached to their culture. You may
not be able to see it as clearly in Tans essay compared to Anzalduas essay, but the passion is
still there. She developed the identity in the culture of her personal home life. Culture is the
cultivation of behaviours in a setting. To Tan, her mothers speech can directly attach to her
culture. I found that this following phrase expressed that the most: ...my mothers English is
perfectly clear, perfectly natural. Amy Tan feels strong comfort in her mothers speech, which is
why she prefers to use the speech in her home life. Home has a comforting, relaxing connotation.
Some might argue that ones speech has nothing to do with identity, or they dont care enough
for the matter. Within a few paragraphs I read from a text, I learned about the English Only
Movement. The English Only Movement was begun in 1983 Main activity has been the
promotion of an English language amendment which would make English the official language
of the country. The idea of this article bleeds arrogance. One of our civil liberties is the freedom
of speech, which most people take as a reason to gossip, or they will take the opportunity to call
out a tyrant when one is in power. Why cant freedom of speech also stand for the freedom to
speak the language your culture came from? When laws like these are passed, more languages
disregarded. Our land was not English soil. It was Native American. By pushing our belief and
our rules, we overall demolished their culture. The English language is a mixture of other
languages, having word originations from completely different languages. We are a mix of
cultures. The USA is built by having a wide variety of different cultures. If language is neglected
like that, other cultures will be lost. If we neglect language and culture, we demolish peoples
individuality.
I speak English, and part of who I am as being American English is how proud I am when I can
tilt my voice to change to different accents to best fit what I want to say. Ive used my language
to express who I am, to confide in others, to stir emotion. My clothes didnt do that. My facial
expressions didnt do that. My language and words do that. The way I verbally express to others
translates my thoughts, and my thoughts are mine. They are what make me individual. One's
language is directly connected to ones identity. Whether it's the place of your birth or the
language you heard where you grew up, language is a part of you. We all come from somewhere,
and all that connects us to that place shapes who we are as human beings. Even language.