The Light of Language

Within Gloria Anzaldua's piece How to Tame a Wild Tongue, Anzaldua emphasizes how people should not be ashamed of their language and their ability to speak standard English. She places confidence in her readers who deal with such experiences and encourages them to express themselves through their native tongues. In doing so, Anzaldua incorporates several passages written entirely in various forms of Spanish, portraying her own native languages, demonstrating how she is not ashamed of them, but proud. When reading such passages, I find myself misunderstanding parts of what the author is attempting to say because I do not know the languages to their depths. Therefore, in response to such passages, I am not able to fully engage as a reader and I feel someone excluded from the topic being described. As a result, I feel omitted from a society of readers, a feeling that illustrates what many individuals of a foreign tongue undergo with each day. Ultimately, I believe that Anzaldua involves such passages in order to have those reading her piece, with their native language being standard English, endure what many individuals, including herself, have endured, to suppress the negative judgement made by others upon individuals who don’t speak standard English with perfection. With the incorporation personal anecdotes and an extensive list of native tongues Anzaldua has speaks, a reader may be fully compatible in the sense that they to have various tongues, or a reader can be seen to have no connection with Anzaldua’s experiences, having grown up speaking in the same dialect in every situation no matter the audience. Furthermore, Anzaldua’s personal anecdotes are seen to strengthen her argument but do more to strengthen her argument in the eyes of her readers that are able to relate to her experiences. Having experienced a similar situation allows the reader to feel similar emotions to the author, understanding the frustration of having the judgement of others upon them and the limitations others put on them because of their language. However, indifferently to what has been suggested Anzaldua uses standard English at various times, saying it is a “neutral language” because it is a language that most people know to some extent and is seen to vary much less than most other languages. In comparison to Spanish, which has an ongoing number of tongues, English appears much more limited. In due course, I agree with Anzaldua in the sense that English is a “neutral” language seeing as it is so relevant in so many individuals lives and is commonly understood by people worldwide.