How to Tame a Wild Tongue - Essay Example

of Learning: How to tame a wild tongue Accent defines our speech ability especially if weoriginate from foreign land than our audience. It has been used as a means to judge the capability of many. The big question is what is the impact of an accent in a person’s capability? In the text How to Tame a World Tongue, the narrator recalls how his mother would scold him for the simple reason that he spoke English like Mexican. In addition, he was made to take two speech classes while a student at Pan American University. In this regard, how can a person tame their tongue so that it can be tuned to match the numerous accents available all over the world? This is a very difficult phenomenon because even amongst our same we may pronounce words differently. More so, this is just like the various biological differences that vary from person to person yet they do not make any of us superior from the other. Taming a wild tongue is a hard task and in fact the tongue gets more rouge and wild when one tries to tame it. The same can be said for most individual behaviors. The human mind and behavior has been famed for liking that which is negative, it tends to be defiant to what is right as opposed to what is wrong. Further, the truth is that a wild tongue cannot be tamed, it can only be cut (Anzaldua, How to Tame a Wild Tongue 34-38). Modern cultures have deviated from their indigenous cultures. For example, in the modern world it is very common for the young ones to speak rudely to their parents. This can only be said when in the text the author uses the words of Irena Klepfisz, ‘Our tongues have become dry because of their wildness consequently making us to forget speeches’. The use of vulgar language has increased with the pop culture. Talking ‘dirt’ clearly defines the culture and through its use the speaker relates well with the audience. In this essence it is only wise to conclude that a tongue can be tamed, it is upon an individual to train his/her tongue on what it can and cannot pronounce (Klepfisz 43). This is an issue of morality which is well known no to be universal but personal. Equally, taming the tongue cannot be based on outlined guidelines. It can only be achieved if its user is will to tame it and up to what levels they are willing to tame it, since levels of wildness cannot be eliminated completely ( Morton n.p). Generally, the society in which we live in greatly influences the wildness of the tongue. Unlike the accent aspect where a person is born with it, the culture and aspect factor may vary from time to time thus necessitating an individual to change with it. As it is said, ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do’ Consequently, taming the tongue has been use has been misused by hardliners of a given stand. In the text, the author depicts the narrator as a cultural traitor. This emerged from the fact that the narrator was speaking a foreign language. In this regards, he was deemed to be ruining the Spanish language in favor of English. The fact that he was a Chicano Spanish which is considered to be the purist then its strongest supporters viewed the narrator as a cultural traitor (Gloria Anzaldua How to Tame a Wild Tongue Summary n.p). With no evolution then there would be little variance in the language. Equally it would be meaningless to talk about taming the tongue. Something that is rigid and does not evolve does not undergo any change (Gounari 71). Therefore, when the author touches on the Chicano Spanish as a border tongue, which has changed and undergone evolution thus yielding variants to the tongue, then he fully supports need for taming the tongue. He further elaborates on the need for evolution in the Spanish language as being founded on the need for secrecy in communication by its users. Moreover, many Chicanos have transformed in many ways consequently they have outsourced from other languages. Hence the language has been infiltrated by Standard English, Working class and slang English, standard Spanish, standard Mexican Spanish, The north Mexican Spanish dialect, Chicano Spanish, Tex-mex, and Pachuco. Diversity is another strong ground to evaluate when it comes to the tongue. Indeed, it assists an individual to shape their identity and the importance of the individual’s language. In the text the narrator feeds us with her facts. She was unable to identify with both English and Spanish. This diversity denies her the ability to socially identify with either of the two cultures. However, she has been able to identify to the complex groupings because they share some common traits, (complex, elaborate and complicated backgrounds). As the author states, Chicano is the mother of Chicano Spanish and this another form of tongue diversity. In this regard it is not through choice the person’s tongue sounds what it sounds. Rather our place of birth and the society one grows up in are the major determinants of the tongue. Diversity should indeed be a blessing rather than a disguise as depicted by the narrator. She states that as a child she faced many challenges and stereotypes because of her accent. These challenges caused her to become a frustrated and angered child whose self-esteem was greatly affected (Anzaldua 1987). These are the negative aspects of the tongue that needs to be tamed. The tongue should be a uniting factor and should help people to communicate, encourage others while at the same time motivating them rather than be a tool to ridicule and demean others. The tongue is literally an organ that helps us to pronounce words. At the start of the text Gloria, demonstrates this by giving as a taste of how a wild tongue can bother both a dentist and his patient. The tongue kept on moving to the direction it was not needed thus pushing the cotton or the needles. Hence, this real life case shows the importance of restricting ourselves not to be a barriers or a deterrent to others ( Hammond 13-95). Shame is a consequence of ridicule and discrimination by natives against immigrants with an accent. It may result to underperformance of such victims because they are unable to relate well with them. In such instances, the victims hide in cocoons where they will not face the ridicule. In this text the author acknowledges that she at one time felt ashamed of whom she was. She could no relate with the English nor with the Chicanos ( Kellman 45-129). This made her to feel angered, she even confesses to a situation where she was sent at the back of the class because of speaking her mind when a teacher pronounce her name incorrectly. This incidence speaks loudly for both sides. One should not feel superior than the other based on accents. In conclusion, taming a wild tongue is not an easy task and consequently it cannot be done through any outlined guidelines. Both communal and individual morals are by far the best means to tame the wild tongue. However, as it has been said earlier, morals are not universal and therefore it is upon individuals to tame their own tongues. In addition, any involuntary wild tongue like the accent cannot be eliminated completely, al people have to do is to adjust and try to fit in their society. Consequently, in such instances it is the role of the community to offer support rather than ridicule such subjects. Lastly, victims of accents should learn to accept any ridicule that their accents attract. In so doing, they will be able to reduce the intensity of any stress related to such victimization. Works Cited Hammond , Yvonne Michelle. Taming The Wild: On Womanhood, Nation And Nature In The Ann-Marie Macdonald’s Fall On Your Knees And The Way The Crow Flies. Thesis. Missoula, MT: The University of Montana , 2010. Kellman, Steven G. Switching languages: translingual writers reflect on their craft. Lincoln, NE : U of Nebraska Press, 2003. Morton, Scott. "How to Tame the Tongue:Are You Focusing On The Wrong Organ?" 2012. Decision Magazine. 02 April 2013 . Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderland/La Frontera. wolfweb, n.d. "How to Tame a Wild Tongue." 1981. "Gloria Anzaldua How to Tame a Wild Tongue Summary." 2012. Dictionary.com, LLC. 01 April 2013 . Gounari, Panayota . "How to Tame a Wild Tongue: Language Rights in the United States." Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge: Vol. 4: Iss. 3, Article 9 (2006): http://scholarworks.umb.edu/humanarchitecture/vol4/iss3/9. Klepfisz, Irena. "Secular Jewish Identity; Yidishkayt in america." The Tribe of Dina (1980): 43. Read More