How to Tame a Wild Tongue
Gloria Anzaldua speaks about her experiences growing up with a language that is neither considered standard Spanish nor standard English in the article How to Tame a Wild Tongue. Due to a merge from colonization and a mix of different cultures, Chicano Spanish was born. According to Anzaldua, Chicano Spanish was not considered an “official language” and it sometimes embarrassed her to speak it in front of people who didn’t speak it. She often considered it as an “improper” language while growing up because that was what her parents always told her. Because of this, she spoke a variation of different types of English and Spanish: standard English, working class and slang English, standard Spanish, standard Mexican Spanish, North Mexican Spanish dialect, Chicano Spanish, Tex-Mex, and Pachuco. However, she eventually came to the revelation that she should embrace the language instead because it was a part of her identity that many other people could relate to as well.
The Meanings of a Word
Words said in different contexts can have different meanings. Depending on what tone was used and what situation one is in, it can either pass off as a compliment, insult, or a neutral observation. In The Meanings of a Word, Gloria Naylor explains how she first came to the realization that the “n-word” could be used as an insult when confronted with a classmate who decided to be racist to her. That was when she realized that although she has heard the word many times before, this was the first time it had sounded insulting to her. This was also the moment when she realized that one word could be applied to numerous different situations and used in more than one way so that it could sound like an insult in one particular moment but be used as a form of praise in another moment. For example, when one of her family members uses it in a praiseworthy tone to compliment someone, she pays no attention to it and it doesn’t really register itself in her brain. But the moment someone else uses it in a demeaning way, her brain suddenly registers it as an offense and recognizes it as an insult.
Response
In different discourse communities, different words and languages could be understood in numerous different ways. Words that could be interpreted as insults could be interpreted as a compliment in a separate situation. Languages that might seem “incorrect” may serve as a link to tie a community tighter together due to their common understanding of said language. People are able to interpret things differently simply because of this single change and by doing so, it is drawing people together and creating new meanings to words that weren’t available before.