How to Tame a Wild Tongue
In this text, Anzaldua writes of the language that is part of her identity – Chicano Spanish. She grew up believing that her language was illegitimate, “poor” Spanish because of how different it is from the dominant “proper” Spanish. As a result of the degradation of her language through culture, she was not only embarrassed to speak to Latinas but also to fellow Chicanas. Until Anzaldua read Chicana novels or saw Chicana movies, she wasn’t able to accept her language as well as her identity as legitimate. This example of cultural prejudice towards a language that’s “improper” is very similar to the one in Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue, where Tan’s mother would have a difficult time communicating with English speakers with her variation of the language, “broken English.”
The Meanings of a Word
In this text, Naylor writes about words and where their meanings and power comes from. She claims that words are nothing but senseless arrangements of letters. Their meanings and power are assigned by the people and cultures using them. Naylor gives the example of the word “nigger,” which she first heard used in a derogatory way against her. However, she later heard the word used with many other intended meanings within the community she grew up in. By integrating a word that whites used to degrade blacks into their daily conversations, the black community was able to nullify its intended meaning and remove any effect it could possibly have on their lives.