Anzaldúa uses a good amount of Spanish dialogue and vocabulary in her writing. While this increases the authenticity of the writing in a way, it can also be confusing to those who read it who cannot speak Spanish. Why do you think she translates some of the Spanish that she includes in the text and does not translate other parts? Does she include just enough Spanish to challenge those of you who do not speak Spanish to try to understand what she has written in Spanish? For those of you who do speak Spanish, is the Spanish text that she provides mostly literal or non-literal (metaphorical) language? Lastly, what was Anzaldúa’s purpose in writing this text and do you think she achieved it? Consider aspects like the length and complexity of the piece. Your response should be at least 4 sentences long.
7 thoughts on “Blog Post #4: Commentary on “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” (Anzaldúa, pp. 77-87)”
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I think she translates some of the Spanish and not other parts because at certain points, she may want the reader to understand the message she is trying to send about that particular area of her writing. However, she probably doesn’t translate other parts because she may want to create enough mystery so that the reader can figure out what it means for themselves. This may have been an interesting aspect she wanted to add within her writing so that the Spanish would be there, but readers would have to put in some sort of effort to figure out what it means and how it connects to the writing. She does include just enough Spanish to challenge me because while I was reading, I kept thinking to myself, “Why is there so much Spanish? I can’t understand this.” Anzaldúa’s purpose in writing this text was to inform people about the many different aspects of one’s linguistic identity and how it impacts them. I think she achieved it because the length of this writing demonstrates the complexity in identifying herself based on the different languages she speaks. It also demonstrates her growth as she discusses the different ways she fought to create a voice for Chicanos.
I think she translates some of the Spanish words and phrases sometimes but not all of the time throughout her piece to show how her accent and the Chicano Spanish language is part of her identity and can not be taken away from her or neither should she have to change the way she speaks just because of the community that surrounds her, which in the story is American citizens. I think she purposely did this as well to show how unique Chicano Spanish is to her and how it makes her different from other languages. Her technique of including the words/phrases in Spanish seemed to be a challenge for me, even though I am fluent in Spanish, because her language of Spanish which is Chicano Spanish is slightly different that I would speak around my family or in the country they are from. This relates to Anzaldúa’s purpose on how there are many different linguistic identities that specifically makes someone unique in their own way and should be embraced.
I feel like she wanted to spark a sort of curiosity in the reader and learn the meaning behind the words she’s using. For readers who can’t speak in Spanish, learn their way in on the words used. For Spanish speakers, maybe a way of connecting, understanding and questioning. In a way, I think she wants the reader to fend for themselves then to give the answer away. She might also want to embrace her language and identity that way. I think the purpose of her writing could be to demonstrate the strength of embracing one’s identity and holding on to the things that could have been lost has on oneself. Her explanations, including the length and complexity of her writing addresses conflicting identities and the differences in the roles they play making it even more relatable.
Gloria’s text discussed her origins and the things she went through when she tried to learn English. I feel that she included certain Spanish sayings to show how it represents her and how it played a significant role in her life. She discussed the origins of “Chicano Spanish” and the music she grew up with. I like how proud she is to be Chicano and how she continued her education and didn’t give up, now she has a Ph.D.
I believe she translates some of the Spanish texts and she does not translate the other parts because she wants to emphasis how she feels and let the reader learn more about it. As a Spanish speaker, she uses the spanish’s words metaphorically. Anzaldúa’s purpose in writing this text is to show pride in her spanish side and she wants to embrace it. It adds more favor to the texts. I can relate to her because I usually speak English and Spanish at the same time, in the same sentence. It just comes naturally to me. I think that is what is she doing there too. She is writing this from true thoughts. She does achieve this purpose.
I think that Anzaldúa translates some of the Spanish and some she doesn’t so she get her point across. You know some Americans hate on people who speak Spanish when their outside of their home, so for a reader who doesn’t speak it, to just get a glimpse of it, she’s making that person feel uncomfortable. It gives emphasis to the story because some parts she does translate so people can understand and connect but there’s parts that she doesn’t so people who don’t can go out their way and look for it themselves. It’s like a metaphor, you have to work to understand Spanish speakers and that’s how they’ve felt all their lives; left out and having to go out of their way. The Spanish she uses in the article is mostly I would say metaphorical because a lot of Spanish sayings are metaphorical. For example when she brings up the tongue being pulled out, that’s not literal, it’s just saying they have taken our language or don’t want us to use it. Her purpose of writing this text was to tell people don’t be ashamed of where you come from and how you speak and to her to show how proud it is to speak Chicano and how resilient they are. I think she did accomplish her purpose in writing this text because the lengths she does to to explain Chicano language and she even translates some of what the words mean goes to show that she wants the readers to get a taste of it. The fact that she provides examples you can relate with, gets her point across.
I think that she wanted to write efficiently, and also give us a taste of her language and who she actually is. As a person who speaks two languages, I can say that sometimes I do speak both English and Bengali at the same time and in the same sentence. This big part of who I am, as in it shows that I am a good English Speaker, but also I remember where I came from. I think by adding Spanish phrases and metaphors, she was emphasizing on her identity.