As we discussed in class, Gloria Anzaldúa's essay makes a forceful argument that one's language and accent are strongly linked to one's self. "I am my language," she writes in one passage.
What languages do you speak and write? How do you speak/write them? What do they tell us about you, your family, the social groups of which you are a member, etc.? Provide an example of terms or expressions from one of your languages if you can.
I think the quote "I am my language" is true. How a person speaks and understands what they hear is how they communicate. So, of course it has effect on a person's style. Like it was said yesterday, people with different accents have certain "typical" impressions on people. Like if you heard an American from the south, you would likely think rodeos, cow roping, dirt roads, and chili eating contests. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, I could dig a chili eating contest.) I only speak English fluently, but I do know a few basic phrases in Spanish and Sign Language. Noting that I only speak English, I would assume that an impression that could give off is that my family is a typical American family. I suppose the style we use, meaning word choices, gives off an impression as well. Fancy words signal higher class, basic words indicate normalcy, and slang and profanity probably would say a lower... education? Maybe.
ReplyDeleteAn example of expressions? I can't think of any standard phrases we use, other than "Please don't put that in your nose" at my house.
as a response to Blair's comment i have definatley heard "Please don't put that in your nose" many times before:)
ReplyDeletei think that by saying"i am my language" has very deep meaning. her whole life Azandula has been repressed, reprimanded and alienated for not speaking perfect English without an accent. what you speak is who you are. if you are deaf you speak sign language if you are from France you speak French and so fourth. to take that away from someone is to tell them that they are wrong for being who they are and unfortunately here in America that happens a lot.
personally i only speak English but i am currently learning sign language and along with learning it there is a whole different culture to the language. things that are rude to us are expected from the sign language community.
i think it is important to learn another language because it shows you that there are more people in this world and those people aren't necessarily like you.
I agree with Anzaldua's statement "I am my language". I think that the language that a person speaks has a strong impact on the person they are. I think reason for this is not necessarily because of the language that they speak, but because of the other people who speak that language, that form the culture.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Cassie when she says that "It's important to learn another language" In my opinion if one has to learn another language just to see that there are many people in this world that are different, than that person hasn't opened their mind at all.
John Richardson
I (like Blair) only speak English as well. I have taken quite a few French classes so sometimes I'll say random words in French but I'm not fluent enough to have a conversation in a cafe in Paris. I do speak different social group "languages" though. I do rodeo, I'm a waitress, and my family has their own words and phrases they say.
ReplyDeleteFor example:
"He was crowhopping when you were in the gate and you almost had a clean run but he shouldered that first barrel and knocked, but you had a smoking 3rd to bad it was a DQ" -Rodeo Friend
"63 is clear and 41 is down, I'll set them up but make sure you get there drinks and apps right away cause I think your getting double sat" -Waitress
Random words my family uses:
fasas-flowers
soup-dinners ready
datchu-thank you
chicken=kitchen
mi mi kiss kiss- merry christmas
talkalata talkalata bye- talk to you later bye
bowling shoes-when my autistic cousin says something that we don't know what shes saying we say this to her in response and it usually satisfies her.
(most of these are words that us kids said when we were younger that the parents still say)
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned text speak yet cause most of us write it pretty much everyday.
I also disagree with John because I think it is very important to learn multiple languages. Especially in a country like ours that has so many people from different cultures and have different languages.
My main language is English but I can also speak a little Spanish (or whatever I learned in 4 years of high school Spanish). I almost never speak or write Spanish so when I do, I do it more formally because that is how I was taught. When I speak English it is almost always with my friends or family so I talk informally because I do not need to impress them or appear smarter than I am. I do not usually speak or write formally except when writing papers for school. I think that talking informally shows that you are comfortable with who you are and that you don't need to impress anyone. Also I think that being able to speak more than one language shows that you know about different cultures so you are more educated. I think that when someone can speak multiple languages fluently they appear smarter because they can communicate better with more people and they know more about different cultures. I think that Anzaldua saying "I am my language" means that you have part of that culture in you because people link different cultures to different languages.
ReplyDeleteNathan
These are good responses so far. I am glad that Tori brought up the private languages that families speak -- languages often based on childhood mispronunciations. We speak one of those in my house, too. :) (to use a bit of e-language)
ReplyDeletePerhaps, in such private familial languages, we not only reveal who we are, but also who were were as children?
Honestly, I don't really agree with Glorias argument. I feel as though if you are coming to American you should learn and speak the American language.
ReplyDeleteI speak English and a little bit of French. My family speaks normal slang english. They do not speak as though they are perfect. However, when it comes time to write a report or type something important they are capable of writing very well.
Language is a large part of who you are because its ties to where you are from and your ethnicity as a whole, but I don't believe your language is who you are. I speak english and know quite a bit of spanish and sign language because of my job. Im also native so growing up all I was exposed to was a mix of terrible english and lakhota, but only around my grandparents and aunts and uncles. Everywhere else I spoke english and slang with my friends, most of when never knew I could speak my native language. I think today its really important to be able to speak multiple languages. Especially for jobs, in the future i think it will be typical that people can speak many languages, therefore your language doesn't make who you are, but in a sense, we make our languages. We tend to get further and further away from proper and exact english, slang in every language grows with each generation so many languages are shifting and new languages are developing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anzaldua's statement "I am my language". Because if you grow up speaking one main language you will have that culture and accent which is apart of your personality. No matter who you meet they will always have their own slang and accent depending on where they grew up and how they were raised.
ReplyDelete-Ted Merschman
The language I speak and write fluently is only English but I took two years of Spanish in high school. That was ages ago though so I have forgotten a lot of the material I have learned but I there is some terms I have locked in my brain. I know a lot the profane term just because I was probably called every profane name in a book by a Hispanic; I know some standardize vocabulary as well:
ReplyDeletegracias=Thank you
tener gracia=to be funny
hablar alto=to speak loudly
hablar bajo=to speak quietly
exacto=exactly
de nada=Its nothing
etc..
My grandfather is 100 percent Hispanic and my grandmother is 100 percent African American so my mother is 50 percent Hispanic and that makes me 25 percent Hispanic ;in my household we only spoke english though.
I'm afraid I've only got English under my belt at this point. I know some bits and pieces of Spanish, but definitely not enough to depend on for a fluent conversation. I always have to wonder just how many jokes and puns I'm missing out on in other languages though.
ReplyDeleteI try to adapt. I go less formal for written conversation and more formal for debate. As much as that varies though, I've never really stooped to text speak (except maybe for parody purposes).
I can't picture myself ever speaking in 100% grammatically correct English for spoken conversation. It's just feels like it would drain the life a little bit.
As far as the actual words used (not just the syntax or... lack of), that also varies. For one thing, I don't think swearing in itself is unintelligent. If it falls into constant and dependent use, then yes, but the same goes for any other class of word really. The trick is the conservation, I guess. (The less often it needs to be said, the more power it holds, the more impact it makes, etc.) However, seeing as there will always be that intelligence stigma, I'll probably not incorporate it in any future, super high-class conversations.
My family would require more rambling to get into, so I'll just say that our default is standard informal English. A neutral base seems to leave you open to more.
I do think your language is a big part of who are. It's much more dimensional than some people make it out to be though. It's not just about what you do or don't know, but how you adapt to that. Not every situation or group of people is going to require the same approach as the last.
From what I read I overlooked the significance of Anzaldúa's statement, “I am my language.” What this line means to mean is that not only how we speak but also how we act reflects who we are, where we came from, and how we were brought up. The only language I speak is English; however it is my regional dialect that relates me to “I am my language.” I think I speak clearly where people can clearly understand me but at times this is hardly the case. “I am my language” describes how at times are voice tends to change in certain situations. We sometimes speak differently depending on the message we are trying to get across. When this happens I root away from my use of Standard English and start using certain dialect. For example, when I am in an argument with someone and when we both acknowledge the fact that I am right I sometimes end with saying such things as “take a hike” or “take a seat”. These are just a few of the methods I use to express myself.
ReplyDeleteI speak English always. I took spanish in high school but I remember very little of it. I write solely in english. I speak and write in probably some form of a english slang. I don't always use proper english nor do i want to always do that. I wouldn't be who I am. I use lingo from some of my groups i hang out with. I am a snowboarder so I have that lingo I have many different groups i chill with we all have our own kind of talk.
ReplyDeleteIn my high school we had a word for people that dressed in strange or differerent ways we would call them homeless if their outfit looked like it was straight out of goodwill or something.
I agree with the the statement "I am my language" because you are a part of that culture. I speak English with a little knowledge in spanish. In the chinese language there are many words that in English aren't even words because the chinese think these words are important and part of their culture. Depending on what language you speak it builds your character in that culture i think.
ReplyDelete-Emily Roemerman
I agree with her when she says "I am my language." Anybody that's taken a course in sociology knows that language is the basis of culture and it shapes the way you think of the world.
ReplyDeleteThe only language that I am fluent in is English, but I also speak a little bit of Spanish.
If you want to get technical, I am also fluent in "text speak." I almost never use it, but I've picked it up because that's the way most people type now.
When I type, I usually use standard English, but I sometimes use the acronyms of text speak, such as "lol". If I'm on Facebook, I don't pay as much attention to grammar rules, but I still make sure what I'm trying to say is readable.
"I am my own language" can be interpreted differently. I interpret it as what someone may say and how they say it represents that persons history. I do not necessarily agree with Anzaldúa's interpretation. Her argument seems fixated on race and I believe the topic of language is much bigger than race.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Des Moines so naturally I have spoken English my entire life. I took French in school but can say that I do not remember very much of it. I try and write with correct grammar though I do not always speak proper English. We are apart of the digital era and I have adapted to understand "text speak" even though I never say omg or lol.
ReplyDelete"I am my own language" is right on because its who you are to the core. Everyone is different so we don't have to travel the world and learn different languages just to be more "well rounded". Regardless of what second or third language you learn to speak or slang you pick up on your always going to be your own language.
ReplyDeleteCollin Dodge
When I am speaking I usually use slang English but only when I'm talking to someone that I'm familiar with. If I'm talking to someone I haven't met or they are a form of authority I speak in standard English. I also type in standard English because usually when I'm typing I'm typing a paper or something for a class where standard English is necessary.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I speak English but we may use different terms than other families so within each family there is a different language.
I took 4 years of Spanish in High School but I don't remember very much. There aren't any examples of expressions or terms that are that different from other English speakers.
I took 4 years of Spanish in High School and sadly retained very little of it. I really only speak & write in English. I am only the 2nd generation in my family to be born in the U.S. My grandfather immigrated here in the early 1900s from, what was at the time, Czechoslovakia. My grandmother is from Germany. So my family uses a lot of words & terms from these languages when we're together. I would share some of them but I have no clue how to even begin spelling them. I also find that when I'm around my grandparents I use terms that they would understand, more "old school" things. For example dinner refers to every meal. So "dinner", is all that is ever ready, not breakfast or lunch. My grandma doesn't own a couch, she has davenports. Pop is always soda pop and my flip flops are thongs.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm around my friends, my language is totally different. I use current slang terms & some that me & my peers simply made up ourselves so other people won't know what we're talking about. I didn't really notice I did this until I was posed with this question, but it's really interesting to think about.
i agree that you are what your language is. i speak english but i have taken 4 years of spanish in highschool. i dont remember much of it but i can remember the basics as in hola,adios, colors and some other things. i can understand some spanish and i can write very little of it. when i speak english, i use alot of slang words. as in yupp, fo sho, legit, and many others. lol
ReplyDeleteI have spoken english my whole life its the only one I understand and I can't learn a new language I tryed spanish what a nightmare
ReplyDelete