Brian Ingebretsen
1/30/14
ENGL 1A
The
Important Pathway known as Speech
The
readings How to Tame a Wild Tongue and Mother Tongue are incredibly similar
because they both discuss the importance of speech in both families and in the
world around us. Language and speech is a pathway that transports ideas and
thoughts to others but some ideas just aren’t right. The author of HTWT,
Anzaldua, describes the difficulty of calming her tongue and others’ failed
attempts to calm it themselves leaving confusion and frustration for the main
character. This symbol illuminates the power of language and how it affects
those around us because her family do not approve of the language she wants to
use just like how the dentist got angry with her tongue. She can choose her own
language and as she gets further down with her story she notices that there are
many languages to choose from.
The
story is parallel to the Mother Tongue story where a woman, Tan, is caught
between two different dialects: her professional dialect and her personal
dialect. The power of language binds families and partnerships but morphing
into the appropriate form which may get confusing if heard by the wrong person,
in this case her mother. Tan had grown up using her mothers language so it is a
shock from her mother to hear Tan speak professionally and in a different
tongue. Both authors have the power to change their dialects to whomever they
want and this affects my life as well. I have three different dialects: one for
my friends, teachers, and family and they are each crucial in the task of
holding these bonds close and dear. My friendly language involves a lot more
slang with my family dialect being a little more formal and my teachers being
completely formal. It is amazing to see how language changes a person, you may
see a hardened criminal on the street who talks tough yet probably talks to
their mother like anyone else would. Language is a powerful thing and it is
nearly essential for our way of life.
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