Language, More than Words

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that linguistic experiences of children in class rooms and of foreign individuals, growing up in the U.S., shape an understanding of the culture and break down barriers. Next, the author analyzes Deborah Tannen's essay "Gender in The Classroom", which examines the problems of students learning in a coed environment. Richard Rodriguez' "A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood" explores a Spaniard growing up in the United States and struggling to choose between his culture and the American dream; whereas, Gloria Anzaldua, in "How to Tame a Wild Tongue", says that the true purpose of language as a form of expression. The paper concludes with Amy Tan in "Mother Tongue", which shows, through Tan's relationship with her mother, that a language is whatever you make it.

From the Paper:

"In "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldua, language is the author's pride and she proudly wears it on the outside. The author believes that language is something a person connects with their identity and allows them to communicate with the realities of life while holding values true to themselves. ... This idea is reinforced by the author's comprehensive knowledge of six different "Spanishes": standard Spanish, standard Mexican Spanish, North Mexican Spanish dialect, Chicano Spanish, Tex-Mex, and Pachuco."

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