Abstract This paper examines Alvarez's novel "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents" illustrating how the 'accent' is mostly a metaphor for the evolution of several facets of the sisters. 'Accents', become synonymous with a modern, west-influenced lifestyle where equality is introduced into the male-female nexus. The author concludes that the relationships of the four sisters really mirror the male-female relationships of the west and their accents have completely changed?they have been fully assimilated into the Western culture.
From the Paper "Interestingly, Julia Alvarez presents several unique characteristics in the narrative. The novel is set from the early 1960s to the mid 1980, but in reverse chronological order. Such a description helps develop the characters of the four sisters: Carla, Sandi (Sandra), Yolanda (YoYo aka Joe) and Fifi (Sofia). To put the plot in the right order: Carlos is a doctor in the Dominican Republic. Carlos is married to Laura. They have four daughters. Carlos's nuclear and extended family is wealthy and influential?one of a few in the entire nation situated on an impoverished tropical South American Island. Fearing reprisals in the dictatorial reign of Trujillo Ciudad, called only Trujillo in the entire novel (assuming that every Dominican is familiar with the name), the family escapes to the United States."
Tags: julia, alvarez, west, male, female, sisters, synonym, modern
Abstract This paper examines the arguments and findings of three articles that explain how the use of accents perpetuate stereotypes . These articles are: "Teaching Children How to Discriminate": "What We Learn From the Big Bad Wolf"; "Hillbillies, Rednecks and Southern Belles": "The Language Rebels" and "Does accent matter in international television advertisements?"
From the Paper "The overall representation of persons with foreign accents was seen to be "far more negative" than that of speakers of US or British English. Lippi-Green found that 20 percent of characters with US English accents are bad characters, while about 40 percent of characters with non-native accents are evil (92). US or British English accents also index attractiveness in Disney films. "To be sexually attractive and available, a character must not only look the idealized part, but... also sound white and middle-class American or British" (97). It's fascinating to note that although every character in Aladdin was born and raised in an "Arabian" land, only the evil guards and sorcerer speak with a pseudo-Arabic accent. The protagonists speak like Californians."
This paper reviews Julia Alvarez's ?How the Garcia Girls lost their Accent?, which is about four sisters who experienced a lifestyle change in coming to America from the Dominican Republic.
Abstract This paper examines the four sisters, their parents, the political backdrop, and the Dominican Republic's male-female nexus, which is so different from what one has come to view in America. The author points out that, in ?How the Garcia Girls lost their Accent?, which is set from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s, each sister brings her own dimensionality, which is a slice of what constitutes a woman. The paper states that the sisters? accents have completely changed; but, for better or worse, they have been fully assimilated into American culture.
From the Paper "It is in Fifi's relationships with men that we see the most vagaries. The start of the novel shows that she is really a person who would support a stable family. She is headstrong and independent. She generally gets what she wants. She presents her parents with their first grandchildren"a boy. She is the only one among her siblings that does not have a college degree, though there is no lack of intellect. Her husband is the most accomplished of all" ?? the German nobody turned out to be a world class chemist.?(p. 31) She seems to hold equal say in her marriage though her husband's character is not explored. Surprisingly, Fifi can adopt different roles."
Abstract This paper is an extensive review of the ideas put forward in Lippi-Green's book, "English with an Accent". It begins with a short example of the extent of language discrimination. It continues to discuss why a stereotype of people who speak with an accent exists. It also explores the effects that communicating with "improper" English has on society. The paper explains that language is a flexible tool for denoting social status and social allegiances. The author concludes that language discrimination, although subconscious, should be brought to light and dealt with.
From the Paper " In school clarity of thought is linked to written language, and there is little effort to separate written from spoken. The aim is to make children active members of literacy communities rather than language communities. The silencing of voices considered unworthy or unequal is done by statements (such as, "It is inappropriate for a law student to ask a question in Hawaii'ian Creole English") (Lippi-Green, 1997, p. 107). A child in the classroom may be criticized for using vernacular English instead of Standard. At home the same child may be criticized for using Standard at the dinner table instead of the family's home language. The task for students is to discern when it is appropriate to use one or the other. "
Abstract This paper examines how in his fundamental work, "Biological Foundations of Language", the biolinguist Eric Lenneberg presents his critical period hypothesis on the idea that a certain age is appropriate for learning a language, so that it is impossible to achieve full competence before or after it. It attempts to demonstrate through the author's own survey how some teenagers are able to learn a foreign language and to talk accent-free, contrary to Lenneberg's hypothesis.
Outline
Introduction to the Critical Period Theory
When Does the Critical Period Start and Finish?
Russian Accent in Immigrants to Germany
Reference to Lenneberg
Conclusion
From the Paper "Lenneberg subdivides the ongoing process of lateralization into five levels: an infant up to 20 months has identical hemispheres without functional differences; a toddler up to 36 months develops a preference for either the right or the left hand, but the responsibility for language still can easily switch an other hemisphere; a child up to 10 years is still able to reactivate language functions in the right hemisphere; in the early puberty - up to 14 years - the equipotentiality rapidly declines, and after that it is lost completely. Lenneberg talks about a "reactivation", not "creation" of the language function in the right hemisphere."
A comparison of three literary works by female Hispanic writers, "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisnero, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez and "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina Garcia.
Abstract This paper compares three feminist Hispanic literary works: "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisnero, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez, and "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina Garcia. The paper investigates how the issues of gender, race, ethnicity, belief, education, family and culture affect identity found in these literary works.
From the Paper "During the last few decades, a new genre has emerged, the female Hispanic writer. These women are enriching the American literature landscape with their lyrical stories and ethnicity. They are telling stories of young girls, mothers, grandmothers, and friends, who have been transplanted from a culture a world away into the American dream. They are telling their own stories. Telling those who read their tales what it's really like to grow up with little or no knowledge of the language and customs, trying desperate to adapt and meld into American life, weaving old ways and new into their own identity."
A comparative analysis of how the poems "Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka and "You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly" by U. A. Fanthrope both deal with the theme of discrimination.
2,891 words (approx. 11.6 pages), 0 sources, 2003, $ 85.95
Abstract This looks at how both poems are based on the theme discrimination and how they discuss different types of this issue. It shows how "You Will Be Hearing From Us Shortly" is based on various types of discrimination including age, appearance, accent, education, background and marital status whereas ? Telephone Conversation? is about racism, in terms of colour. For each poem, it discusses the subject matter, the impression given of each of the characters, the tone, the use of language and the form of the poem.
From the Paper "The poem "You will be hearing from us shortly" is about a person being discriminated against in an interview. The issue of discrimination is conveyed through the interviewer asking the interviewee firstly about his or her age. This is shown when the interviewer asks "Now your age. Perhaps you feel able to make your own comment about that, too"? This indicates that the interviewer and his company want someone who is younger and less mature. They may feel threatened if they employ an older person and it is also possible that they may have to pay them more money. The interviewer and his company can influence a younger more easily. The interviewer is against the interviewee's older age. In comparison, the poem "Telephone conversation" does not discuss any discrimination of age. Instead, the first type of discrimination shown is in terms of colour."
This paper reviews and analyzes the various similarities relating to Latin-American immigration in both Julia Alvarez's "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" and T. Coraghessan Boyle's "The Tortilla Curtain."
Abstract The writer of this paper details the plot as well as the main characters of each novel while focusing on the numerous similarities in both works of writing. This paper examines the manner in which both authors focus on the real-life problems encountered by Latin immigrants in the U.S. This paper delves into the numerous difficulties which awaited the immigrants upon their arrival to America including issues with gender, culture and class backgrounds. The writer contends and explains why the Garcia girls in Alvarez's novel did not assimilate completely in the U.S., even though they lost their native accents they continue to remain stuck between the two cultures unable to fully adapt to either one. This paper also delves into the topic of illegal immigration and the ensuing problems facing the characters in Boyle's novel.
From the Paper "The Garcia girls come to the United States because of political reasons. They are forced to leave the Dominican Republic because their father got in trouble with the Dominican secret police for protesting the nation's ruling military dictatorship. In contrast, the immigrants of The Tortilla Curtain immigrate illegally, rather than with the help of the CIA like the Garcia girls. The immigrants from Mexico of The Tortilla Curtain do so to better their way of life, economically, rater than for political reasons, when they flee their nation to make their way to Southern California via Mexico. The Garcia girls come from a privileged background. They had enjoyed many, if not more of the toys and luxuries of their American counterparts. True, they still have trouble fitting in, when they come to America."
Abstract This paper discusses Russian born filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's film "Nostalghia". It is compared and contrasted with Hamid Nacify's notion of accented cinema in which culture plays a influential part in filmmaking. Tarkovsky's films are characterized by metaphysical themes, extremely long takes, and memorable images of exceptional beauty. The paper shows that recurring motifs in his films are dreams, memory, childhood, running water accompanied by fire, rain indoors, reflections, and characters re-appearing in the foreground of long panning movements of the camera.
From the Paper "Compared to other forms of art that have been around for thousands of years (i.e. paintings and drawings, cinema is relatively new and has only been around for the past century. The first films came out in the 1890s and were shown first in theatres in the United States, France, Germany, and Great Britain (Binkowski 70). By the early 1900s, the cinema had spread to all parts of the world through the development of advanced technology (Taylor 166). Watching a film at the cinema soon became one of the most popular forms of entertainment that reached audiences throughout the world in large cities and in urban sprawls."
The writer examines novels by Agatha Christie and Joseph Conrad, and discusses characters and scenes in light of prejudices the authors may have held, bringing as evidence Chinese (non-Western) detective novels.
2,200 words (approx. 8.8 pages), 2 sources, 2001, $ 68.95
Abstract We can also see the kind of xenophobic stereotypes that Christie used when we compare her works to detective fiction taken from an entirely different cultural tradition: When we think about the detective novel, we are most likely to see in our mind's eye Sherlock Holmes's deerstalker cap or hear the Belgian accents of Hercule Poirot. The genre of detective fiction ? with its traditional elements of the seemingly perfect crime, the wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial evidence points (in many cases, the bungling of the dim-witted police (in opposition to the cleverness of the private operator), the astonishing powers of observation and superior mind of the detective, and a startling and unexpected denouement (quite likely taking place in a parlor) in which the detective reveals how the identity of the culprit was ascertained ? seems a quintessentially Western concept.
Abstract This paper examines the influence of race, gender and ethnicity on personality development through a review of three novels, "House of Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina Garcia and "How Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez. It explores the problems that immigrant families encounter when they move to the United States as portrayed in these stories.
From the Paper "Race, ethnicity, immigration and their impact on one's personality are serious subjects which need to be studied carefully in order to understand why they cast such profound influence on human beings and their sense of self. In the three books namely, "House of Mango Street", "Dreaming in Cuban" and "How Garcia girls lost their accent", the authors give us unique insights into the subjects of race, discrimination and identity crisis and the role they play in the evolution of one's personality and character. The most important and by far the wisest approach towards these subjects was adopted by Sandra Cisneros, the writer of House on Mango Street. This is because while the other two writers deal with causes of immigration and the disturbing aspects of immigration, Cisneros focuses mainly on the internal conflict, dream and hopes of those who move from poor countries to the land of opportunity. It is very important to understand that all three have given a fictional touch to their own life stories since they all migrated to the United States with their families when conditions in their native countries appeared unfavorable."
Abstract This paper studies the Disney film "Pocahontas" from the standpoint of linguistics students. The dialect of each character is identified and classified, and put in perspective with the others. The native dialects and ethnicities of the actors providing the voices are taken into account as well. The paper illustrates Disney's ability to play into our preconceived ideas about how we should speak and how it relates to other aspects of our lives, including sexuality.
From the Paper " ?In sixteen hundred seven we sail the open sea, for glory, God, and gold and the Virginia Company.? So begin the opening lines of Disney's ?Pocahontas,? just to give a bit of background for the children in the audience who have not yet had American History. In the film ?Pocahontas,? Disney makes a very sincere effort to promote diversity and racial acceptance, and to dispel common stereotypes about Native Americans. At the same time, however, and perhaps unintentionally, they perpetuate other linguistic stereotypes, as I intend to show."
Abstract "In his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain makes the most extensive possible use of dialect. Every word of the novel is narrated by Huck himself and every character he meets on his travels speaks in some type of regional accent, which Huck reproduces to the best of his ability.
From the Paper "In his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain makes the most extensive possible use of dialect. Every word of the novel is narrated by Huck himself and every character he meets on his travels speaks in some type of regional accent, which Huck reproduces to the best of his ability. Twain employed dialects in the novel for several purposes but his three principal aims were to create a sense of authenticity, to develop a comedy of language, and to demonstrate the power of a natural spirit like Huck's to mature emotionally and to develop great artistic gifts as a narrator outside the confines of conditions society usually regards as essential to such growth.
Twain establishes the tone of the book in his two preliminary notes from the author. The first humorously warns the reader against any attempt to locate motive, moral, or plot ..."
Abstract This paper looks at theauthor in multiple ways, in terms of discussing in detail the changes Agatha Christie found necessary in order to adapt her short story "Witness for the Prosecution" to a theater format. Various adaptations are analyzed, such as changes in dialogue, point of view, visual characterization aspects and the use of accents.
Abstract This paper discusses in detail the changes Agatha Christie found necessary in order to adapt her short story "Witness for the Prosecution" to a theater format. Various adaptations are analyzed, such as changes in dialogue, point of view, visual characterization aspects, and the use of accents.
