“How to Tame a Wild Tongue” Reading response Questions

Holly Leonard

Sept. 3, 2016

Prof. Young

ENGL 1100, Writing Workshop

“How to Tame a Wild Tongue” Reading response Questions

1. When Anzaldua is in the Dentist chair, the Dentist is asking how one tames a wild tongue that is stubborn and strong. Anzaldua thinks also thinks the same question. This ties into the overall message because everyone wants her native language “tamed” and “controlled”. Her having her tongue physically tied down and tamed by the dentist is the same level as a human being telling Anzaldua to use English and not her native language.
2. Anzaldua’s Spanish throughout her writing is challenging at certain parts to understand because her native language is of a certain dialect that I do not understand being brought up hearing English. Certain terms she uses do not have the same effect on me as it would someone who gets the dialect in which she is using.
3. Chicano Spanish versus standard Spanish is different and non standard because it is a slang use of Spanish words.
4. The necessity of speaking and writing in Academic English is important and part of one's identity because if you’re brought up learning proper English, you will use it as your normal dialect. It is necessary if someone wants to be part of a typical or “normal” lifestyle meaning they wish to be like everyone else that went through American school systems.
5. Different types of American identities could be described as being from the South, out West, Boston or New England, or even New York dialect; some Americans say Jimmy’s while others use the common term Sprinkles, or some say sneakers while others might say kicks. All different area of America have different accents and dialects with different terms.
6. I do not use a secret language with my friends but there is definitely a different way that I speak to my friends than I would my parents or a professor.
7. To my friends, I speak very relaxed as in the Spanish language is Chicano; but to my parents or a professor or any elder I would use standard English because it would be disrespectful to use otherwise.
8. “I am my language” would mean that that is the language someone was brought up with, raised with, and always used at home or with family aside from any other language. A person is their language because is represents who they are and where they came from.
9. The introduction and conclusion tie together by showing in the intro a question of how someone tames a wild tongue, and in the conclusion Anzaldua answers the question by stating her tongue and the tongue of her people “will remain” and that the are unbreakable.
10. I believe 100% that your language is part of your identity; what language you speak or in a certain dialect shows who you are and where you are from and what you are made of. Your language shows where you were brought up and raised.
11. I think is important to me, but not as important as others may find it. Anzaldua finds identity very important to her and she states, “when other races have given up their tongue, we’ve kept ours.” meaning she takes pride in her native language and her people have never been tamed nor will they ever. She also states, “Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity- I am my language.” Anzaldua takes pride in who she is though it is a “poor” language. “Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself.” Needless to say, Anzaldua takes pride in her identity and believes she is her language.

Works Cited

Anzaldua, Gloria.”How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” Teaching Development Writing.

Ed. Susan Naomi Bernstein. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2013. 245-255. Print.