How To Tame A Wild Tongue Analysis

Jessica Alba said, “I wish I could speak Spanish, because it would be a lot easier to play more interesting roles.” Is learning Spanish necessary in the society we live in today? Gloria Anzaldua, author of “How to Tame A Wild Tongue”, explains how she grew up in a life that did not accept the Spanish language in school and wanted, “to get rid of our accents” (26). She shows how people use different variations of Spanish to connect to other Spanish speakers. Anzaldua emphasizes that the types of languages influences the lives of others and can change the way they approach each type of Spanish to one’s life. Growing up as a “Gringo” male makes it difficult for me to relate to Anzaldua, because I grew up not knowing Spanish in a place that Spanish

Anzaldua includes the different kinds of languages Spanish speakers speak throughout her essay. She asserts that she is a Chicano Spanish speaker, especially “with Chicanas from Nuevo Mexico or Arizona I will speak Chicano Spanish” (28). I agree that many do speak Chicano Spanish in New Mexico and Arizona, but I also do believe that Chicano Spanish is a big part of Southern California because most regions do have a Mexican-American culture to the way people live. I felt lost with Anzaldua when she states, “Chicano’s need to identify ourselves as a distinct people” because most Spanish speakers in the United States do know some sort of English, so they infuse Spanish and English together. For example, I have had many friends that speak Spanish in their own homes and to others, but from what I have seen and heard, they do use some English when speaking in Spanish to help get the point across to who they’re talking to for an easier understanding. Not only do people my own age do this, but many older sophisticated Spanish speakers also do this because they are accustomed to speaking English so they incorporate both languages into their everyday language without even realizing that they do it. Spanish isn’t the only language that is going through the same development of speaking like Chicano Spanish does; French speakers also have a similar context to Chicano Spanish because many French speakers in the US also use a French-American tone to the way they speak and also their culture gets influenced by the American lifestyle. Chicano Spanish speakers can relate to Mexican and American people which is hard for many people to do which makes them unique, but not distinct because there are people like this for every culture not just