Category: On Language

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My American Dream and My Disappointment with Language (Liz Cortes)

I couldn’t start talking about language without telling first who I am, and that’s the reason is so difficult to explain which are my languages. Speak about it, is put my business in the street as James Baldwin explained in “If black English isn’t a language, then tell me, what is?”, and when that happens is impossible not to feel unsecured of others’ opinion. In addition is more difficult when you must speak in other’s languages.

To define my language and identity I will begin by saying that I am from Colombia, Bogota, I am 19 years old, and I grow up with my mother’s family (my mom, aunt, grandparents, and a cat). Based on this you can assume that my first language is Spanish and how special it is for me.

Dipping a little bit more in my language, something that catches my attention is the way that we spoke with our loved ones.  “Mi niña”(my girl)- would say my mother, “mi chiquitina”(my little girl)- my boyfriend, “tesorito”(my little treasure)- my grandma, “cucu”(cucu)- my aunt and for my cat I would use “chonchito” (chubby )to call him. Those are some nicknames that we use, another word that I used a lot of is “cosita” (little thing) to name everything that I think is cute. This language makes me feel so comfortable and understood, but now I feel sad, because I am no longer with my family, and I have just moved to North America looking to continue my education and learn a new language. This new language, English, challenge me to communicate with other words and intentions, leaving back my accent and my own expressions. Getting adapted is being so difficult and more when Covid-19 circumstances make it hard to socialize and practice this new language.

The difficulties of learning a new language make you wonder about your identity and see how others classify you as “Hispanic” (a world that I never thought I will use to identify myself), and it gets worst when the stereotype of Hispanic is the first impression that people have from you. A lot of questions come to my mind: why I couldn’t get the same opportunities with my language? Why I must be different to make my dreams come true, how your own dreams could become true without your loved ones? Has any sense been here? I lose my time, my energy, and my life wondering all of this until I just resigned to wake up every day as one more day away from home.

I have been experiencing homesickness, willing to come back home and just be with my family again, but at the same time willing to know more about this country, learn more from new experiences, and see the world from another perspective. It pushes me to keep trying until English became part of my identity, as a lot of people must do as well.

Recently I heard a beautiful short history from National Geography about Naghmeh Farzaneh’s immigration and she mentioned her mother’s words when she worked in her garden “when you move a plant from one place to another you have to give it some time before to grow new leaves” to explain how long takes for a person accustomed to other ground, another language and food.

I feel I must give some time to myself to accommodate this new world and love the language and person that I am becoming to be.  

Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?”

       The York Times. 29 July 1979,

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html?source=post_page—————————

Youtube, uploaded by National Geographic, 14 October 2017,

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Loss of Language- Jasmine Tocays

In 2017, I felt very lost that year. Everything is a blur, the immense pain I felt everyday was indescribable. I had lost everything familiar to me when my grandmother passed away. Everyday her voice replayed in my mind conversations we used to have, the way she would look so proud of me when I got a good grade she would always say “Mwen renmen ou, Mwen fyè di ou” I love you and I’m proud of you. Those words didn’t really mean much from others when she left. 

      In my household we speak English and Creole, growing up my grandmother tried to teach me little words to understand the language. I would always know when she was upset with me, she would yell “ou ap resevwa sou nè mwen an” which translates to “your getting on my nerves”. This stands out to me  because it’s also how she expressed her love with a smile on her face. Unfortunately when she passed the knowledge of my language slowly slipped away from me. It reminds me of how Natalie Diaz mentioned in “Losing Father, Losing Faster”, “One of the saddest is when my elder teacher cannot answer a question, when he looks at me and says, you are ask me because I don’t know the answer but I also do not the answer and there is no one left for me to ask”. It is a quote that  will continue to resonate with me because I understand what it is like to have no one to ask about your past, who you are as a person. 

        Although I will never know the terrible loss of losing a language like Diaz, the thought of learning creole never really meant much after losing the one person who made learning my native language special. It feels as if when she left, my eagerness to learn the wonderful language left with her. Slowly I’m learning the language from my Aunt, who took me in after my grandmother passed. I am fortunate enough to have someone to help me pass down my language to my kids in the future. Learning creole is very important to me because even though my grandmother is no longer physically here with me she is always with me through my words and language.

Work Citied: Losing Farther, Losing Faster: Reading Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art” While Trying to Save My Native Language [by Natalie Diaz] https://blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/the_best_american_poetry/2014/03/natalie-diaz-losing-farther-losing-faster-reading-elizabeth-bishops-one-art-while-trying-to-save-my-.html

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New York

JIM ZHANG

New York

New York is one of the largest cities in the world and what’s really amazing about it is the diversity in New York. New York is filled with many cultures, languages and even some “secret” terms only the “ New Yorkers” understand. Language is a very special skill and powerful tool for humans. Languages are all on the same line when it comes to speaking but is there a “ right “ way? 

Of course not languages have evolved so much throughout time, as humans we even created a word for languages that isn’t a language but is a part of a language and we call it “SLANG”.

What really is surprising is that New York is filled with slang like “ Yurrrrrr, lit , bussin, brick, tight etc.

The funny part is that if you are not a New Yorker you would not understand because when I first moved to New York I could not understand “ It’s mad brick outside” afterwards I found out that “ Brick” means very cold.

Many people that are not from New York might say this is not proper English but that’s what truly makes us a New Yorker, it’s who we really are as a human living in New York.

There is a slang “ OcK or OcKy ” which is a super famous slang in New York. This slang is known most for the corner store chef in the back that makes your sandwiches. High Schoolers would go into corner store in the morning before class “ Ayooo OcK let me get a bacon, egg and cheese ona roll”

I grew up in North Carolina, they did not have corner stores like New York where there was one every 2 streets but there were stores that were similar to it but they never used the slang “ OcKy”.  When covid wasn’t around yet every two days out of the week before my first period class i would go to my corner store , “ Ayoo ock let me get and bacon egg and cheese ona roll”

I feel like that’s what really represents us New Yorkers, it’s more than a slang, it ‘s more like a culture to us. It shows who we are and it shows others that we represent New York. New Yorkers culture is massive to the point where I am learning new terms everyday myself. When some of my North Carolin friends come and visit I take them to a corner store and show them this is me, this is my home. When I first moved from North Carolina to New York I did not know anything about the culture and the language. It is shocking to me how far I’ve become just by living here.

Now I’m still in the learning process of becoming a full New Yorker.

Gloria Anzaldúa explored her situation with being condemned for the way she spoke in her essay How to Tame A Wild Tongue. On page 34 Anzaldúa was told “I want you to speak English” by her mother even though she was speaking it. Anzaldúa was speaking the language finally but what threw her mother off was the accent behind Anzaldúa speaking. She could not really help that she had an accent, when I first started speaking English I was very scared I had an accent with my speaking so I would always try not to talk to people because I was scared to talk but Anzaldúa was truly being herself and showing who she really is. 

Nowadays in school , I know from experience people like Anzaldúa would get bullied for her accent for being herself, her accent is who Anzaldúa is.

Language is more than a communication skill it more shows who we are as humans. It’s used to represent where we are from. Some  people don’t understand the language you are using and then they correct you in their way, they speak it then that will just make you upset in a way that they are not respecting you and your language.

:Works Cited: 

Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” 

                     The New York Times. 29 July 1979, 

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html?,%2522%2520&st=cse

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Church Lingo – Sarah Arzberger

Growing up I’ve struggled with finding a community or simply something that I can call my own. I felt like I was on a team but just sitting on the bench never being asked to play. It’s one thing to be on a team but it’s completely different when you’re on the field. I remember constantly looking for things to be a part of. If it was joining a sports team or getting involved in musical theater. I just never felt I belonged to something. I searched for this community in my own family but that only left me broken-hearted. Slowly this search for finding my community started to come to an end. I was starting to think that there was nothing for me and perhaps I was meant to be on my own.

It was my senior year of high school and my school had a requirement for all seniors to do a minimum of 50 hours of community service in order to graduate. I found myself doing my hours at a local church in my area. All I can remember about that time was how tired I was and I just wanted to do my 50 hours in one week and move on with my life. Little did I know that this community I was searching for was under my nose the whole time. I found everything I was looking for and more. I felt accepted, wanted, and appreciated. Growing up I was never told I love you and to hear a group of people tell me they love me but they barely knew me blew my mind. They didn’t see what I saw in myself but only what I could become. I finally found something! A community that I can call my own. A place where I can be myself, be around amazing people (which today I call my family), and better myself. I started to finally feel what it was like to actually feel to be a part of something and never want to let it go. 

Now it might sound a little strange calling a church its own community but The Rock Church is just something different. One of the things that set us apart is how much of a nation we are. We have our own flag, we write our own music, we even have our own lingo. When I first started coming, one thing that I did notice was people’s response to simple phrases. One that everyone knows is “God bless you” when you greet someone. But then there was “Thank you Jesus’ ‘ instead of thank you or your welcome when you did something for someone. Then there is “by God’s Grace” when someone gives you a compliment or is trying to give you credit for something you did. But my favorite one is “Amen” and it’s used when you want to say yes or when you’re in agreement with someone. This was technically my first time in a church and at first, it really did scare me. I have never heard these words and phrases before and had no idea what they meant or why people said them. I didn’t ask about it or make it into a big deal because I didn’t want to lose this place, so I kept quiet about it, brushed it off, and was very observant to figure it out. 

The more I started to come and the more involved I got, the more that these phrases started to make a scene for me. It was something that I started to pick up on my own without anyone telling me to say it. It’s not just about the words being said because you can train a parrot to say anything. It’s truly about the meaning of them and what they actually mean. For example, Thank you Jesus is something I say because I’m not giving the credit to myself. When someone says thank you so much for all that you do, I would normally respond no problem but after learning who Jesus is and what he does for me, I don’t wanna give the credit to myself. This lingo isn’t something that everyone understands and most of the time when I slip up and use it outside of Church the reaction that I get isn’t always fun. 

The first time this has happened to me is at my job. My boss had texted me asking me to do something for him. My default response is to say Amen. So I texted him back Amen and he responded back with ummmm what? I just realized what I had done and for some reason I got scared. Instead of being proud of my community and giving him the reason why I said that I panicked and just oh lol sorry my phone changed my text. I honestly felt bad for not sticking up for my community and started to feel ashamed. I know that because I go to church more often than most that it does set me apart but most people just don’t understand and are quick to judge. After being in the church for 6 years now, I don’t care what people say about it. This Church is my home, these people are my family and I know it’s different but different is ok because who wants to be normal. 

In Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How To Tame A Wild Tongue” She says “I grew up feeling ambivalent about our music. Country western and rock-and-roll had more status. In the 50s and 60s, for the slightly educated and agril1gado Chicanos, there existed a sense of shame at being caught listening to our music. Yet I couldn’t stop my feet from thumping to the music, could not stop humming the words, nor hide from myself the exhilaration I felt when I heard it”(42). What I learned from her is not to be ashamed. You need to love what makes you you and not let anyone stop you or try to change you.

Since finding the Rock Church, I am a completely different person than I was 6 years ago. I am finally happy and get to be myself. Without this outlet, I would not be the person I am today and I’m very grateful to be a part of something that I can call my own. Having our own lingo really sets us apart from everyone else but really brings us together as a community and a family. 

Work Cited: Anzaldua, Gloria. “How To Tame a Wild Tongue.” “They say / I say” : the Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, edited by Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, W. W. Norton & Company, 2014, pp. 33-45

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Language Essay

Mamoudou Conde

Language Essay

                         My first initial thought about writing this essay was like “mhmm this should sort of be easy” but now that I think about the language I speak with my family and even the code language I speak with my closest friends and now that I really think about it this essay is going to more complex than I actually thought because the way I use certain terms for my parents or my family members to understand me is actually impressive.The way me and my friends can understand each other off of the words we use that aren’t even in the English dictionary is equally as impressive so this assignment not only about me just talking about how I use the certain languages I speak this assignment also open my eyes to how spectacular and impressive it actually is that I’m even able to talk to my parents and friends the way I do and we completely understand each other.

                        The first language I wanna touch on is the one I speak with my family and the name of that language is called Mandinka.Mandinka is a language that is originated from northern Guinea-Bissau which is in Africa and many people know the language also being called Mandingo.I feel like me being able to speak with my parents, siblings, and the rest of my family in the Mandingo language is extremely unique in a way because I don’t think my bond would as strong as it is if I didn’t.I am able to have full conversations with my mother without saying any words in English and it is really special to me because she stresses to a lot of times how important it is to keep this language alive and make sure I pass it on to my kids when I get older.Now I see why author Natalie Diaz in the article “Losing Farther,Losing Faster” was really concerned about her people their language because it’s not only about her, it is about the ones who was born into another country and don’t know how to speak English and it is also about the history behind it for all the people who planned on teaching their kids how to speak it so they can gain some knowledge.The Mandinka language also gives me bragging rights with my cousins because they aren’t as fluent and some of them don’t speak it at all so when we all are at family functions they aren’t really as active in the conversations like the way I know they would want to be.I really appreciate the fact that my parents actually let me grow into the language because it is so useful in the real world because when I’m at work I am able too speak to some customers that don’t speak English strongly and I like speaking to my family in different venues in the language which means a lot to me and I honestly wouldn’t trade my ability to speak this language for anything.

                     I find the bond in being able to speak the language with my family members in this language is so strong and unique.Everyday when me and my friends are on the game or outside having fun and one of my parents call and i speak to them my friends seem so interesting and intrigued by the language that they begin to ask me what this and that mean or take guesses of what I may be saying to my parents  it is the most hilarious thing ever hearing them try to pronounce a word and figure out what i’m saying and I could tell they really want to understand and get into the language.Even when im at work and people hear my name or see the chain I wear on they ask if I could speak mandinka and they are so fascinated by the fact that I can because not a lot of people are capable of doing it.Speaking this form of language is truly a blessing and I hope to help past it on the next generation.

                        Language is a special especially the way you use is what makes it the most unique.The same way I brought it up in the second paragraph about how in the article “Losing Farther,Losing Faster’’ by Natalie Diaz Language means more to us then we actually thinks it does it’s literally our everything and without it how would be able to understand each other and it’s really the beauty of life if you ask me it’s kind of like a challenge.If I were to go to France and I don’t know how to speak any French I would be excited to be able to learn the people there culture and the way they communicate with each other.I wouldn’t want to take their language away from them I would want to make myself a more educated person and learn their ways and I could honestly say I completely argue with Ms.Diaz because its more they just a language it’s a lifestyle.

                   To conclude this essay I would like to say  learned a lot just free writing about language I never looked so deep into how I communicate with others and how I talk with my family it makes me not want to ever take it for granted.It actually makes me more excited talking to them knowing I even have the ability that most people on this planet don’t have.Like I mentioned in the beginning I thought this easy was less complex then it actually was it made me think and really dig deep into the topic and I’m happy that was able to write a piece like this and able to display it to you.

Professor Kahler

September 29, 2021

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On Language

Issa Serrano

The LGBT+ community encompasses a large variety of people that do not fit the heteronormative or “normal” mold. It is a term that incorporates people of all sexualities and genders that are not straight or cis-gendered. It is a subculture that has faced scrutiny and ridicule, however in the face of such discriminatory actions we have created a space that’s main ideals are those of equality and acceptance. One that values kindness amongst us and allows everyone to have to freedom to be who they are. With our shared perspective we have created a language that reflects those beliefs, promotes unity, allows us to recognize each other, even when in a setting that isn’t necessarily queer. It generates a comradery that allows us to combat the hatred and discrimination that we face every day.

The LGBT+ community has its own set of vocabulary that is meant to keep out the bigots who do not accept us as part of society. In our attempts to combat prejudice, we reclaim words that have harmful meanings. The queer community is not the first to do this, as the African American community has done it as the Latino community. The Latino community specifically, created a whole language dedicated to the revolt of their oppressors called pachuco. The prevalent Latina activist, Gloria Anzaldua states in her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, “Pachuco is a language… of rebellion, both against Standard Spanish and Standard English” (35). This is not a new concept, and every minority community uses and creates a language that is meant as an insurrection against those who cause them harm. Both to keep themselves connected and to keep the despots out.

            The Queer community, as it is sometimes referred to as an umbrella term for the LGBT+ community (however that term has been debated as it once was used as a slur), has a sense of humor. In recent years a lot of young queers (or baby gays if you will) have taken long outdated slurs and turned them into words of affirmation and acceptance. Such as the word “fruity”. What once was a rude term to describe a gay person, is now a loving term used to identify other people of the community. It is like an inside joke, but for a larger group of people. A way for queer to make light of the injustices against them and as a rebellion to their oppressors.  Queers reclaim this word to take back the harmful narrative that has presented them and to relate to each other. This word simply means that you are fruit if you are gay.

When we use language, we don’t often think about where it comes from. It comes so naturally once it is in our vocabulary that it just slips our minds. We have a predisposition to believe that it was created by a friend of a friend, or just that who we heard it from first knew where it began. The word originates from the early 19th century in Great Britain and was used mostly by the lower class in unsavory professions, such as sex workers and showmen. The original definition meant a mentally ill person, but as time progressed the word eventually came to mean more specifically, that the mental illness was homosexuality. Fruits, the food, is usually thought of as soft, and considered extremely feminine. By comparing queer men to a fruit, by those terms, it was insulting.

The 21st-century technology brought with it, globalization. People from all over the planet now have easier access to communicate with each other. The queer community has been able to connect what was small groups and bring together a larger base. We are existing on a global scale that less isolating and communities have been able to share our once regional specific language with one another. Queer groups have existed in different forms around the globe, and social media has brought them together. Twitter popularized the word fruit to expand outside of England and brought it to America.

The queers have taken a harmful set of vocabulary and turned it into something meaningful. When presented with hardships instead of shaming one another in an attempt to fix into a society that would shun them. We created a place where everyone is included and supported. This comradery has allowed us to gain equal rights and acceptance. Language connected us and allowed us to become an unmovable and powerful force that has overturned previous laws that have legally renounced us, but also turn the majority of people’s opinions to believe that all humans are equal no matter who they love. Only through the power of communication and language are humans prepared to mobilize movements. Finding humor in the face of pain the queer community is an impressive force

Works Cited

Anzaldua, Gloria. “How To Tame a Wild Tongue.” “They say / I say”: the Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, edited by Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, W. W. Norton & Company, 2014, pp. 37.

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Special Languages

Kayla Adams

Language, what does that even mean?  According to dictionary.com, it says “Language is a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition”.  We have been reading many authors these past weeks. James Baldwin was one who stuck with me. We read “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” by James Baldwin. Baldwin talks about language and how people might be speaking the same main language but aren’t speaking it the same way. 

I come from a Hispanic background, a family who is Dominican and speaks Dominican Spanish. I say Dominican Spanish and not just Spanish because those who are Dominican will know that they are not the same. “Ahorita ”, this word in Dominican Spanish means later, but in other Latin speaking groups, this word can mean something different.  My aunt works at a hospital and she was told by her boss who is Mexican to do something “ahorita”. My aunt ( who is Dominican) said okay, implying she would get to it later. Some time went by and her boss came back to her asking her why she still hasn’t done what he asked. And she was starting to get aggravated because to her this word meant later so she was confused as to why he kept rushing her. It wasn’t until some lady came out who was Colombian and explained to her boss that she is Dominican, and when you say ahorita it means later, while in Mexican it means right now. Not only was my aunt shocked but so was her boss. They were both saying the same word yet, they had different meanings coming from each group. They were both speaking Spanish but were not associated with the same group so they had their own meanings and weren’t familiar with the other’s definition. 

In “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” by James Baldwin he states “and they would all have great difficulty in apprehending what the man from Guadeloupe, or Martinique, is saying, to say nothing of the man from Senegal–although the “common” language of all these areas is French. But each has paid, and is paying, a different price for this “common” language, in which, as it turns out, they are not saying, and cannot be saying, the same things: They each have very different realities to articulate, or control.” Even though all these groups were speaking the same “common” language as Baldwin said. Each group had their own way of expressing themselves. Just like my Dominican Spanish, it’s still Spanish but people from Spain, Puerto Rico, even different parts of The Dominican Republic might not understand or know what every word or phrase means. 

Living in New York, you notice that the way new yorkers speak different than people who live outside of New York. Many people say we have an accent, even though we speak the same “common” language as they do. There are also certain slang that new yorkers use that anybody outside of New York probably won’t understand. Even if your from New York, depending on what borough your from there are different lingo’s within each borough. Lingo is words or speech used in a particular area or circumstance (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lingo). I’ve lived in Washington Heights for most my life and then I moved to the Bronx. As far as language goes they are both pretty similar. 

These “secret languages” are commonly used within different communities. These communities can be formed from many different things. It usually forms from your environment and the people you’re around. I am a part of many different groups as you have read. I can associate myself with the Dominican “secret language”, as well as the New York “secret language”, and to be even more precise I can also associate myself with the Bronx and Washington Heights “secret language”. These are languages that I have grown up speaking, so these are my different ways of communicating with people. This is also my way to connect with different people and different groups. These phrases that we say and languages that we speak can affect the way we connect with others. You will be able to have a better conversation with someone if you can relate and are able to understand one another. It becomes harder to connect with people when you don’t have the same “secret languages”. It’s like you’re talking in two completely different languages. “Secret languages” can be key to most relationships that you form throughout your life.

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Special Languages (AAVE)

Darren Jean Baptiste

Within the African American community, is a separate form or dialect of the English language referred to as AAVE, or African American Vernacular English. Its roots can be found in the lives lived by our Ancestors not only in the United States as Slaves, but in Africa where our ancestors started as well. We use it everyday in our lives, and in our music and the music we listen to. Common examples of AAVE are shortened forms of words, such as “I Don’t Know” rephrased as “‘ion know ” or  “I’m going to do it” rephrased as  “ima do it”. As a Black American, choosing when or where to use AAVE has always been a challenge especially depending on the type of environment I was in at the time. Sometimes it can be seen as acceptable when around people of my own community, and can be seen as incorrect around others, or even my own family at times.

Being an African American has allowed me to see both sides of dialect and speech in this country. One reason for this is because I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, so the way that I spoke either didn’t match the way that they did, or I had chosen to speak a certain way to cater to the community that I was in. During elementary school, around 5th grade I often spoke AAVE publicly in front of my white friends and teachers. Many of them would look at me funny or say things that I did not know how to speak correctly. It even got to the point where I had white friends tell me that I sounded ghetto, as if me speaking in my community’s dialect made them uncomfortable and therefore it was wrong or incorrect to them. There were times when my parents even told me not to speak in a certain dialect and instead I should speak “ normal” .This excluded me from my friends and my environment which often made me very uncomfortable. It felt like because of who I was. Then when I got into middle school and high school, I was often told that I sound white because I had learned not to speak in my own dialect. This also confused me and excluded me now from my own people. Growing up I had often battled with identity and trying to figure out where and who I am, because it seemed no matter how I choose to speak or present myself I always was excluded.

In If Black Isn’t a Language , Then Tell Me What Is By James Baldwin, he makes the argument that People evolve a language to control the circumstances that they are in, and to avoid becoming engulfed by them. This directly relates to the circumstances that many Black Americans are under in the United States, because it is such a challenge to articulate or control these circumstances, we become engulfed by them. Many see AAVE as Ghetto or improper, and this view is not only in outside communities it is also in our own. Many of our own people within the Black Community choose to ignore AAVE because it places them at a disadvantage in American Society, and those who choose to embrace their culture and their dialect are seen as unruly or like i stated before ghetto. Dealing with the outsiderness that I have experienced, it was  always hard to learn to code switch when necessary, and my peers and community would look at me differently depending on if I did it properly or not. Being able to embrace my culture in a community that did not accept me was often hard, and then being able to switch when around my own. Many outsiders do not understand the dialect in which many Black Americans speak, and we are even educated in a way that benefits White America and what they believer is proper.This idea is also brought up in James Baldwin’s essay, where he says Americanever had any interest in educating Black People, if it was not to their own advantage. We are taught to look away from our own culture because it isn’t acknowledged or respected in American Society. These are the reasons why I have personally struggled with my own identity, because I must face a world that doesn’t understand or appreciate the culture that I and my community comes from.

If America were to acknowledge the culture and dialect of African Americans, that would be a step towards healing the racial and social tension of America as a whole. If America would begin to respect and accept all types of cultures and dialects, then there would be more respect for one another, and  people such as me wouldnt struggle with identity, or being able to code switch in different environments, we wouldn’t feel pressured to. We would feel comfortable, and our experience would be validated, as White America understands our story. Even if it means looking into the mirror and not liking what they see. Through understanding the way and reasons for why Black dialect differs from white dialect, then maybe White America would be more open to understanding why the Black Community celebrates things such as Juneteenth, and why we fight so hard for social justice for our people. Many of us have struggled with finding our identity while being able to have the same opportunities and chances as White America despite the differences that be. Through self education and knowledge, I’ve come to learn that there isn’t anything wrong with my African American Vernacular English because it is a reflection of who I am  and the community that I belong to.

Work Cited: Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” 

                     The New York Times. 29 July 1979, 

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html?,%2522%2520&st=cse

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Take A Long Walk Off A Short Pier — John

Eight little words that could mean so much. How would you go on to decipher them? “Take a long walk off a short pier” is something my grandfather used to say all the time. I decided to use this phrase due to the short amount of time I got to spend with him.

My grandfather was born in 1940 also known as “the silent generation”. A time when America was in an ongoing war and suffering from the economic depression. In those times is when I believe most of these “vulgar” sounding phrases were used popularly. My grandfather served in the navy for some time and some similar phrases would just become acquainted with him. This is how it was for most people during the 1940s-1960s. That is why most of the phrases and terms used were more hostile. With this said just because they sound hostile does not mean at all that they are.

So, what does the phrase mean? Did my grandfather really want my mother to jump off a pier and drown? Obviously not. The phrase is a tongue-in-cheek way of telling someone to “scram” or “get lost”. Most of the time these would be used if you were annoying someone or if someone just had enough of you. Since then, the phrase has continued to be passed down from my grandfather to my mother and to me. Some similar phrases to compare are “get lost’ or “jump in a lake”. Although they are harmless phrases most people these days will take them to be extremely hostile and unnecessary.

Nowadays most people who hear these idioms will absolutely think they are unrefined. With times changing rapidly since the 1940s and as people pass, generations are lost. Most of these phrases will die out. With the new generations and (in my opinion) more “sensitive” people you really must watch what you say, post, or do. Phrases like these are probably best to not be used on kids these days because you never know what could happen. Therefore, saying it to your kids if they get that it’s just a joke could still be bad because other people who hear that could take it out of hand.

In conclusion, the reason I decided to use this phrase is because growing up with my grandfather and mother I would be used to constantly hearing it and most of the time it would be directed at me. I cannot even tell you when the last time I heard someone say it was. I wonder what would happen if we took a poll to see how many people are familiar with the phrase.

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Special Languages — David

What is a language? It is the way we communicate with each other and is another way to identify each other. When we speak a language, other people will question our background and where we come from. There are many authors who have done research and discuss the ways languages create and identify groups by inclusion and exclusion. I have observed this in my life because of my heritage and the languages I speak, which are English and Spanish. I will use Gloria Anzaldua’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” from Borderlands/La Frontera as I can relate to her story because I am also of Mexican heritage and the languages spoken. If someone were to be born of the same heritage, it is expected that you learn the Spanish language and speak to be able to communicate with family members or others who can speak only Spanish.

My experience with the languages has been different to that of Anzaldua because I started speaking English and have always read, written, and listened in the same language. I do not think I ever took a class or learned any other languages in school. I started to learn how to speak Spanish at home because of my mother. At home, I speak only Spanish with my mother as she cannot communicate in English. My Spanish is not great so I try my best to communicate with her so she can understand me. My family, like Anzaldua’s mother, told her that “I want you to speak English. Pa’ hallar buen trabajo tienes que saber hablar el Ingles bien. Que vale todo tu educación si todavía hablas ingles con un ‘accent’” (Anzaldúa,.34.) My family believes that by speaking English, one can be successful in the United States because you can speak with many people and can get a job for it. I do not think I experienced Anzaldua’s story of learning to speak English, but my older brother has because English is his second language. My brother and I both can speak English but have different experiences learning the language as English is his second language and for me it is my first.

 Growing up, my brother has told me stories of taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, being told many times to improve his English by reading and writing in the language and has been made fun of because he had a “Mexican accent”. What makes it interesting is that both of us were born in New York, yet he learns how to speak Spanish first. He started taking ESL classes and was mostly put in Bilingual classes to be able to understand both languages. Those ESL classes did not end for him until he got to high school. After he got to high school, it did not stop there because his English teacher was informed of his ESL experience and was told the same thing to keep improving his English. I remember a story he told me once that he had to make a presentation about his internship to a sophomore class and at the end, his classmate commented how he spoke in a “Mexican accent”. The experience made him feel excluded because he felt uncomfortable speaking the language and receive comments on his speaking. I also feel excluded not because of my English but my Spanish and feel the same as Anzaldua who feels like a “Pocho, cultural traitor” for speaking mostly English and not speaking Spanish well.

When I speak Spanish, I get corrected a lot of times because I cannot be understood and sometimes it makes me feel a bit embarrassed. There are times where I cannot say several words in Spanish that my brother must translate for me. Although I do not speak the language with friends, I still must learn the language to be able to communicate at home. In Anzaldua’s section in the reading “Linguistic Terrorism”, for Chicanas such as herself, are scared because they will be shamed for the way they speak Spanish and get told they are not speaking it right. I agree with Anzaldua’s statement that “repeated attacks on our native tongue diminish our sense of self. The attacks continue throughout our lives” (Anzaldua, 39.) You can say that there are attacks on our heritage because of the language we belong to and feel insulted for trying to speak it or for not speaking it. I agree with Anzaldua that for those who are afraid that others will call them “agringadas” because those who speaking English are unable to speak Chicano Spanish. I feel that it is already happening with people who come from immigrant families in the United States. Spanish speaking households will come to believe that it will be best for their children to grow up learning the English language to avoid being criticize in U.S. society. Anzaldua brings up an important detail that “by the end of this century, English, not Spanish, will be the mother tongue of most Chicanos and Latinos” (Anzaldua, 39.) Chicanos and Latinos will grow to speak English to be able to better communicate and be successful in life but at the same time, will suffer because they feel shamed from coming from a Spanish speaking household.

Language is a powerful tool to communicate with other people that it will lead to inclusion and exclusion. The heritage of one can affect how they will be seen in U.S. society where it is taught that English should be used to communicate everywhere. Anzaldua’s work is a great example to use to explain how those who speak other languages other than English are facing challenges to be accepted by others by learning and speaking English but at the same time, rejected for the same reason by those in our heritage.

Works Cited:

Anzaldua, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”. Borderlands/La Frontera (p. 33-45)