annotation Blog #9: Anzaldua

1) Summary/ Main Ideas
Gloria Anzaldua talks about her identity to Chicanos. It says in the beginning that she is "concerned with many kinds of border- between nations, cultures, class, genders, languages." Which led her to become a speaker and writer about "feminist, lesbian, and Chicana issues and about autobiography." Gloria talks about when she was little she was punished for speaking Spanish at recess and says, "Wild tongues can't be tamed, they can only be cut out." She also expresses a concern on how their are only derogatory words toward women and not men, saying we are "robbed" of our femaninity . This article also mentions code meshing when she describes what patois is (variation of two languages). Like other readings we have read Gloria mentions many different languages she speaks including: standard English, working class and slang English, standard Spanish, standard Mexican Spanish, north Mexican Spanish dialect, Chicano Spanish, Tex-Mex, and Pachuco.  She speaks all these languages in certain places such as: home, school and with friends. She tells us that she switches back and forth between English and Spanish in the same sentence or in the same word (code meshing). Then she goes into the history of Chicano Spanish and how some words are in fact borrowed from English. As a result this puts pressure onto Spanish speakers to adapt to English. Chicano Spanish is affiliated with "for Spanish" according to Gloria and that they use their language differences against each other. She says that she speaks English as a neutral language during some events. She explains that "Chicano Spanish is as diverse linguistically as it is regionally" so it doesn't matter where you came from when you speak Chicano Spanish. Chicano text was forbidden o teach in schools, and when she was a high School English teacher to Chicano students she tried to substitute some English text for Chicano literature. Gloria writes that to her foods and certain smells are tied to her identity and to her homeland. In the end she is around of her language because she writes, " When other races have given up their tongue, we've kept ours.
2) Quotes & Reactions/ Responses
-" If you want to be America, speak 'America', If you don't like it, go back to Mexico where you belong".
I feel like right now people are still saying this. I see video of people yelling and others for not knowing English perfectly and one example of this type of racism is Donald Trump.
-" Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identify- I am my language."
I have always thought that language is part of everyones identity thats why when I lost my Chinese and still can't speak it, I also lost part of my identity.
-" Your speaking the oppressor's language by speaking English, you're ruining the Spanish language."
I was shocked to read this but it makes sense. People who speak Spanish are taught English when they are in the U.S and some of them think Americans/whites are the oppressors.
3) Questions for Discussion
- What does it mean when she wrote" I will have my serpent's tongue- my woman's voice, my sexual voice, my poet's voice." ?Does that mean those are considered evil languages or is it referring to an actual serpents tongue and how its split into two?
- When she said " I had to 'argue' with one advisor after the other.." Why does she use quotation marks around argue? Does that mean that her argument was invalid and was unheard?