Speak in a Wild Tongue by Gloria Anzaldua

Gloria Anzaldua, author of the article “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, interprets the language of “Mexican” in different aspects. At the beginning of the essay, Anzaldua was punished because she didn’t speak English in school. As a result, she finds the reasons which impact the language: their own cultural and gendered. Also, the situation forces them to change and evolve the language. However, in the meantime, this caused Chicanas to be uncomfortable and shamed even when they listened to their music. Finally, some languages are getting forgotten because of the confusion, but the author believes her own language will be remained as well as the culture when the Chicanas’ inner struggles cease by identifying themselves. For all cultures in the world, it is very important to maintain the difference of culture. Chicano Spanish is one of the new culture combining American and Mexican. Every Chicanas has a determined small voice in heart: no one can change my language. There are three reasons that the wild tongue cannot be tamed: protecting the diversity of the culture, acting as a live language, representing a soul.

Invading languages, like invading armies, may capture and change other languages, and they have a phrase to describe it: cultural invasion, which is considered to be a modern weapon in the world. To against this weapon, people need to protect their own culture as well as keep their language. Anzaldua tells a story about her elementary school life. One time she was caught by speaking Spanish and punished with a sharp ruler. Many Spanish students were told to correct their languages, and if they tried to resist, they might be told to “go back to Mexico where [they] belong”(32). For children growing up in households where their parents only spoke Spanish, Anzaldua knows how difficult the task those children have: what is their fist language? Being a Chicano, she lost her mother land, but she refuses to give up her own language. She knows Chicanas’ culture actually have the right to exist in this world forming a diversity culture with other groups.