Advanced Essay #2 - More Than Words

Introduction

The goals of this paper is to elaborate on the fact that there is uniqueness to all languages. It is not simply a form of communication, but also has a value to people. Whether people do not speak the same languages should not be an automatic barrier and separation between them. In this paper, I am proud of being able to show the progression of how I felt toward my language from the beginning to the end. Although, an area that I would be able to improve on is elaborating more on the idea of language holding a value for people, rather than leaving it vague for the readers to determine.

More Than Words

Teochew. That is the name of one of the languages that I speak. If you have never heard of it, that doesn’t come as a surprise. Frankly, I did not know the name of it until only four years ago, despite it being the first language I spoke. Some may even call Teochew one of the forgotten languages, but does that make it any less important? Looking in a positive light, does this actually make the language unique? Language is not just words, in fact, it is filled with values.

In How to Tame a Wild Tongue, Gloria Anzaldúa describes the value of she and her family speaking Chicano Spanish, which is a different dialect of “normal” Spanish. She writes ”Chicano Spanish sprang out of the Chicano’s need to identify ourselves as a distinct people. We needed a secret language”. It’s a language that a certain part of her community speaks, and from her perspective, that distinct dialect was made to serve as a special language for themselves.

Relating the idea of a secret language to my own life, I realize that speaking this unfamiliar language, Teochew, springs up plenty of different conversations. Reality is that everyone has a different view and perspective on it.

Starting off, even though I was born in Cambodia, I lived most of my life in Philadelphia, picking up English as my first language. Although, this is a different story for my mother, since she was actually raised there. When I was old enough to enroll in school, I spoke English all the time, since that is the one language that everyone around me is learning and understands. Even if I wanted to speak Teochew, who would be there to understand? It would be pointless to even try. I always thought of my language to be valuable, but it seems different at school.

This is a normal thing that I am used to, but every time my mom calls, I speak her first language. Always hearing English, my peers around me commented on the unfamiliar words that escaped my mouth. “Woah, what are you saying?” “That sounds so cool!” “It sounds so weird!” “Is that your first language?”

Those are just a small part of the collection of responses that I receive when I am heard speaking another language other than English. Although, the responses are usually said with positive intentions. People see it as something unique and are even able to connect it to them speaking a different language at home. That’s where it brings my peers and I to a common similarity, a feeling of mutual appreciation.

Something to keep in mind is that these responses are from people who have never heard of the language that I spoke. Actually speaking Teochew to my family, people who grew up with this language, the responses are almost completely different. I recall a time where I spoke a majority of English, even at home. Having an open ear, I overheard my grandma pointing out a concern to my mom, that maybe I will drop my knowledge on the Teochew language.

To my family, not being able to speak this language is a very inconvenient thing. Since everyone in my family speaks it, they see it as a necessity, not as something unique. It is something normal that I should automatically store in my head. Surely the language is greatly appreciated if they make such an effort to teach it to the future generations, but it makes me wonder if a difference in language separates people. Do people need to change their view on needing to know the same language to be able to connect?

Obviously, being able to speak the same language as the person that you are talking to allows more room for conversation. Although, the thing is that if people hear that you speak a different language, sometimes they quickly give up and do not try to talk.

Anzaldúa also points out that poeple will in fact separate due to language barriers: “And because we internalize how our language has been used against us by the dominant culture, we use our language differences against each other”.

Actually, knowing this unpopular language is something that I am grateful for. Originally when I was younger, I had this little feeling of embarrassment tingling in the back of my mind when I would be heard speaking a different language. Although now, I am proud that I am able to speak something that makes me feel comfortable. Whether around people who understand or even people who do not, this language will always hold a meaningful value to me.

Works Cited

Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands = La Frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute, 1999. Print.