How to Tame a Wild Tongue by Gloria Anzaldua, Article Review Example

How to tame a wild tongue by Gloria Anzaldua is an article that focuses on the tribulations faced by the Spanish language as perceived by the author.  The author especially defends Chicano Spanish language which is described as a border tongue that developed naturally, yet is ill-regarded by both Anglo and Latino speakers (Anzaldua, 36).

The purpose of the article is to bring to light the kind of prejudice that Spanish speakers experience as they try to cope in the larger American society.   The author portrays this message in a sarcastic tone and tends to wonder why Chiacanos and Latin speakers are embarrassed of their tongue “…if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language…can take pride in my language…cannot take pride in myself (Anzaldua, 40).

The author believes that the western influences and colonization of the Spanish by the Anglo speakers is the major cause for the emergence of Chicano dialects, as they are neither Standard English nor Standard Spanish languages (Anzaldua, 37).  However, Chicanos had to create a language from which they could communicate and gain a sense of belonging.  The author is therefore surprised that there are efforts to discourage the Chicano Spanish as a wrong, indecent, illegitimate language (Anzaldua, 40).  There is no basis for defining the superiority of some cultures above others.

This is an interesting article that shows the determination of a proud Chicano Spanish in defense of culture. Themes of alienation, prejudice, gender imbalance, rights denial, and economic oppression are identified as a result of American and Anglo speakers creating an environment of ethnocentrism in which they consider their language most superior to the dismay of the writer.  However, the author is indifferent and sarcastically states that Chicano speakers will not give in to cultural alienation as demanded by the influential western culture (Anzaldua, 44).  The conclusion by the author therefore renders the title to the article ‘taming a wild tongue’ as ironic and unachievable. This is confirmed in the last paragraph “…when other races have given up their tongue we’ve kept ours…but…we count…aeons until white law and commerce and customs will rot in the desert they have created, lie bleached,” (Anzaldua, 44).