The Revival Pt. 6: A Native What?

When I originally read the title of Gloria Anzaldua’s reading I assumed it was going to be a tale of the struggles a foreigner has to overcome in a land where their language was not spoken. Then, I read the first few paragraphs and realized I was way off. Then, as I continued reading her piece, I realized my original perception of the piece was somewhat on the right track. I believe “losing” you native tongue is a practice that has been going on in America since the days of Ellis Island. When you choose to move to a different place, where they speak a different language or have a different accent, you are more than likely to adapt to your daily influences.

To me, language is like camouflage. Humans are mammals. We adapt to and conform (for the most part) to the environment we place ourselves in. This does not make us lose our sense of heritage or culture, unless you let it.  For example, my mother-in-law was born and raised in South Jersey. A few years ago she decided to move to the great state of South Carolina. After only a short time of living there she began to develop a southern “twang” as I call it and her vocabulary and daily practices were directly affected. She went from saying, “You guys” to “Y’all” and went from eating scrapple at the diner to eating grits. She even started calling diet soda “diet pop” (where did that come from anyway???).

This does not mean that she has lost any sense about who she is or where she came from. She’s still a Jersey girl at heart and when she spends enough time vacationing here you hear the occasional “you guys” come back to her vocabulary. I believe this is a super sensitive issue, and I think this is mainly in part to everyone being worried about sounding politically correct. I don’t think you should be afraid to tell someone that they should learn the language where they decide or choose to live. It was their choice. I would not expect to move to France or Italy and not expect to learn French or Italian. I don’t think that people should be judged because of their accent or native tongue, even though people often do (it’s human nature). 

Conversely, I do believe that people who decide to move to another country or even within different areas of a country need to attempt to learn the native tongue of that particular place. That being said, I also believe that people should have the right to be heard, and that “Anglo teacher” should have been more sensitive to Anazaldua’s needs. 
Although I cannot directly related to Anazaldua's story, due to the fact that I was born and raised in America, I have similar feelings about my own heritage. I am Irish, German, Polish, and Native American. I do not speak any of these languages and barely participate in cultural practices of my heritage. I believe this is partly because I am a citizen of the United States of America. This is where I choose to live, so I speak English. It does not mean that I am any less Irish, German, Polish or Native American.