Being a Spanish major here at HSU I chose languages as my topic for this blog without realizing exactly what I was going to focus on. Inspiration struck me in my Spanish Civilization class while reading some articles on Carlos Fuentes, a famous Mexican author. After having a minor panic attack dealing with the stress of how I was going to get this blog started, I realized there are so many ways to talk about languages.
"Ninguno de nosotros existiría sin las biografías, la lengua y los sueños de nuestros antepasados."-Carlos Fuentes. Translated this means, "None of us would exist without the history, language and dreams of our ancestors." What Carlos Fuentes is trying to point out is that we are all connected by our past. We all are descendants from Africa, and have become so many different sets of people. Now with thousands of different languages it is hard to imagine there only existing one or a few. The community is such an important aspect of Mexican culture, as Mexicans identify themselves with their communities of origin rather than the larger nation. These different communities each have a unique vernacular to themselves, adding another way Mexicans can identify with their community.
The cultures and languages of people help them identify themselves among the different communities throughout Mexico, but it presents a dichotomy. The barriers it creates can promote racism. There appears to be a hierarchy of this among the indigenous speakers of Mexico, deeply rooted in tradition, down to the Spanish speakers favoring their language keeping them in the modern world, and also including English speakers from the United States viewing Spanish speakers as a downfall in America.
The Spanish language is something that unifies Mexico, along with Latin America, however it is also something that creates diversity within communities both positive and negative. I am looking forward to digging deeper into this relationship between language and cultural identities.
Hi, I really enjoyed reading your introduction blog. Especially the quote from Carlos Fuentes. I have never heard a quote like that before but it makes perfect sense. I am Mexican American and I can't agree more that without my ancestors history I wouldn't be who I am today. My family taught me the value of our language and told me that should never be emberrased to talk our language in front of people. Because our language is part of who we are and the way we talk shows where we come from. I think no one should be emberrassed about their language no matter what language they speak. Because our language has been passed down from generation to generation.
ReplyDeleteI have a few famly members who are younger than me who would prefer to speak in English especially to their parents who spoke mostly Spanish most of their lives. It makes me think that future Mexican generations who are born here will slowly forget our Spanish language. It's understandable because we live in an American culture but it doesn't mean we should forget about where we come from. I know it's hard for younger generations to understand that but I hope they will realize in the future.
This is a great introduction. As an Anthro major, I appreciated the Carlos Fuentes quote and your analysis. We're not just from wherever our geographic identities are; anatomically modern humans originated from Africa about 200kya. We're all from the same stock, but that happened long ago enough that we've got so many different "flavors."
ReplyDeleteI like your point about Spanish unifying Latin America and causing problems of identity and racism at the same time. When Spanish speakers come to the U.S., they lose their original identity and have difficulty finding a new one. Then comes the diversity of terms; Mexican American, Hispanic, Latino, Chicano... We keep trying to find a suitable term because humans love to compartmentalize and label things, but there is simply too much cultural diversity for one to exist. And that isn't a bad thing, we just need to realize that and live with it.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your introduction as it was clear and engaging. Your statement about the Mexican people's relationship to their culture made me reflect on my own upbringing. I was born and raised in Hawai'i, and I find that I relate more to the community and culture of the islands than to the larger 'community' of the United States. I am looking forward to learning more about this concept. I am also interested to learn more about the hierarchy created by languages in Mexico. As you are a spanish major, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on language through your blog.
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