Reading Response:

Preston, Young & Anzaldua

Literacy: What Counts and Who Decides What is Acceptable

Literacy is a broad term with several definitions and many interpretations. Literacy may mean one thing to one person, while meaning something entirely different to/for another. The direct definition of literacy is one’s ability to read, write, or speak a specific language. Often, those with power determine what ‘counts’ as literacy. For example, Gloria Anzaldua was literate in Spanish but not English. Students like her were required to take extra speech classes because their accents were not considered acceptable for literacy, “… all Chicano students were required to take two speech classes. Their purpose: to get rid of our accents” (Anzaldua). However, those in power are not the only ones who can decide what counts as literacy. Politics, race/ethnicity, culture, and societal shifts influence literacy. For example, shifts in culture, such as moving from the South to the North can result in changes to what people believe to be acceptable literacy For instance, when speaking to a large group, a Michigan man said: “And I had to learn Reeal fast how to talk like a Northerner. ‘Cause if I talked like this people’d think I’m the dumbest shit around” (Preston). This speaker grew up in Texas, where his accent and literacy were accepted as “normal” and “usual.”. However, when he moved north, his accent was suddenly unacceptable because the culture of Northerners stated that southern accents were a sign of low intelligence. Another example of one’s culture playing a role in defining literacy is how Obama used African American English despite it not being considered ‘proper English.’ In one situation, “… the waitress asks Obama if he wants the change from the twenty dollar bill he’d given her. “Nah we straight,” he replies” (Young). The culture Obama was raised in taught him African American English was acceptable literacy. In addition to an individual’s culture, their race and ethnicity defines acceptable literacy through their language. Language is intrinsically linked to a person, “But Chicano Spanish is a border tongue which developed naturally… Chicano Spanish is not incorrect, it is a living language.” (Anzaldua). Chicano Spanish combines ethnicity and literacy, where one defines and justifies the other. Overall, many factors can determine what is ‘acceptable literacy.’

 

Another contributing factor is geography.  “Geography changes language” (Anzaldua). The physical area where one is raised affects how our words sound and in what contexts we use words. Americans say “elevator,” and the English say “lift.” Although different words, the context is the same. Consider Robert Preston’s essay, Some Plain Facts About Americans and Their Language. Preston is a Michigan State Professor. In his essay, he points out how some Americans are preoccupied with their language. Preston goes on to describe how Michiganders (people who live in Michigan) consider how they speak the American English language is superior and correct compared to all other geographical area of the United States. He states it is ‘real people’ who determine what is ‘acceptable literacy.’  “The belief that some varieties of a language are not as good as others runs so deep that one might say it is the major preoccupation of Americans with their language. It is a belief nearly universally attached to minorities, rural people, and the less well-educated, and it extends even to well-educated speakers of some regional varieties. Evidence for this belief comes from what real people, not professional linguists, believe about language variety” (Preston).

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How Literacy Changes in and Out of School

For many, the school defines ‘acceptable literacy’ and then teaches it. Of course, it’s not the school itself but bodies of people who come together to determine what is taught. These groups of people are the Department of Education and the school district. Therefore, it could be said that ‘acceptable literacy’ is decided by politics.  “Chicanos did not know we were a people until 1965 when Ceasar Chavez and the farmworkers united, and I Am Joaquin was published, and fa Ra Za Unida party was formed in Texas. With that recognition, we became a distinct people. Something momentous happened to the Chicano soul- we became aware of our reality and acquired a name and a language (Chicano Spanish) that reflected that reality. Now that we had a name, some fragmented pieces began to fall together - who we were, what we were, how we had evolved. We began to get glimpses of what we might eventually become” (Anzaldua). Yet, what or who makes up politics? People. Humans. Ultimately, the decision of what defines “acceptable literacy’ is people. Everything and everyone who makes us who we are defines our identity. Our identity is reflected in how we talk and how we act. “Identity is the essential core of who we are as individuals, the conscious experience of the self-inside." - GERSHEN KAUFMAN (Anzaldua). Schools teach the ‘proper’ way to write and speak a language. Anzaldua shared her experience when the school heard her speaking Spanish, “I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess – that was good for three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler.” Within the American education system, some classes are required for non-native English speakers, which are intended to eliminate their accents (Anzaldua). While morally questionable (if not deplorable), these are just a few instances where Literary Sponsors have used their position of power to regulate access to knowledge and literary skills by forcing someone to conform to their standard or belief as to what is considered ‘correct.’

 

Outside and beyond the school system, it is people who force changes in the culture of language. Without the school as, frankly, an oppressor, people are free to adapt by adjusting the way they speak and write for survival.  This is how the language Chicano Spanish came to be, “… for a people who cannot entirely identify with either standard Spanish nor standard English, what recourse is left to them but to create their own language?” (Anzaldua). A few more examples of how people adapted are African American English and Spanglish. All three languages exist because people of different cultures survived by blurring the lines between different literacies and languages. Even a former President of the United States, Barack Obama, returned to his roots when he said, “Nah, we straight” (Young) to a waitress. In short, I believe it is the role of the education system to teach how to write and read a language, but it can’t be at the cost of an individual’s culture, race, and ethnicity. Literacy must be unbiased. To evolve, we must be open to modification and change of literacy.

  

My Experience with Varieties of Language.

Throughout life, I have used several different ‘Varieties of Language’ as in minor changes to a language such as slang, jargon, or dialects. Throughout school, I was discouraged from using any form of language that differed from what was taught. The books I read and the essays I wrote were all very formal; they followed the rules set by schooling and rarely strayed. However, as the internet rose in popularity and I could access it, I was encouraged to learn a new, evolving form of English. As acronyms and contractions became popular, I integrated them into my regular vocabulary. My friends started adopting African American English, so I did as well. Over time, my casual speaking became less and less formal and implemented more and more intricacies from the internet. Like many others, I write as I talk; I communicate as much information in the least amount of time. In the internet age, I believe people became lazy with writing and reading. Sentences such as “That was a great joke” or “I’ll be right back” were compressed into “lol” and “brb.” These acronyms were easier to type and could be read faster. Hence, the number of abbreviations snowballed and quickly grew to the point where there are documents that are near dictionary in length to help people understand modern texting. Alongside these abbreviations, several other tweaks were made, sometimes for an actual reason, other times because enough people just started saying it. Being surrounded by people who spoke and wrote in these ways caused me to adopt these minor ‘tweaks’ to English. However, after a few embarrassing experiences, I learned that the way of speaking I had developed was not fit for formal situations. This realization led to me learning how to code-switch. I spoke one way online or around friends and a completely different way at school or with my parents.